Most dogs like jumping on people because that is what they do when they interact and play with other dogs. My Siberian Husky likes to jump because she likes to lick at people’s faces and for her special friends, nibble at their chin.
However, many people consider jumping to be rude dog behavior. Jumping can also be dangerous if the dog is large, because he can easily knock down and hurt a child or a senior adult.
Interestingly though, dog jumping behavior has much more to do with us than with our dogs.
Why Do Dogs Jump on People?
Dogs jump on people because they usually get rewarded for their jumping behavior.
When a dog jumps, our first reaction is to use our hands to push the dog away. Sometimes, we also shout at the dog and make a lot of noise. All this sound and rapid hand movement only gets the dog even more excited. From the dog’s point of view, we are initiating a fun wrestling game!
In this way dogs learn that –
Jumping = Fun wrestling game and
No-jumping = Taps on the head or being ignored.
This encourages dogs to jump even more because we are rewarding their jumping behavior and ignoring them when they are not jumping.
Rapid hand movement and excited sounds can also trigger a dog’s prey drive. That is why while we are at a dog park, it is dangerous to run or move about in an erratic fashion. Doing so will likely get a pack of dogs on our tail.
How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping on People
To stop our dog from jumping on people, we must first change what people do when dogs jump.
When a dog jumps, I calmly turn away from him and fold up my arms. This teaches the dog that when he jumps, he only gets ignored and doesn’t get any attention at all (no-talk, no-touch, and no-eye-contact).
No eye contact is especially important because that can be seen as an attention-reward by our dog. It may also be interpreted as an invitation to come over and play.
This rule is the hardest for people to follow because it is difficult not to look at a cute dog when he is trying his hardest to get our attention.
Why Can’t I Get My Dog to Stop Jumping?
In order to get our dog to stop jumping on people, we must get everyone that our dog meets to consistently ignore him when he jumps. This can often be difficult to achieve.
What ends up happening is that some people follow the instructions, some people only partially follow the instructions, and some people don’t listen at all.
As a result, our dog gets rewarded sometimes for jumping. This teaches our dog the following –
Some types of jumping = Fun wrestling game.
Rather than deterring him from his jumping behavior, this only teaches him to try jumping on everyone, and to try different types of jumping, because you never know which one will trigger the fun wrestling game.
The jumping dog behavior is actually more of a people issue rather than a dog issue.
Another possibility is to use a collar and leash to lead our dog away.
We do not have too much control over what others do while meeting our dog. However, if we have our dog on a leash, we can simply lead him away every time he jumps.
When my Shiba Inu jumps, I no-mark the behavior to let him know that it is undesirable. Then I lead him a short distance away, and get him to do a Sit. When he is calm, we try the greeting again. In this way, he learns that –
Jumping = Move away from people and greeting stops, but
Feet on the ground = Greeting continues with attention, affection, and play.
Using Collar Corrections to Stop Dog Jumping
Some people suggest using collar corrections to stop dog jumping.
For example, we can apply an aversive correction (e.g. a leash jerk) whenever our dog jumps. In this way, the dog may be getting rewarded by the person he meets, but at the same time he is getting a pain stimulus from us. To stop the jumping behavior we must ensure that our pain stimulus trumps the wrestling game reward given by others.
Collar corrections can work, but it is also risky. As with all pain based aversive methods, timing and technique are extremely important. We must correct at exactly the right time, and in exactly the right manner. Then, we must properly redirect the pain so that our dog does not make the wrong associations.
If we make mistakes, the dog may develop even more dangerous greeting behavior.
- A dog may learn that when he tries to play with a person, he gets hurt on the neck. This teaches the dog not to play with people, or worse, to see people as a threat that needs to be kept away. This may ultimately result in dog aggression towards people.
- A dog may learn that it is only safe to wrestle when we are not around. This encourages him to escape or stay away from us, because we are the source of pain and other unpleasant things.
What is the Best Thing to Do to Stop Dog Jumping?
So what is the best thing to do to stop dog jumping?
As described above, there is no perfect solution. The best solution will depend on us, our dog’s temperament, as well as what we want from and for our dog.
Some people want perfect control of their dog and feel that nothing, short of perfect domination, is the answer. In this case, pain is often a strong motivator, and collar corrections give us good short term control.
Some people have put in a lot of effort to train their dog not to jump, and do not want the dog learning bad habits from others. In this case, we can just leave and not let our dog meet people who cannot follow our dog greeting instructions.
