Young boy sitting on a step with his dog

How to Stop Your Dog From Jumping on You

When your puppy jumps up at you, it may seem cute or even funny. After all, an excited dog can be quite adorable. However, small dogs grow larger, and this type of behaviour can be off-putting for visitors, and even dangerous for small children. If you're ready to discourage your dog from jumping up on people, we're here to help.

Let's start with why they do it

Like us, dogs greet each other face-to-face, so to them it’s only natural to want to get on your eye level. Of course, while they’re there they usually want to give you a kiss and a sniff, too. It’s natural behaviour if you’re a dog, but it’s not acceptable behaviour for humans, so it's best to curb it before it becomes a habit.

How to correct it

When you first see your dog, remain tall, still and calm. Don’t give them any attention, other than a vocal correction if they start to jump. This may take some time for them to learn, but keep consistent, and never correct your dog’s behaviour physically.

Praise your dog for keeping their paws firmly on the floor. Practice entering the house and seeing how your dog responds. Avoid too much positive physical praise, though, as it could overstimulate your dog and get them too excited.

Unfortunately, humans tend to be inconsistent. If you laugh and pet your dog even once when they jump up, they’ll expect you to do it the next time. If you set the rules, however, they’ll happily follow them.

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