It's embarrassing when people come to your house and your dog won't stop jumping on them. It can also be harmful to small children or adults that are not expecting it. Jumping is a common dog behavior problem that can be solved with a little training. Learning how to stop a dog from jumping will take time and patience, but it can be done.
When dogs meet new canine companions they jump on each other and sniff each other all over. Dogs have a natural instinct to jump when they get excited. You can't expect that a dog will never jump at all, but you can train your dog to keep his paws on the ground.
As with most dog training, it's easiest to train a puppy to stop jumping. Jumping up on people is a hard habit to break, but you can certainly do it. You can still follow this guide to learn how to stop a dog from jumping if you have an older dog. Just know that it will likely take more time to train a dog that has already formed this bad habit.
How To Stop A Dog From Jumping
Dogs jump when they experience a sudden burst of emotion. The first thing you need to do is play down the emotion as much as possible. Instead of walking in the door waving your arms, talking loudly and excitedly to your pet, walk in slowly and speak in a quiet, soft voice.
Pushing your dog down may be seen as a game, and that could actually end up increasing your dog's excitement level. Likewise, the physical contact could be seen as a reward. Instead of using physical force to push your pet back to the floor, use a verbal command and turn away from your pooch.
As you turn away, your dog should naturally drop to the ground. While turning away, tell your dog to ‘sit'. If you haven't done any command training with your dog, you can watch my command training video to learn how to teach your dog to ‘sit', ‘stay' and come when called.
It is impossible for your dog to jump up and sit down at the same time. Once your dog learns to sit on command, you can use this trick to keep his paws on the ground during exciting situations.
The most important thing that you should remember is that you can NOT interact with your dog until all four of his feet are on the floor. Remember, it's also important to inform your family members and any expected guests that you are learning how to stop a dog from jumping. Ask them to follow the same procedure when they enter your home.
In the beginning, it's best to leash your dog when you're expecting company. This will give your guest time to enter your home and give the ‘sit' command before your dog has a chance to jump all over them. Gradually, you can begin to loosen your hold on the leash and eventually get rid of it all together.
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