Finally there are people who let their dogs jump. However, it is necessary to properly manage the dog so that he does not jump on children or seniors. Jumping dogs require a bit more management and vigilance from their owners, however, they also get to have a lot of fun.
Hi,
My girlfriend’s family have an adult rotweiler that is not agressive at all but has not been educated to be around people, the result is that he has to be kept segregated in a closed off bakyard. I feel very sorry for the dog because he is very sweet and friendly and clearly in need of attention and affection.
I have tried getting near but he bumps, pushes and jumps against me in away that I simply cannot move until someone throws him some piece of bread. Is there a way for this dog to be resocialized so he can interact normaly with people?
I can’t seem to keep my 3 year old male German Shepherd from jumping my fence and running around town. I was wondering if you had any advise?
Collars or harnesses that might work or just a trick or something. I put up lattice and that worked for awhile until it got old and weak.
Get a bigger fence! Im constantly spending money on my dogs to make the garden dog proof, they are constantly challenging my unique ways to keep them in the garden, i have a 12 foot fence around it…concreate underneath it to stop them digging and they have pulled one of the pannels off. Baring in mind the panel wasnt stick out and was actually protected by another panel! More DIY to do now 😐
Hi, I have a 16month old cross lab/ ridgeback she’s a wonderful family dog however recently she has started jumping up and nipping or pretending to nip men if we are walking in a park or if she’s on a lead she will attempt to jump at them… If they have a dog she is not worried and makes no attempt to jump or nip but if the person is alone and come towards us then she will jump and try to nip…. She never growls or snarls and this is a very recent thing it’s only ever towards men .. Thankyou
I help my dog be more comfortable around people by doing desensitization training.
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-calm-a-fearful-reactive-dog#people
During regular walks, I create neutral experiences by using distance. When I see “a trigger person”, I put enough distance between my dog and the person so that she remains calm and is still able to focus on me. I get her to do very very simply obedience commands and reward her very very well for it.
Desensitization training helps to create successful experiences for my dog in a structured/controlled setting. The more calm and rewarding experiences my dog has with people, the more trust, confidence, and positive associations she makes. Similarly, reactive experiences will undermine that trust and set back our training. Therefore, I make sure not to expose her to situations that she is not ready to handle, and that will trigger a reactive response. I manage her environment (e.g. walking off hours, driving to a quiet area to walk) and use distance to create neutral experiences.
Desensitization training can be counter-intuitive, especially in the beginning. With my Shiba Inu, it was helpful for me to get guidance from a good professional trainer who could help me with timing, technique, reading my dog’s body language, etc.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog-owners/local-dog-trainers
Hi
I recently bought home a rotweiller .
He is 18 months old.
Walks perfectly on the leash. I walk him to school everyday to pick up my sons . All the school kids are fine he pays them very little attention.
But when any of my sons friends visit he jumps up on them as soon as they go in the back yard.
Not agressively but playfully.
Any ideas on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Jim
Kids usually move around faster, make more noise, and have more excited energy than adults. My dog is very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. If there are excited people around, he will pick up on that energy, get excited himself, and start showing reactive behavior. Running around and making noise can also trigger a dog’s natural prey drive.
Here are a couple of articles from the ASPCA on dogs and children as well as dog jumping behavior-
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/teaching-your-dog-how-behave-around-children
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/teaching-your-dog-not-jump-people
In the first article, there is a section on “Dogs Who Love Kids Too Much”.
I have an issue with my 14 month lab. He is a great dog, with one exception. He growls at the kids when they go to pet him in the house. They are not boistorus kids and they have been around him every week since he was born and when we got him at 8 weeks. I have tried several things, he is fine when the kids give him treats but if they pet him he is really not interested (even if the kids are just talking to him). Interstingly he is fine with them in the garden or when out with sam its just in the house!
Any advice greatly received. Thanks
How do the kids pet him? Where do they pet him? When did this behavior start?
Dog behavior is very context dependent, so the dog’s temperament, routine, surrounding environment, and more, all come into play. Therefore, when it comes to aggression and kids, it is best to get help from a good professional trainer-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
My dogs do not generally like being petted from above. This can seem threatening to a dog, and is probably not very pleasant either. Just like us, dogs have social greeting and interaction boundaries. These boundaries will be different depending on the dog and past experiences.
With my dogs, I slowly desensitize them to touches, hugs, and petting. This helps to raise their social tolerance level.
