Does your dog love greeting people? If your dog gets a bit too overexcited when there’s a visitor or they see someone they know on a walk, you’re in the same position as a lot of other dog parents – it’s quite a common problem.
But, as you’ll probably be aware, not everyone wants to be greeted quite so enthusiastically. Even people who like dogs don’t always want one jumping up at them.
If you’d like to teach your pup to greet people in a calmer manner with nothing more than yourself and some of the best dog treats, certified dog trainer Melissa Goodman of Mission Pawsitive has got the advice you need – keep reading to find out what she recommends.
“What I did to teach this dog not to jump all over people was build in some impulse control so we could put saying ‘Hi’ on cue, giving her a specific way to interact that helps keep four paws on the ground and disengage quickly,” Goodman says.
By keeping it short, you’re preventing excitement from building up – which is a huge part of how to stop a dog from jumping up. And, that the handler – in this scenario, you – gives the reward makes disengaging a more valuable option than the greeting. Keep your dog on their leash and don’t let your dog go over and greet the other person until they’re given the cue. Then, ensure you have your rewards to hand for when they come back to you.
“Within 10 minutes, I could pet her without getting jumped on,” Goodman adds, explaining that the end goal is having a dog who people can pet calmly, before they go back to their parent to get their reward.
“Jumping when excited is a normal dog behavior, and they don’t understand that most humans don’t enjoy that,” she explains in the caption. “You have to teach them how you do want them to greet. Not just tell them ‘no’ or punish it another way.”
You don’t want to stop your dog from being happy and excited. Rather, you want them to be able to control themselves just enough so that their excitement doesn’t then cross over into undesirable behavior.
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