Help! My dog won’t stop jumping on me! This is a common behavior problem encountered by canine behaviorists. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a behavior problem that your dog will have forever unless you don’t fix it. Your dog can learn how to act appropriately around you and your guests.
Understand the Reason Why
Understanding why your dog is jumping is important in helping to reduce the behavior. Understanding your dog is also helpful in reducing the frustration you feel when the behavior begins.
Dogs jump all the time, it is natural for your dog to jump when he is excited. Dogs will jump when they want to play, when they are excited to see you (or someone else) and when they simply want your attention.
This behavior usually starts as a puppy. Seriously, how many of us can resist a puppy that jumps up for us to hold her?
In order to stop this behavior, you need to be consistent, remain calm and be willing to take the time to fix it.
Remain Consistent
Consistency is extremely important. If you allow your dog to jump sometimes, he is going to think it’s okay to jump all the time. If you don’t want him to jump, you must be consistent in your training.
Teach Your Dog to Sit
Of course your dog probably already knows how to ‘sit’ if you’re looking at this article.
Teaching him to sit when he greets you or someone else can prevent him from jumping on you. He can’t sit and jump at the same time. This also gives him enough time to calm down a little before greeting you when you get home.
When your dog has all four little paws planted on the floor, give him a treat. Don’t pay him any attention until he is down on all four paws.