Why do dogs jump?
A dog might have more than one reason to jump up at the sight of a human. Some common motivations being –
Get closer to the face, as this is how they meet their canine counterparts
To greet people
Because they’re habituated to jumping since puppyhood
To seek attention
They don’t know any other way to interact
Uncontrolled excitement
A jumpy dog doesn’t necessarily mean a happy dog.
Several pet parents have a common misconception that their dog jumping up excessively on them indicates extreme happiness. This usually comes in the way of training dogs to stop jumping up as they fear it may inhibit the dog’s cheerful personality. As a matter of fact, a calm dog wagging his tail at the sight of his humans is as happy as a dog jumping up on them. Excessive jumping is usually a result of overstimulation and uncontrolled hyperactivity which may eventually translate into anxiety in the form of whining and barking too.
Tips to Stop jumping
A little puppy jumping up to say Hello may look super cute. But the same behavior being displayed by a full-grown adult dog can not only be annoying for a lot of people, but also downright dangerous for kids. It’s crucial to tackle this behavior early on.
1. Teach polite greetings
Teach your friendly puppy to Sit or Stay calm while interacting with other people. An easy rule to follow would be “all fours on the floor,” meaning, your dog will only be allowed to interact with someone as long as they have all four paws on the ground.
2. Training begins at home
Consistency is key while teaching your pup any desirable behavior. However, if you consistently keep correcting your jumpy dog while interacting with people but let him jump all over you at home, your efforts are actually going down the drain. Do not let your dog lay his paws on anyone (neither home nor outside) in order to get faster and more reliable results.
3. Use a leash around guests
A leash is an amazing and easy control mechanism to ensure your dog is not able to practice undesirable behaviors like jumping and hyperactivity around guests.
4. Teach better impulse control.
Dog behaviors are interconnected. In laymen terms, if your dog is used to acting crazy during meal times, engaging in boisterous play with other people and dogs and lunging and pulling towards everything that moves on walks, it will be difficult for him to control himself around new people. Work on building overall impulse control and you will see its ripple effect in several situations.
5. Do not reinforce the jump in any way
If your dog gets petted after jumping up, the behavior has been reinforced. Urge petters to not encourage jumping in any way too.
6. Ensure proper exercise
Some breeds like Border collies, Australian Shepherds, etc thrive on high energy activities like jumping, agility, etc. If you have a dog that is an avid jumper, channelize this through agility training, hoola hoop training, Frisbee, skipping rope etc rather than trying to put an end to the behavior itself.
