Published: August 21, 2017  

Last updated: January 28, 2022  

Author: Debi McKee

Does this sound familiar? The doorbell rings, your dog barks, you open the door to let your friend inside and your dog proceeds to greet your friend by jumping upon them?

How embarrassing! You are yelling at your dog to stop jumping when you should be providing a warm welcome to your friend. Your friend may love dogs, but nobody likes to be jumped on or even worse knocked over by a big dog… I know I don’t.

Wouldn’t it be so nice to be able to open your front door and your dog calmly joins you in welcoming your guests?

How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Jumping?

I would dread the doorbell every time someone came over or UPS had a delivery. My dogs would go nuts barking, jumping at the window, and when I tried to open the door they would try and push their way through. I think the UPS driver dreaded ringing my bell just as much as I did!

One day, I decided that was enough! It was so stressful just to receive a package. So I started teaching my dogs the place command.

As soon as the doorbell rings, I tell them PLACE, and they must go to their dog beds until I release them. Wow, what a difference it has made. Not only does this work for the doorbell, but any time I need my dogs to be focused and out of the way.

Why does my dog jump?

Do you know WHY your dog likes to jump on people? It’s usually because they are excited and looking for attention.

Think about it. When your dog jumps, you respond by talking or petting him, right? Both actions are rewarding the jumping. Even yelling at your dog or pushing her off are reinforcing the jumping.

So how is it possible to stop your dog from jumping on people without talking? It’s easier than you may think.

You get what you pet graphic

5 proven ways to stop your dog from jumping on people

1. Reward your dog for NOT jumping

The first and most important step is to stop rewarding the jumping behavior. Don’t reward him AFTER jumping, reward BEFORE the jumping starts.

Only pet your dog when they are calm and relaxed.  

Do not look at him, do not touch him, do not talk to him. You must completely ignore your dog. Any attention is rewarding for him, so even talking to him gives him reason to jump.

Remember, your dog is jumping to get your attention, and if you give him any attention at all, he will assume jumping = attention.

When you come home from work or shopping, ignore your dog until he calms down. Do not talk, look or pet your dog until he is calm.

It’s also important to be patient, your dog is going to try and try to get your attention, jumping may turn into nudging or other behaviors. Be consistent and you will start to notice the behaviors diminish.

It’s difficult to instruct someone you don’t know to ignore your dog. So if your dog jumps up at strangers on walks, it’s best to avoid any situation that allows her to jump until you have the jumping under control at home.  

2. Use a long line leash to stop your dog from jumping on you

Using a long line leash is the perfect training tool to stop your dog from jumping on you, your guests, and strangers. McCann dog training has a great video to explain how to teach your dog to stop jumping in 4 simple steps:

  1. Getting control with the leash
  2. Setting up the training exercise
  3. Adding a cue
  4. Be persistent

Watch their video below:

3. Move toward your dog when jumping

I’ve seen trainers instruct to turn away when your dog is jumping, and while I do agree to ignore the jumping, the best advice I’ve received is to MOVE TOWARD the dog.

I know this may sound crazy, but if you move away then your dog is thinking this is a game. You move back, the dog jumps, you move back, the dog jumps.

Move into their space and they can’t jump anymore, they lose their balance and quickly learn that this is your space and jumping is not an option. 

For example, if you come home and your dog starts jumping on you, you should continue to walk right through him. Go on with taking off your shoes, go to the bathroom, and do whatever chores you need to do until your dog calms down.

4. Teach your dog the Place command

The Place training is valuable in so many situations. We use the Place command anytime the doorbell rings and it has changed our lives.

The Place command is simply a technique to teach your dog to go to a particular spot (a mat, dog bed, carpet) on cue. Your dog should stay in his place until he is released by you.

Our dog Bear even surprised me one day by going to his “place” even without me asking! He heard the UPS truck pull up to our house, he walked himself right over to his place and lay down! I probably shouldn’t have been, but I was in shock. We do practice the place command daily, sometimes several times a day, so it makes sense that Bear would connect UPS man to Place command.

[Related: Learn Why You Need to Teach the PLACE Command to Your Dog and the steps on how to do teach him Place.]

5. Stop Jumping! online training course

If you need more help stopping your dog from jumping on you and other people, then I recommend taking SpiritDog TrainingStop Jumping! mini-course.

The Stop Jumping! is a step-by-step mini-course with everything you need to stop your dog from jumping for good. Here is what you will learn inside the Stop Jumping! videos:

  • Why do dog’s jump
  • 4 on the floor – why telling your dog to sit is not the best way to teach your dog not to jump with the technique.
  • Reducing excitement when coming home and when you have visitors
  • Why being consistent is so important

SpiritDog gives you a full game plan to make sure you are successful in your dog training. You can get the Stop Jumping! mini-course as part of several SpiritDog training bundles, including

Why does my dog jump on me and not my husband?

Your dog may jump on you and not your spouse because you are the one reinforcing the jumping behavior. As we discussed above, the reason WHY dogs jump is for the attention.

It’s important for everyone in the house to be consistent and have the same rules. Have a family meeting and decide together on how best to stop your dog from jumping.

In Conclusion

Dogs jumping on people is a very common issue so don’t feel bad. It’s hard to ignore a dog that you love so much. And when our dogs are small and young, it’s cute when they jump up to lick your face.

Before you know it, you will have an adult dog, big or small, jumping on you.

Therefore, it is important to start teaching your dog not to jump even if he is still a puppy. Start early.

It’s so easy to unknowingly reinforce a dog jumping behavior.

I’d love to hear how you have been able to stop your dog from jumping. Comment below and share with the Rescue Dogs 101 Community.

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About the Author

Debi McKee

Debi McKee is the expert behind Rescue Dogs 101 where she guides you in your journey of adopting and raising a rescue dog every step of the way. She is a mom of 3 human kids and 4 dogs and volunteers for a local dog rescue and Humane Society. Click here for more about Debi and her passion for helping you and your dog.

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  1. We have tried everything to try and get our puppy to stop jumping, turning away does not work he will start humping. Moving towards does not work he just walks along, he does not care about a knee to the chest or stepping on his feet either. He is a 80 pound 9 month old Boerboel. Every time my husband sits on the couch he jumps on him and bites at him. I cannot have him jumping on me and I cannot turn away for he has already hurt my back, which I have a spinal fusion in my back. Help Please

  2. I prefer to put my dogs in their safe place when guests arrive. While my Golden would never jump on people and the Springer usually doesn’t, I prefer not to stress them with a lot of guests in the house. I do encourage my dogs to jump up to make contact with me but only if I invite them to do so.

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