It’s annoying.  Your dog jumps on you when you arrive home and jumps on anyone he sees – guests, random people on the street, anyone and everyone.  He may also jump on you if you have food or treats.  How do you stop something that seems impossible to do so?  It’s not an easy road – it requires time, timing, patience, repetition and lots and lots of patience.

It is important that your pup receives no attention for jumping on your or anyone else for that matter.  Many argue that you should knee your dog when he jumps.  It’s OK to do so but most importantly, it is important to get your dog back on the floor with all four paws down.  You can put your knee out, step backward, or turn your body – whatever it takes.  Everyone in the family must be on the same page with this.

When your pup jumps on other people, you will need to enlist another family member or friend to assist in the training.  Put your dog in the sit position.  You should also put him in a stay.  Then, have your greeter approach you and your dog.  If/when your dog stands up or jumps, the greeter should immediately use one of the methods described above to get your dog back on all four paws.   Simultaneously, say “off!”.   Rinse and repeat – put your dog in a sit/stay and have the greeter approach again.  If/when he stands up again, repeat the process.  If your dog stays in a sit position, reward him with a “yes! Off!” and a high value treat.  Only use high value treats when training your dog so he responds with focus.

When you come across a person when walking your pup, take it as a training scenario.  Ask the person to please not approach your dog as you’re training your dog not to jump.  Ask the person if they would help you and give her a treat and ask her to reward your dog once you put him in a sit/stay.  Then, put your pup into a sit/stay and ask the person to reward your pup when he is sitting and staying.  If your dog jumps on the person, pull him off while saying “off!”.  Put him in another sit/stay and have the person reward your dog.  You may need to rinse and repeat a few times.

For difficult cases, you may need to step on the leash, giving your dog just a little slack.  If he jumps, tell him “off!”.  When he is back on the floor with all four paws, wait an important 4 seconds before saying “yes! Off!” and giving him a high-value treat.  The 4 seconds is very important. If you reward him sooner, he may think that “off” really means “good jump! Do it again!”.  You don’t want to reward the jump, you want to reward the “off!”. 

Be patient, it could take many weeks of daily 5-10 minute exercises to get him in line.  Good luck!