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August 28th, 2009 by Terry Zinndell

Most dogs have a natural inclination to jump on people sometimes. How often they do this will vary with their breed and personality. Some have suggested that dogs are trying to get close to someone’s face, not to attack that person, but to facilitate interaction. Dogs do this with each other; especially if they are of similar breeds, their faces are close to each other and on similar levels. Dogs use their eyes and noses to explore.

What that means is that it’s relatively simple to deal with some dogs’ jumping tendencies. Simply make it easy for the dog to reach you, so that he or she doesn’t have to jump. To do that, kneel down and interact with the dog at his or her own level. Let the dog explore your face safely, keeping watch to make sure that the dog does not become overly aggressive or assertive. Most dogs won’t bite their owners in this way, especially if the dog sees his or her own or as the “alpha” dog or leader of the pack.

If you’ve just gotten an older dog and aren’t quite sure how it’s going to respond to you yet, take some precautions as you try this technique. Put a collar on your dog and then insert your thumb underneath the collar behind your dog’s neck; this will give you the ability to jerk the dog’s neck sideways if you need to.

If at all possible, jerk your dog sideways instead of sharply backwards, because you can bruise your dog’s throat very easily with a sudden backward motion. This is true even though a dog’s neck muscles are very strong. In addition, this “sideways jerking” movement is meant to protect you and educate your dog, not to punish him or her.

You can also train your dog off leash to discourage jumping. Wear a pair of sturdy pants and stand your dog in front of you. You can of course train your dog to “sit,” but this isn’t going to work all the time. Usually, a dog jumps after he or she has been running our standing. Therefore, start this exercise with your dog standing.

Keep an eye out for your dog’s body tension to change, whereby he or she is about to jump. When you see this, order the dog to “sit.” If the dog still jumps, lift your leg slightly and gently nudge your dog’s chest with your knee or your thigh. While you do this, simultaneously, thrust your hand palm outward near the dog’s face, saying, “Off!” as you do so. (Don’t say “down,” since this is a separate behavior and requires a different word.)

Again, gentleness is key. Don’t push hard into the dog’s chest, and don’t push your hand into his or her face. Your knee action simply keeps the dog off you and puts it ever so slightly off-balance, while your “palm out” hand in front of his or her face obscures vision and discourages him or her from jumping again.

If you’re working with a partner, you can try leash training, especially if the dog still doesn’t get the idea that he or she shouldn’t jump. When the dog begins to jump, have your partner hold the leash and jerk sideways as you say, “Off!” Again, you, as the alpha leader, should be the one who’s saying, “Off!” and not your partner. The dog should obey and focus on you.

If you don’t have a partner, you can do this outside sometimes by wrapping a very long leash around a post or tree. However, this is less than ideal since the jerk will be from the back instead of to the side.

You can also use positive reinforcement to train your dog. Take a favorite toy or a treat in your hand and when the dog starts to jump, hold the treat or toy slightly behind and above your dog’s head. This will distract your dog and somewhat “unbalance” him or her. It also encourages the dog to sit even though the first tendency was to jump.

As with any type of training, persistence and consistency are key when you say, “Off!” Be firm but patient with your dog as you train him or her. With time, most dogs will understand that they must obey and suppress their natural urge to jump until you give them permission to do so.