Is your pooch an excited jumper? While having that happy face greet you at the door is a great end to the workday, we want to give you steps for how to stop them from jumping.

 

Step 1: Remain calm when greeting your dog

We know it’s tough, but abandon the high-pitched baby talk when coming home and greeting your pup. Your enthusiastic greeting only serves to rile up their excitement, so remain calm during greetings. 

 

Step 2: Ignore your dog until all four paws are on the ground

When you come home, the only thing your dog wants is your attention—negative or positive. Scolding, yelling at, or shoving your dog away only reinforces their jumping behavior, as any sort of attention is rewarding to your pooch. Instead, completely ignore your dog until they have “four on the floor.” As soon as all four of your dog’s paws are planted on the ground, greet them calmly. They’ll quickly learn they receive attention only when they’re standing still.   

 

Step 3: Train the desired behavior during greetings

Once your dog has made the connection between remaining calm and greeting you, you can train them to perform the desired behavior before being greeted. For example, many people train their dogs to sit before being greeted. After your dog has settled down and has four paws on the ground, ask them to sit and reward them with praise and attention for their appropriate behavior. After all, your dog can’t jump on you if they’re sitting.

 

January is National Train Your Dog Month. In honor of that, we want to give you the skills to train your pup a new good habit. Need advice on how to best train your pup? Give us a call.