Stopping a Jumping Dog

Unless given a command to jump, a dog should never be allowed to jump on humans. A dog who jumps on a human at his own free will is a dog who does not respect the person he is jumping on. Even those cute little toy dogs should not be allowed to jump on people. While you, the owner, may think it is cute, it is not cute to everyone else. Not only is it annoying to most people to have someone else's dog jump on them, it can also be dangerous. A jumping dog can knock people over and muddy their clothes, put runners in nylons and scratch.

When a dog jumps on a human at their own free will they are not "greeting" the human, they are asserting their dominance on them. It is the dog communicating that he is alpha and or wishes to own or control the human. A subordinate would never dream of running over and jumping on the alpha dog of the pack. Space is respect and lower remembers of the pack respect the higher members. If your dog jumps on humans he does not respect them.

I remember going to a dog park where a little 4 month old Boxer puppy ran around and jumped up on everyone. The dog was not heavy enough to knock most of the adults down, however, he left everyone with muddy pants and was big enough to knock over small children. The owner did nothing to stop the jumping puppy. After all, it was just a small pup. Everyone around her was pretty annoyed at the muddy prints the dog was leaving all over their clothes. That is an owner who will have a problem with their dog jumping on people when he gets older.

Puppies should be told from day one, "no jumping". Anything you do not wish your cute little puppy to do when he is full grown should not be allowed when he is a puppy. Think about the behaviors you allow your puppy to do; is it something you will always allow him to do even when he is full grown? If the answer is no, do not allow your puppy to do it from day one.

Dogs like and need consistency, so if you are not allowing your dog to jump on you, everyone in the family and everyone who greets the dog must do the same. You, as an owner, must make sure this happens. It will only confuse a dog if you allow him to jump on some people who say they do not mind, and tell him not to jump on others. Once you decide you do not wish your dog to jump on people you must apply this to everyone at all times unless you give the dog a command to jump. A dog should never jump on a human at his own free will.

Stopping the Jumps

To a dog, space and balance is very important. If you take a step backwards or lean out of a jumping dogs way, the dog will continue to jump. To a dog, space means a lot and the dog will be gaining space. When a dog jumps, step into "your space". Picture a sphere around you. A sphere of your space and you are not going to allow anyone or anything to come into your space. When the dog jumps, step into it sideways with your body, shoulder towards the dog. Don't face the dog head on. You are not trying to knock the dog down, you are simply calmly filling up your space with your body, and in return, setting the dog off balance, which is an uncomfortable feeling for a dog. Lean slightly forward, not backward. Never lean backwards, as you will be giving the dog that space. Casually and calmly, keep filling your space, not allowing room for the dog to come in. Remember, your goal is not to knock the dog down or walk into the dog, it's just to fill your space. You may end up bumping into the dog in doing so, however, do not make that your goal, keep the goal on protecting your space.

You can do this with any dog who jumps on you, take a sideways step forward just as the dog starts to jump, filling the space the dog was about to take up. This will throw off the dogs balance and at the same time, claim your space. You will earn respect from the dog and soon, the dog will learn it is no fun to jump on you.

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