How do I get my dog to stop jumping up on people? Wanting to know how to train a dog to greet people calmly is a question we see often. There are three simple steps to get your dog to never jump on anyone again. It starts with knowing why dogs jump up in the first place.
In the episode you'll hear:
- The reason dogs jump on people.
- Why jumping up is rewarding for dogs and why they seek our face.
- The tactic that I’d never use when dogs jump up.
- About creating a new history of reinforcement.
- The three easy steps to stop your dog from jumping up.
- Why it all starts with your dog understating sit.
- What the bubble of pressure means for your dog’s greetings.
- How Crate Games and Hot Zone give you a baseline.
- What I do that I’ve never seen anyone else do for dog’s jumping up.
- How greet and re-greet will let your dog learn calm greetings.
Resources:
- Blog Post: How do I Stop My Dog from Pulling on the Leash? (RZ - Reinforcement Zone)
- Podcast Episode 19: One of My Biggest Pet Peeves in Dog Training
- Podcast Episode 52: The Five Most Common Words in Dog Training and Which Ones I Never Use
- YouTube Video: Susan Garrett’s Perch Work Dog Tricks (Pivots and Spins)
- Podcast Episode 22: The Invisible Bubble of Pressure and Your Dog
- Crate Games Online
- YouTube Video: Susan Garrett's 5 Games for Puppies (Hot Zone Foundations)
- Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
One of my greatest challenges with my 6 month old German Shepherd, Keema, is she randomly jumps up while my significant other (who is 84 years old) or I are walking through the house or coming up the stairs. This could be in front or behind us. If it is in front of us, we have tried turning our backs and ignoring her but then she will jump again on our back. If we stay still, she aggressively bites our feet/ankles to get a response…and let me tell you trying to stand still and ignore her while she is chomping away is near impossible. I fear she is going to cause my partner to fall. I cannot seem to find a specific video that address the random jump. Help!
Hi Susan,
We are working our way through the home school the dog program and are loving it. Our puppy is great with staying and itsyerchoice games but he is really struggling to grasp not jumping on us when we sit on the couch. He doesn’t jump on people when they come over, just on us when we sit on the couch. Any ideas on how to overcome this?
Tried to search by name for the podcast about Pivots, etc but it did not show…so many podcasts, so little time to see them all…
You are right that I have not seen the “re-greet” step of polite greeting. I am going to work on that with my new rescue and then, if it works well with her, incorporate it into my polite greeting skill training.
Thank you
Great information
Thanks
We brought home a four yr old Collie a month ago. She is sweet, snuggly, walks well, no chewing or accidents but she doesn’t have a good sit. We have worked on sit & she’ll do it now for a treat but won’t stay. She tries to put paws on everyone to give them hugs. We love her but need basic commands to be followed.
Hi Ann, and congrats on your new dog! ❤️ Here’s a podcast episode with effective ways of teaching a sit: https://dogsthat.com/podcast/155/
We’d love to hear how you and your dog are doing with it!
Hi I have a 1 yr old pup that still jumps on people-but has gotten better with the Recallers game-however she sneak jumps on me .any suggestions on how to stop the jumping-what I started to do is stop n stand still she will then sit beside me ,I reward that choice.
Interesting are your training sessions free? If I join what is the cost?
I really need to get my dog under control
Would live a video on getting dig to sit & stay in sit till released!
Hi Kateryna, we have a YouTube playlist on this topic, here’s the link for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP9JRgKL2Ok&list=PLphRRSxcMHy2Hq4zfUmUf5VKNGAn3gwsD
Happy training!
My dog barks at other big dogs
Which is very annoying
Please help
Hi everyone , can I leave u all a comment on dog training. Like you I have a new puppy, in fact two one is now 2 a rescue, and a puppy of seven months.
Like many of u I am following Susan’s podcasts and have even found the time to do Recallers.
I totally agree with many of u it is overwhelming especially if u have never done any dog training before , I am experienced at training assistance dogs but I still need to learn and I am finding it what almost seems like too much. However, if u really want u r dog to learn this is by far the best way of training them and you, u just have to pick a topic do all the parts and keep doing them and things will improve,
You will learn more than u ever thought possible and your dog will learn all you teach them.
There’s only one condition to doing this ,commitment , it’s not something that can be done halfheartedly,
When I had my first assistance dog and I became part of her training , I was so fascinated, it took lots of my time but I have never regretted it, Poppie my dog them was a wonderful assistance dog , she died last March, but ever second I spent with her was sooooo rewarding.
I am just another student of Susan,s she does know me, but I encourage u all to not be worried about all the parts, but just look at the potential end results. Happy learning. Xx
I would love to see a short video of the “wandering sit.”
Really need the sit instructions please 🙏
Hi Bren, Susan has a great podcast on 10 ways to teach a sit without luring: https://shapedbydog.com/155
While I love this, I feel like in order to have your puppy meet people you FIRST have to have crate games perfected, then Hot Zone perfected, and Sit perfected in all environments, and recall perfected… I can see this falling apart in so many areas. I don’t believe I could get a recall for the Re-greet when he is excited about meeting a new person. I also feel he should meet as many people as possible during the key socialization period in puppyhood, which is too early to have expected him to have learned Hot Zone and Crate Games and Recall and Sit. Any tips for progression? While the content is amazing, I feel like there is SO much content to watch that I never have time to train my dog. First I need to join Crate Games, then HS The Dog, then work on Perches/Pivots, then Recallers… all of these have to be in place before I can expect to set him up for successful greetings? Sorry, just feeling overwhelmed!
Was just watching the podcast on training my dog not to jump on people and how important sit is. I need help with sit and stand. I show my dog and most real show people rarely teach their dog to sit. It is Stand Stand Stand. How can I reinforce a stand when I want it for showing and sit for things like not jumping up on people? I need to have both reliably. Thanks
how can I do this myself? I only have company very infrequently and I do not get to practice this! I know I need to practice but I do not know how when I am by myself
Thank you
Will your recall program work for a deaf dog. She is 3 years old.
Hi Donna, we have students with deaf dogs in Recallers, so YES! Here’s a little video of one of them, LaDonna with Marlee: https://youtu.be/b6XZj0vXDeE
Like Nancy, I wold like the podcast on getting a good sit? Our 5 month old Goldendoodle loses his mind when he sees people–he’s great with us at home, but it doesn’t transfer at all, and he has no interest in food of any sort if people are around.
I’d really like to at least start with improving his sit with people & distractions, so we can start working on the wandering sit.
When I turn around my dog will nip at me and my clothes.
Where do you have the podcast on getting your puppy to sit on cue? She will do it sometimes, but not when she is really excited about seeing someone or when there is something she wants to do.
Thanks Nancy
Thank you, your videos are the best, without question. For the wandering sit, do I understand correctly that we will ask the dog to sit while the dog is ahead of us on the leash? (You say to then move forward to the dog and treat in the reinforcement zone). If that proves to be a problem, how do we get to the point of being able to have the dog sit while they are ahead of us? Thank you.
Loved this super positive effect approach to reinforcing behaviour