Puppies and dogs naturally jump up on people when they say hello. Why? Because we’re taller than they are! When dogs meet, they sniff each other’s faces. They like to do the same thing when greeting us, so it’s perfectly natural for dogs to jump up on us to try to reach our faces and get our attention.
What to Do About the Problem
The key to teaching your dog not to jump on you when they greet you is to tell them that you only greet dogs who keep their front paws on the floor. Although you can’t tell them with words, you can tell them with actions. When your dog greets you, their goal is to get your attention and to get you to pet them.
Knowing this, you can show your dog what they must do to earn your attention and touch. Try to remember two things each time you greet your dog:
- Keep your attention and your hands away from your dog unless their front feet are on the floor.
- Immediately give your dog attention and petting the instant their front feet land on the floor.
For instance, when you enter a door and your dog jumps up on you, ignore them. Don’t tell him to get off you and don’t push him away. Instead, stand up straight and look over their head.
If you move your arms and hands at all, pull them up toward your chest. If they continue jumping all over you, turn away. They’ll have to put their front paws on the floor to follow you. The instant their front paws touch the floor, praise them and pet her head.
If they jump up at your touch, just pull your hand away, stand up straight like before, and ignore them until their feet find the floor once again. The moment their feet touch the floor, pet them. Your attention and your touch are the words that you can use to let your dog how they need to act to get your attention.
Never withhold attention when your dog’s feet finally do touch the floor—even if you’re irritated at them for jumping a moment earlier. They have to make the connection that front feet on the floor magically result in attention and affection from people.
What NOT to Do
Do not become really excited when you greet your dog. The calmer you are, the calmer your dog will be.
Do not shout at your dog when she jumps up on you or others. Shouting will just make her more excited and cause more jumping up.
Do not try to grab your dog or push away. Doing that could just cause more jumping up.
Do not knee your dog in the chest, step on her back toes, grab or pinch her front toes, orotherwise cause her pain or discomfort. If you do, you’ll frighten and hurt your dog, and she still won’t have learned how to politely greet people.
For AAWL adopters who need more information or if you have additional questions, please reach out to our support team at 602-273-6852 ext. 105.