How to Stop Your Dog From Jumping on People: 4 Training Tips to Follow
Dogs are unpredictable. One minute, they’re our best friend. The next, they’re jumping all over us.
This can be a lot of fun, but after a while, jumping can become annoying. Eventually, it might even become dangerous.
So, how do you stop your dog from jumping on people?
Unfortunately, there’s no single answer. Most dog trainers have their own way of tackling this problem.
That’s why I’ve compiled four tips from some of the most popular dog trainers out there. They’re all different. But I’m confident that at least one will work for you and your dog.
4 Tips to Stop Your Dog From Jumping On People
#1 Take Down Jumping
You might have already heard that one of the first things you should do to stop your dog from jumping on people is to take down your dog’s lead.
It sounds simple, but it can be a real challenge to do on the first try.
Not to mention, if you’ve taken your dog out to train, chances are, you’re in a busy area and you want to train. And if you stop your dog when he jumps, you’re just going to make him think jumping is a fun thing to do.
So, taking your dog’s lead can be a bit awkward.
But that doesn’t mean you should avoid it altogether.
If you’ve got someone else there, they can get your dog to stop by taking his lead. It’s all about holding on to your dog. The dog needs to know that the person has control of him.
1. The Soft Approach
This is the way that most dogs are trained. If you have a dog who loves to jump on people, this isn’t going to work.
But if your dog jumps on you every time you walk into the room, this might work.
For best results, you’ll want to use this approach with all jumping, not just the main infraction.
What you need to do is treat your dog like you normally would, but tell them to stop jumping.
Most people call this “the scolding approach.” But, there’s a difference between being mean and being smart.
With the scolding approach, you ignore your dog’s behavior until it stops. When it doesn’t, you have no choice but to put him in time out.
But the soft approach is a great alternative to the scolding approach.
2. The Aggressive Approach
“Most dogs, when they’re super hyper or anxious, have a go-get-it attitude. So you have to really be mindful of that when they’re around people.”
-Robert Carter, author of Helping Your Dog Get Over His Fears and Hiccups
It’s natural for dogs to be curious and want to get closer to people. However, if a dog is aggressive and lunges towards you, this can be extremely dangerous.
One of the most common triggers for jumping is a person coming towards the dog.
In fact, in a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, researchers found that 68 percent of dogs leap on their owner in an attempt to get as close as possible to the person.
Despite the risks of the jump, it’s good to remember that “most dogs, when they’re super hyper or anxious, have a go-get-it attitude.
3. The Tantalizing Treats Approach
Here’s the common formula for this method:
Work on stopping your dog from jumping on people. Make the jump more and more rare. Then, give your dog a treat for when he stops.
The idea is that, eventually, your dog won’t want to get up on the furniture anymore.
For a lot of dogs, this approach seems to work. Most dogs seem to get over their fear after just a few sessions. But if your dog seems to have some special jumping-based issues, it might not be a good option for you.
Still, you might be able to incorporate this method into your training plan if your dog tends to be nervous about people.
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4. The Positive Reinforcement Approach
This approach focuses on trying to help your dog connect positive emotions with pleasing and fun behaviors.
The idea is that you want to reinforce what your dog does that seems to bring him pleasure.
If he jumps up on people, instead of putting your foot down and screaming “NO!”, try rewarding him with a treat.
If he seems to be focusing on you and on playing with you, focus on making eye contact with him. Point at things like his favorite toys and walk in a way that he can see you.
He’s going to learn to associate doing fun things with seeing you, and soon it’ll be so much easier to leash him for walks or to leave him alone for a while.
As for avoiding the annoying jumpy phase, you can always play “pull” games or try tricks like “sit on a hardwood floor.
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