How to Stop Dogs from Jumping

When dogs jump on people, it can really be damaging. My poor husband got one of his incisors busted out of his mouth by the hard saggittal crest on an English Shepherd. It is one of the hardest behaviors to deal with - and one of the easiest to fix if you are thorough and consistent.

Jumping is entirely a learned behavior, usually shaped in puppyhood - when dogs are small and maximally cute. The dynamic goes thus - the smaller dog jumps up for attention, the human leans forward and gives it to them warmly. Ta da! You've taught your dog to jump on people.

As they mature, the response gets less warm, the human starts getting hurt as the dog gets heavier, more energetic, frustration appears because the human starts being angry with the behavior instead of happy, so the dog pushes the affection button harder trying to get the same response. Sometimes, the people forget and give the dog affection when the jump occurs. Different people give affection when the jumping occurs.

It is normal for dogs to be excited upon greeting, as well. When you watch wolves greeting each other, there is much excitement and whining and licking of jaws. Oftentimes the dogs who jump are also trying to lick your mouth in greeting, just like a wolf.

The dog gets bigger. Responses from the people get harsher, but dogs are tough - even being shoved away is often interpreted as playful attention. The emotionality gets higher, and the dynamic often becomes toothier, rougher, angrier, more frustrated.

What is missing is calm, calculated, effective response.

I counsel people to remove an emotional response and return instead a simple physical trick. As you are the back part of a right angled triangle, and the dog is the hypotenuse, which is a very stable arrangement, the human must destabilize the dog in a neutral fashion without rewarding them.

So, when a dog jumps on you, walk briskly into them in the direction their spine is, collapsing the triangle. When the dog is off of you, then give them eye contact, a smile, make contact with your hands. If they try to jump again, collapse the triangle again. ONLY REWARD WHEN THE DOG IS ON ALL FOURS.

That's it. It's dead simple. Implementing it requires a few caveats however.

1) You have to be consistent

2) You cannot let other people reward the jump either, so you must control the dog during greetings.

It's a very achievable dynamic with some determination and by paying just a little bit of attention.

If you'd like help with this technique and its applications, don't hesitate to contact us, we'd be delighted to show you the ropes!