How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping upon People and Other Dogs

There are few things more annoying that visiting a friend or family member only to have their dog jump all over you. This is a common puppy habit that should immediately be broken in order to ensure yourself and your guests are not knocked over upon entering your home. Keep in mind that not all puppy habits are cute and can potentially become harmful, especially if young children or elderly individual are knocked down and injured by your dog-not matter how harmless your dog may be at the time.

Jumping is a bad habit that can be broken quite easily, ensuring you use the proper training techniques each and every time. Just as with all other types of training, the key to dog training is consistency. Allowing your dog to jump sometimes but not others is inappropriate and will only confuse your dog to your methods. By keeping your training techniques consistent each and every time, your dog will know the exact behavior that you expect.

You should never physically abuse your dog in an attempt to train him. This is inappropriate in all instances and can only create a wider gap between you and your dog. Just as with humans, trust must be earned with dogs, and by committing abuse, you are showing yourself to be untrustworthy with your dog. Keep in mind that the methods outlined in this article are a far cry from abuse, but the line exists and should be carefully noticed. With that said, there are two main methods to teaching your dog not to jump.

Both methods of teaching your dog not to jump involve a command. Use a command like "no jump," but avoid those like "down," which are often associated with the laying down command. This command should be said in a strong firm voice. Regardless how frazzled you may be on account of your jumping dog, a strong and firm voice is the best way for your dog to key in on your emotion. From here, there are different methods you can accompany with the command.

Some individuals find that holding the dog's front paws so that he cannot get down is a way to train a larger dog. This will frustrate the dog and discourage him from jumping again. When your dog jumps, use your command in a clear, firm voice. Then, grab his front two legs are refuse to let him down for a period of time. This period is usually a couple seconds. Keep in mind that you are not trying to torture your dog, only to discourage him from jumping. After a few times, just use the command and see if the dog responds properly.

Another method is to raise your knee as the dog begins his jump. Do not kick or knee your dog, just raise your knee to lift your foot a couple of inches off the ground. Instead of jumping on your body, your dog will come up against your raised knee and return to the ground. This method is not abusive or cruel if done correctly and will not physically harm your dog.