Jumping on Humans

Training a dog to stop jumping on people requires consistent effort, lots of patience, and positive reinforcement. Don’t forget that your dog may have been doing this a while, and the longer he/she has been performing the behavior, the harder it is to correct.

Prerequisite

Sit is very helpful, but not required.

Tools

Clicker
Small treats your dog enjoys

Training Environment

As with any training, the fewer distractions when you get started on a behavior, the easier it will be on your dog.

Recommended Treat Position

Treat either in place or on the floor.

Steps

For any jumping behavior:

Determine why your dog is jumping on you. Your dog likely has a need that is being filled by jumping up.
Decide what behavior you want your dog to do instead to get what he needs. If he doesn’t know that behavior, you will have to train it. You can usually do this at the same time.
Be consistent! Everyone has the same rules EVERY time. We can train exceptions later, but right now we need 100% compliance from everyone who meets your dog. If they cannot comply and must be present, put your dog away or have him/her on a leash where he/she cannot reach your guest.

Jumping on you when you are seated:

Ignore the behavior: When your dog jumps on you or others while seated, turn your head to the side, don’t look at, touch, or talk to your dog. If he doesn’t get the hint and get down, stand up slowly and turn away, ignoring them completely. Avoid eye contact and don’t speak to them until they calm down. Then try sitting down again. They will probably jump on you again, so be prepared.
Reward acceptable alternate behavior(s): As soon as your dog puts four on the floor (or if you have already trained the behavior you want, as soon as he offers that without being asked), click and treat.
If you haven’t trained your final behavior, reward for anything that isn’t jumping to start. Once your dog is calmer, see if waiting a few seconds will get you the behavior. If not, reinforce and train it separately (contact your trainer if you don’t know how).
If you don’t have a particular behavior that you want to use, you can add an “Off” cue. Wait until your dog is starting to jump and then changing his mind and getting down. Right before he is about to get down say “Off”. Click and treat as normal.

Jumping on you when you are standing:

This is similar to the instructions above. You may want to add the following:

If your dog is over-excited, have someone hold a leash so your dog cannot actually reach you. You can use a baby gate with you on one side and your dog on the other.
If your dog becomes overly persistent with the behavior (what we call an “extinction burst”) and you don’t have someone to hold a leash, step behind a baby gate or through a door (and close it behind you) and give your dog a few seconds to calm down and realize he has lost you.
Ask your trainer for the “Excited Greetings” exercise if you don’t have it.

Homework

Practice these steps EVERY TIME your dog performs the unwanted behavior.

Remember that sometimes behaviors get worse before they get better. This is called an “extinction burst”. Think about a child who has always been indulged for bad behavior that is finally told “No”. He’s not going to get quieter. At first he’s probably going to throw an all out tantrum trying to get his way. He will finally give up once he knows that he’s wasting energy and can get what he wants / needs in another way.

BE CONSISTENT! This cannot be stressed enough. If you give in, you could potentially make the behavior harder to address.

At the End of This Step

Your dog should be keeping all four feet on the floor when he/she greets you, and should not be jumping up on you when you are sitting down.

Troubleshooting

My dog is still jumping on me.
- Be sure you are rewarding for the replacement behavior. Remember: Your dog is jumping on you for a reason, and that reason isn’t going anywhere.
- Try putting yourself behind a door or otherwise out of reach.
- Make sure everyone (friends and family) are all following the new rules. If one person is giving your dog attention for unwanted behavior you are not going to see improvement.
My dog is getting worse!
- You may be experiencing an extinction burst. Keep working.
- Try putting yourself behind a door or baby gate when he/she gets too crazy. Three seconds without you will speak volumes to your dog.
- You may need to take a break. Your dog may be too tired and frustrated for learning to take place.