Dog Training: Train your dog to stop jumping on people

Who amongst you likes to ruin a beautiful suit or dress with muddy or dirty paw prints from a dog? Does anyone enjoy it other than perhaps your dog? I would guess not.

However, we should not totally blame the dog for this nasty dog behavior.

Dogs usually do things that are natural to them. Jumping on people or you is one. Your dog thinks that jumping and bouncing around are ways to shows affection toward you.

You approved your dog jumping on you when he sees you coming home from work.

Recall when your dog was just a puppy, he would run to you and wiggle his way into your lap to greet you when he saw you sitting down.

You gladly let him lick and nuzzle up close to your body, even your face. You showed him that this behavior was acceptable by bending down to pick him up and kiss him.

This misunderstanding was repeated time after time and became a learned behavior. As your dog matured and grew he substituted jumping on you to achieve that same closeness and affection.

Teach your dog to do something else instead of jumping on people or you as a way of greeting you or your guests. Have him sit down or stay still. Like other dog training tricks, this one requires many repetitions.

As busy as you might be, you can dog train him by pretending that you are coming home a number of times a day. Leave through the back door and return through the front door. When he sees you while you’re still outside the gate or door, have him sit or stay still by commanding him. When he does that, praise him and give him a little dog treat.

Keep practicing that dog training trick over and over again until he knows how to behave with a random dog treat. Soon, his jumping up on people will be a thing of the past. Your dog will sit instead of jumping on people when he sees them.

Or you can just ignore your dog for seconds when you see him all excited by crossing your arms and put them on your shoulders and look up the sky. Dogs hate that and will stop jumping on you. Tell your guests to do the same thing to prevent your dog from jumping on your guests.

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