Jumping up to say hello is an extremely common behavior that owners struggle with. It’s natural for dogs to want to reach our faces and make physical contact when greeting us. Unfortunately it’s dangerous for bigger dogs to jump up, and can be annoying even from the little ones. Here are a variety of techniques to resolve this issue.
Start as soon as you get your puppy
When our pups are tiny and adorable, everyone wants to get down on the floor and encourage the pup to climb onto their lap. Many people will even encourage the puppy to reach up with his front feet for petting. This is where the problem starts! You are training your puppy that he gets attention for climbing or jumping on people.
Instead, only give your puppy attention when he has “four on the floor.” Either a sit or a calm standing position can be your pup’s way to politely say “please” when asking for attention.'
This applies not just when you have guests over, but also during walks, and when letting your puppy out of a pen or crate.
Sit to Greet
This is the most common way to teach pups to politely ask for attention.
Cue your dog to sit. (Use a hand signal to help an excited dog recognize what you want.)
If your dog jumps up, withdraw attention (stand back with arms up, or exit the room again). Then remind him to sit and try again.
Here is a training video of a dog learning to politely “sit to greet” when someone comes in the door.
Another dog learns to “sit to greet” when approaching people.
Go to Mat
If your dog has a strong “go to mat” and “stay” behavior, you can use that as another way to teach him to have self control when people come in.
Cue your dog to go to his mat and stay. (Use a hand signal to help an excited dog recognize what you want.)
Have your guest approach your dog to say hello.
If your dog gets up, immediately remind him to return to the mat.
Come and Go
For dogs that can initially contain their excitement but then ramp up with energy, teaching them to say hello for a few seconds and then return to you can help them stay calmer.
Have your dog initially say “please” by sitting.
Cue your dog to “go say hi.” Let him approach the guest.
Have the guest interact with your pup for a few seconds.
Call your dog back to you. Have him sit and show calm.
Repeat several times until your dog is calm enough to let him interact naturally.
For dogs who struggle to turn back to their owners, luring them away with a high value treat may be the ticket.
Powering up your training
It’s important to withdraw attention every time your dog jumps up, so that jumping doesn’t get reinforced. However the training will be even more effective if you can prevent him from getting all the way up in the first place.
Have your dog on leash before you open the door for guests. No matter which of the above techniques you are using, you can use the leash to halt your dog and prevent him from getting his feet all the way up onto your guests.
If your dog is large and strong, you can use a tether instead of holding him yourself. Your guests can stand just out of range of his front paws while still leaning forward to pet him when he’s calmly sitting or on his mat.
A baby gate or exercise pen can also be used to keep anyone from getting knocked over while they say hello.
Your dog may benefit from hanging out behind the gate or pen for a while, getting over the initial excitement without being able to run around and jump up.
This 10 minute video shows a real-time training session with a dog who is learning to sit and be calm at my approach, with the help of a baby gate to prevent successful jumping on me.
High value treats are another tool to make this training more effective:
Reward your dog for sitting or standing calmly both before and during the petting.
Hold treats down by your dog’s front legs or place them on the floor so that your dog’s weight is shifted down during the petting - reducing the chances of jumping up.
Scatter several treats on the ground as your dog approaches the other person, so that his attention is divided and his weight is shifted down. (This is especially helpful for high arousal dogs, who may sit politely but then explode forward and up toward the person.)
Dogs who enjoy holding toys in their mouths often jump less when they are showing off their toy. Encourage your dog to go get his toy before he approaches guests.
Giving your dog plenty of exercise before guests arrive will reduce the amount of excess energy he has for jumping.
Your dog will be calmer with guests if you work ahead of time on the doorbell, knocking, going to the door when there’s no one there, and so on. Here is a great tutorial from Emily Larlham/KikoPup.
If your dog is still struggling, break down the greeting process into smaller steps. Teach your dog to be calm when you walk up without making eye contact or or talking to him or petting him. Then add eye contact, then add a happy voice, and so on.
Emily Larlham gives a comprehensive guide to breaking down the greeting into small, manageable steps for your dog.
How to pet the dog (training the human)
The way you say hello to a dog has a HUGE effect on his behavior. Use these techniques to further help him be successful - and tell your guests, too.
Use a calm, slow voice rather than high-pitched and happy.
Turn your body partly sideways rather than facing head-on.
If you can, also encourage the dog to turn sideways so that you’re facing his shoulder and side. This further reduces the intensity of the interaction. Do this by altering where you’re offering your hands, not by physically moving the dog. [Video examples to come.]
Some dogs do much better if you avoid direct eye contact, which is too intense for them to handle. Look at their tail, instead.
Reach down to pet and scratch the underside of his neck, chest, and sides rather than over his head.
The majority of dogs do not like being pet over the head, so this is good advice for every dog!
For really major jumpers, you can give pets and scratches on their neck while slipping your thumbs between the neck and collar, or holding gently around their shoulders. This way, as soon as the dog tries to jump up, you “catch” them with your hands and prevent them from getting any vertical air. As soon as they stop trying to jump, return to calmly petting and scratching around the neck and shoulders.
Discouraging nibbling
Nibbling on hands when you’re trying to say hello is most often a symptom of humans reaching over the dog’s head. Instead of that, reach down low toward the dog’s chest, or pet from the side, “collar to tail.”
How to pet a mouthy puppy “collar to tail” so you don’t get bitten.
Some dogs just need to have something in their mouths - encourage them to grab a toy before trying to pet.
If the dog does nibble, make sure that you immediately withdraw attention. Keep calm (so as not to excite him), but pull your hands away and cross them for a few seconds. Have him sit (or do another calm behavior) before you start petting again.
Practice, practice, practice
Make sure that everyone in your family, and everyone your dog greets, is consistent!