Jumping on people is a natural reaction for excited dogs, but here’s how to stop it

Jumping is a natural reaction for dogs when they get excited, especially when greeting people. Though their intentions may be harmless, it can be dangerous for large dogs to jump on children or an elderly person, for example.

The American Kennel Club offers these strategies to help stop your dog from jumping on people.

Ignore the jumping

A lot of times, dogs jump to get attention because they are overly eager. Ignoring this shows them that there is no attention to be received, positive or negative. One way to do this is to not make eye contact or speak until all four feet are on the floor — then, feel free to calmly praise your pup. After a few of these practices, your dog should learn that they will not get attention for jumping.

Turn your back

Another tactic in ignoring would be to physically turn your back until your dog stops jumping. Once they realize that they’re not getting the reaction they wanted, they will stop, at which point you can turn around and praise them.

Teach alternative actions

If your dog is sitting or laying down, they can’t jump. Teaching your dog to sit or lay down as an alternative to jumping is a good idea if your dog is a frequent jumper. Calmly praise your dog when they hold the position and stay.

Keep calm

If your dog gets excited easily and is known to jump when excited, try some tactics to calm them down beforehand. If you know someone is coming over and that is a trigger that makes them excited and jumpy, try taking them for a long walk beforehand so they are more relaxed.

Training your dog to sit for greetings

• From several feet away, ask your dog to sit. When they do, calmly approach. If they stand up, turn and walk back to your starting point and ask for the sit again. If they stay sitting, go up to them and quietly praise and pet them. If they stay sitting, keep greeting. If they stand up, turn and walk away.
• As your dog begins to understand they need to sit to get your greeting, you can make your approaches more and more exciting.
• Once your dog has mastered sit for greetings with you, go back to step one using friends and family members.