One of the most common behavior problems reported to trainers is "My dog jumps on people." Depending on the size of the dog, this can range from the minor annoyance of a chihuahua soiling somebody's pant legs to a serious injury when an excited lab launches himself at a child. In any case, many dogs end up in shelters because of their over-exuberance. This is very sad, because there are a lot worse problems a dog owner can have besides a dog who is too friendly!
Why do dogs jump?
A friendly dog's reason for jumping on a person is very simple. He is looking for attention. He may want to get closer to the face to give a big, sloppy kiss; certainly he wants to be petted and gushed over. Dogs who jump to greet are very happy and excited to see the person they are greeting. They mean no harm.
When an adorable little puppy looks up with those big, brown eyes and jumps for attention, it's very difficult for the average dog lover not to respond by picking him up or at least petting him. This reinforces the behavior, teaching the puppy that jumping is an acceptable and appropriate way to get attention. By the time that 10 pound puppy grows to 50 pounds, the behavior is already a well-established habit. This is often the time that owners start to realize that they have a problem. So the most effective way to prevent the problem is to start training while the puppy is still tiny.
Teach him an appropriate greeting
You have probably heard old-fashioned training advice that focuses on teaching the dog NOT to jump. These techniques include instructions to knee him in the chest or step on his feet, or do something else that is unpleasant or painful. Thankfully there are better ways to deal with a dog who is misbehaving because he is too friendly besides damaging his trust in people. Modern science-based positive reinforcement training uses the reward the dog is seeking - attention - and focuses on what you would like your dog to do for it INSTEAD of jumping. A polite and acceptable way for a dog to ask for attention is to sit in front of the person he wants to greet. As an added bonus, it's an easy behavior to teach.
One of the simplest ways to teach a dog to sit on cue is to hold a treat to his nose, and slowly move it up and back so that his head follows it and tilts backwards. Most dogs will automatically sit when their heads are in that position. This is called the lure/reward method. As you lure with the treat, hold your hand with the palm facing towards you and the fingers pointing up and held together. As soon as that butt hits the floor, mark it (most commonly with a word like "yes!" or a clicker) and release the treat to the dog as a reward. If you say "sit" just as you lure, the dog will associate the cue with the behavior that follows. After 2-3 times luring with the treat, take the food out of that hand but still use the same movement, which will become a hand signal. Not only does your dog learn that when you say "sit" it means to put his butt on the floor, he also learns that the hand signal means the same thing. You may still have to move your hand close to his face as if you held a lure the first couple of times, but slowly reduce the movement until you are simply holding your hand up in that position.
Once your dog is responding to the sit verbal cue and hand signal, it's time to begin to teach him to sit for greeting. When he jumps on you, say "sit" and give the hand signal. And then ignore him, holding the hand signal, until he sits. He is seeking your attention. At this point any attention - scolding, eye contact, pushing - will reinforce the jumping. Wait it out until he sits, and then immediately pet him and talk to him. If he jumps again, tell him to sit (both verbally and with the hand signal) and ignore him again. Expect that he will continue to jump at first, since this is what he is used to doing. It will take him a little while to learn that the rules have changed.
The hand signal is important in this, as when your dog is very excited he is not likely to respond to a single "sit" cue. And you don't ever want to nag, "sit sit sit sit SIT!" Not only will that teach him to tune you out, but he may inadvertently learn that the cue itself is "sit sit sit sit SIT" and not perform it until it's said as many times. So say it one time, and just hold that hand signal until he is able to calm down enough to focus in on it and respond.
Consistency is key
If your dog is always required to sit before he is given attention, then he will learn to automatically sit when he approaches somebody for greetings. It won't happen right away, because he already has an established pattern of jumping = attention. Normally when you are trying to break a habit, it gets worse before it gets better as the dog goes through a psychological stage called extinction burst. In essence he will continue to try to get the same response he expects from previous experience (i.e., attention for jumping), become frustrated when the behavior doesn't work, and try harder by escalating the behavior. But if he is never again reinforced for that behavior, it will stop (become "extinguished") and be replaced by the appropriate behavior of sitting for attention.
Note that there are two pieces of the puzzle in teaching appropriate greetings. It's not enough to just ignore the jumping behavior. It's just as important, if not more so, to reward the sitting behavior! At first he may sit for only a second or two. If you don't take that opportunity to pet and praise him, he will become even more frustrated trying to figure out what he can possibly do to get what he wants. So you may feel like a yo-yo at first, petting, ignoring, petting, ignoring in quick succession as your dog tries to figure out what works.
It is extremely important that everybody in your dog's life is on the same page. If even one person says, "That's okay, I don't mind" and pets him (which will happen if you don't take steps to prevent it), he will continue to jump. So you do have to be proactive about preventing other people from ruining your training. Keep him on leash when greeting people, even those coming in your house. As he greets, step on the leash so that when he tries to jump his feet are unable to leave the ground. That way others can pet him without reinforcing the jumping. This is management, which is also an integral part of effective training. The more you allow your dog to practice unwanted behaviors, the better he will be at those behaviors, and the less you can expect him to learn to perform the desired behaviors instead. Managing the environment and circumstances to prevent the unwanted behavior from ever happening will greatly enhance the efficiency of your training.
The leash can come in very handy also when practicing with young children or elderly people who can get knocked down easily by a jumping dog. In this case you would tether the dog, and instruct the children (or elderly family member) to only approach the dog if he is sitting, and back up out of his reach if he gets up.
Dogs are very good at learning what works to get them what they want. If you are consistent about considering your dog invisible whenever there is a paw on your body and providing attention for that nice little sit, you will see your dog responding more and more often with the appropriate behavior. At some point, the sitting will come as automatically to him as the jumping did.
Basic training is all about manners
Most puppy and basic training classes that are geared for family pets focus on teaching manners, such as sitting instead of pouncing on people to say hello. There is no better investment in your pet than to help him become a well-mannered part of your family, and a good training class is invaluable in reaching that goal. For help in finding a good class, see How to choose the right dog trainer. In the Orlando area, Dog Willing Positive Training Solutions offers positive reinforcement family pet training classes for both puppies and adult dogs.
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