Jumping: why do dogs do it? Jumping is often an attention-seeking behavior. Yelling, kneeing your dog in the chest, and pushing your dog down is giving your dog attention. How is your dog to know the difference between kneeing and pushing to decrease jumping and wrestlemania? 

What does your dog do when guests arrive? Does your dog barrel towards your guests and launch himself, nearly pinning them against your front door?  It’s hard to manage guests entering your home and wrangle dogs at the same time. Set yourself and your dog up for success. Limiting the opportunity for your dog to jump on people will help you replace jumping with an incompatible behavior, like sit, faster.  Use crates, bedrooms, and fenced-in backyards as a staging area for your dog. The leash isn’t just for outside, it’s a great management tool for inside the home too.

Make sure your guests understand how you want them to greet and interact with your dog before bringing your dog to meet them. If one of your guests says, “I don’t care if he jumps on me!”, you’ll want to pick another person to reinforce your dog’s four paws on the floor. 

What if you are the person your dog jumps on as soon as you come through the front door? Try keeping kibble or jerky treats in your car or just outside the door. Scoop up a handful of food. Open the door and scatter the food onto your floor with your best bowling arm movement. While your dog is distracted by the food, walk inside, put your stuff down, then bend over and give your dog attention for keeping four paws on the floor.

With a little pre-entry planning, walking through your front door will become a breeze. With a little pre-party pooch exercise and planning, having guests over can be a great training opportunity for everyone involved. Call it an entertrainment celebration! Need a crash course in no jumping? Reach out to us or another certified professional force-free trainer near you.