Stopping your Dog from Jumping

dog jumping

If you have a dog that jumps up on people when they come to visit, you need to take proper steps to stop the behavior.  In addition to being rude, a dog jumping up on a child, even a small dog, can cause injury.  You want your home to be open to family and friends, not a place they dread going to because of your dog.

Dogs naturally like to jump but they can learn quickly to stop.  You would expect a dog to be happy and enthusiastic when people come over but they can be that without the unnecessary jumping.  As you will discover, making a few changes will have big impacts.  Most dogs will learn not to jump quickly and the training is not difficult.

First, when you come home from work, instead of greeting your dog with excitement, actually ignore him.  While this might seem harsh, it is only until he learns to settle down.  If you come home all excited, you get him excited and he instinctively will jump.  On the other hand, by entering the home, setting your purse or briefcase down and going to the bedroom to change clothes before greeting your dog will be much better.  Then, when you do greet the dog, get down on your knees or sit in a chair, calling him to you and gently, calmly, tell him hi and pet him.

Another great tip to get your dog to stop jumping is simple.  We also recommend that in addition to you doing this, tell people coming to visit that they too are welcome to use this method.  Very simply, when the dog starts to jump, bend the knee up so the dog’s chest goes into the knee.  This will not harm the dog but it will stop him in his tracks.  You may need to repeat this a few times but if this is done each time you or someone else walks in the house, your dog will stop jumping up.

If these two methods do not work, you could always use the lemon trick.  This method is very effective and again, will do no harm to the dog.  Simply keep a cut lemon in the refrigerator.  Whenever your dog jumps, or does anything he should not do, you can squeeze a couple of drops of lemon juice in his mouth while saying, “NO.”  In most cases, the dog will quickly make the connection that when he misbehaves, he will get a shot of lemon juice.

If all else fails, you may need to talk to a professional trainer.  After all, these people have a number of special methods to try.  Professional dog trainers are highly skilled and possess specific knowledge that most dog owners do not have.  Typically, the time it would take for your dog to learn to stop jumping would be minimal in that this is one of the easier bad behaviors to change.