Teaching Dogs Not to Jump on Visitors

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The Well-Tempered Pet, Madison Pet Gazette, August 1997

By Sharon Savage, M.S.

This month I'll suggest some non-punishment based methods to cure your dog of jumping on visitors.

Dogs jump to get attention, whether it's positive or negative. That's why punishment based methods seldom work. Even if the dog initially responds to the punishment--being kneed or stepped on--he may find it necessary to offer appeasement gestures, including jumping up to lick the visitor's chin! The philosophy behind curing a jumping problem is this: the dog should be calmly praised and petted only when he has four feet down, and ignored when he jumps.

Have your dog on a leash and plan for guests to let themselves in the door at first. Explain that when the dog jumps on them, they should instantly cross their arms and face the wall. You should walk the dog to the opposite side of the room, ignoring the dog until he has all four feet on the ground for ten seconds.

Approach your visitor again, turning back if the dog attempts to jump. When your dog finally reaches the visitor and still has four feet on the ground, give your dog a food treat--at his nose level--while your guest pets the dog.

You might want to offer your dog a chewy treat, like beef jerky, that will take a while to munch from your closed fist. Peanut butter offered on a spoon also keeps many dogs' attention off jumping. As the dog progresses, you can stop using food and use "attention from the visitor" as the reward. Any time the dog tries to jump, the visitor should again withdraw his attention and face the wall.

Remember, most jumping occurs just after a visitor enters. Just keeping your dog on leash and away from your guest for the first minute greatly reduces jumping. You can also practice by having the same person repeatedly enter, greet the dog and leave. This will make having visitors less exciting for the dog.

Addendum, Dec. 2005: For those readers who would like better control of their dog's doorway/greeting behavior, I HIGHLY recommend the new "Treat and Train" computerized treat dispenser from SharperImage.com. This machine, developed by a veterinarian and clicker trainer and tested at the University of California-Davis comes with a great 3.5 hour DVD taking you through the complete training procedure. After training, dogs learn that when the doorbell rings, they should run to their rug and lie down to get the machine to turn on. (Actually, you control this through a small remote control). Treats will continue to automatically reward your dog for staying down while you greet the guest, pay for the pizza, etc. This machine is really a super device!