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-meet-a-dog
http://shibashake.com/dog/hug-dog-teach-your-dog-to-enjoy-hugging
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/fear-people
Thank you for the great ideas. My 6 month old lab, Lucy, is my first dog. She has very high energy. I’m on the older side, so I have relied on taking her to the dog park to wear her out. She socializes extremely well with other dogs, but she gets overly excited with people. Since she is off leash and very fast, I end up apologizing after she has jumped, licked, and nibbled every adult and child in the park. Her behavior is much better at home.
I will need to work on desensitizing her to people to stem this rude and potentially dangerous behavior. Your website has been helpful in helping me understand my dog’s behavior!
Hello everyone! I recently just rescued a year old 110Lbs Doberman that has problems with aggressively jumping and barking at people when I take him for walks in the neighborhood and park, but when we are walking into pet smart or he is off his leash at the dog park he lets everyone and their mother pet him. Some advice would be greatly appreciated, Thank you!
It can mean you are nervous while he is on a leash and runs into strangers. Just ignore and keep walking
Hello,
I adopted a dog from SPCA about three months ago. He has been coming to work with me every day since I got him and will lay under my desk, eat bones and is generally a good “office dog.” Recently one of my co workers went on vacation for a week and once he was back in the office my dog started to jump up on him. Once he jumped on him he started to jump on two other co workers as well. He will never jump up on me or two other people I work with. It has happened very suddenly and only at work and I am wondering if you have some insight as to why this behavior has begun and how to best remedy it. I would like to continue to bring him with me but if he is jumping I don’t think I will be able to.
Thanks!
Dogs usually jump on people because they inadvertently get rewarded for the behavior.
When your dog jumps on people at the office, what do they do in response? Do they move around a lot? Push back? Try to hold him down?
I have a section in the article above where I talk more about why dogs jump on people. I also talk about what I do to stop my dog from jumping.
I have a 5 year old boxer mix he wont stop jumping I tried the spray bottle and I make him sit before I answer the door if people walk in I tell them not to even bother with him or touch him to he calms down we tried the knee thing and even tried putting him on a leash and making sure he didn’t jump but none of these things are working and im so annoyed with his jumping on people when they enter my home because people come over with kids and babies is there anything left that I can try to fix this problem im outta options and very annoyed with his jumping he wont jump on me tho only other people
When you put him on a leash, what do you do and what is his response?
When my dogs jump during greetings, it is often because of over-excitement. When I have people visiting, I make sure to take my dogs out on a longer daily walk. In this way, they get a chance to relieve some of their added energy before the exciting event.
My energy during the greeting also matters a lot. My dog can easily pick up on what I am feeling, so if I am stressed, frustrated, or angry, he will pick up on that, become stressed himself, and act even more crazy. Similarly, the energy of the people around us also matters. For this reason, I don’t let my dogs meet people who are over-excited or who are stressed/fearful.
Finally, changing instinctual behavior is often a challenge, and it may take time and a lot of repetition.
Hi. I have 2 huskies both 8 months old one is very chilled out and runs over to people we meet in park not jumping up just circling round their feet wagging her tail. The other on the other hand does similar but more excitable and doesn’t jump on kids because kids we have came across so far like to stroke them. Walking the second husky the last 2 days i have came across 2 adults on separate occasions that must be scared of dogs as the way they have reacted has sent my husky into a jumping frenzy on each of the people who have panicked. I know my huskies wouldn’t hurt them but them people don’t know them and are scared. its a bit annoying the way they act as tho my dogs are dangerous when there lovely and only wanted a pet. I people are so scared of dogs why do they walk through popular dog walking spots. Idiots. Any advice on this as its a new thing and I want to cut it out.
Doing people desensitization exercises helped with my dogs. I start with more simple situations, and then slowly work my way up to more challenging types of people behavior.
I try my best to avoid people who are overly excited or who are fearful of dogs. Negative energy like that usually ends up with a bad result.
Jumping on people is anti social behaviour. You need to teach your dog this. It’s not your dog’s fault, or the fault of the passer by. If your dog is rewarded for jumping on people he/she will continue to do this. If your approach is inconsistent, your dog will continue to jump on people.
Maybe those “idiots” as you call them have been hurt by dogs and their fear is very real for them. People dont know that your dog isn’t going to hurt them, since they dont know anything about your dog. It is rude to let your dog jump on people, and then act like it’s the person’s fault because they’re afraid. I also own a husky who likes to jump. It is very challenging to break him of this, but we still work on this behavior every day. People see a big dog coming at them, and yes they get scared..its human nature, not stupidity..