How To

How to Stop a Dog From Jumping on Guests at the Door

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(2 Ratings)

Most dogs like to jump, especially when they are overly excited. The easiest way to stop a dog from jumping when greeting guests at the door is to not allow the behavior to start. If your dog has already learned to jump on people you can change the behavior by training a new way to greet visitors.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Teach your dog to sit on command in a calm environment before working on changing the way that he greets people. You can train your dog to greet at the door in either a standing or sitting position, but if your dog has the desire to jump it is better to use a sitting position for greeting. Sitting is further away from jumping than is standing.

  2. Step 2

    Put your hand in front of the dog's face and move it up and over her face while saying "sit." The naturally tendency of the dog to follow your hand with her eyes will force her head to go up and her back end to go down into a sit position. Praise the dog and reward with a treat or affection when she sits.

  3. Step 3

    Keep your dog on a leash while training and practicing the correct way to greet visitors at the door. Most dogs that have a tendency to jump on people will need to practice their new greeting many times before taking the leash off during training.

  4. Step 4

    Tell your guest in advance not to greet the dog until the dog is sitting calmly. If they start to greet the dog and he gets up and starts to jump they should pull away from the dog and ignore him entirely.

  5. Step 5

    Give your dog the command to sit as soon as you approach the door and before you open the door. After the dog is sitting open the door and let your guest into the house.

  6. Step 6

    Use your body to block the dog from going towards the guest and to put the dog back into a sit position if she tries to get up. Step towards the dog which will cause the dog to step back or to get off balance and sit back down. Never step away from the dog when she jumps up as this will look like an act of submission to the dog.

  7. Step 7

    Praise the dog when he returns to the sit position and allow your guest to greet him.

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