How to Get a Dog to Stop Jumping on People

Jumping is a very easy behavior to install on a dog - one, they already come with the inclination to be excited upon greeting. Have you ever watched a documentary where the parent wolf returns from hunting to their puppies? There's a lot of jumping and jaw licking - because the puppies are trying to get the parent wolf to barf up a bunch of meat for them. That's what your dog is trying to do to you.

It also becomes a trained behavior, usually in puppyhood - because who isn't charmed when your dog jumps up at 6lbs for affection when you come home? Nobody else is that excited to see you. So, you naturally reward them for jumping with affection - the singularly most powerful reinforcer that exists.

So, this behavior continues until the dog is over 25lbs and then it becomes a problem. Then it becomes painful. Then suddenly you are aware of what is happening because it's painfully obvious.

So what's the best way to stop this dynamic?

Well, the best way to take care of this is to never reinforce the dynamic to begin with, and to restrain your impulse to create jumping as a trained behavior. This really easy in puppies - you simply ignore their solicitations for affection until they give you the correct behavior. In this case, usually a neat sit. As soon as they sit, then you light up and give them the attention they crave.

But what to do once that behavior is already a lasting habit?

One, you have to decide that you actually want the jumping to stop. Then you have to do what it takes to make it stop.

The most important part is to stop reinforcing them for the behavior. At all. Ever. Even if you've had a bad day. If you reinforce a dog for a behavior, it will stick around. Then, you have to get everybody else the dog interacts with to stop reinforcing the behavior either.

I find that adding a sensible correction to the process helps it go a lot faster (and helps you keep your balance). If the dog jumps, walk into them briskly while keeping your hands glued to your body. That's all that's necessary to make the setup fail. Once it fails, give it a good space of time - 10 or 30 seconds, then reward the dog while they sit instead with affection. The break is so that a sequence isn't set up (jump then SIT and then affection) and provides a conceptual break that defines the sit as the behavior that elicits the affection rather than the jump.

So, as you can see, the problem is actually really easy to fix - if you stop reinforcing it.

That's the real challenge, isn't it?

If you feel like you'd benefit from some help through this process, give us a call. We'd love to help you hold yourself accountable!