It’s only natural for your puppy to jump up when they’re excited, but when left unchecked these can turn into habits that could have been avoided. So, when your pup comes home with you, start to teach the behaviours you’d like to see straight away. Remember though, they are not being ‘naughty’; they are just behaving the natural way that they have learned in their early weeks of life.
Find out more about how to stop a puppy from jumping up by reading on.
Why does my puppy need to stop jumping up?
Though it might seem cute, as your pup gets older, these behaviours become more and more dangerous as they grow bigger and stronger. Your dog could accidentally cause an injury or frighten someone with their boisterous behaviour.
So far, your puppy has only had their littermates and their mum to play and interact with, so you and your family need to take on the role of teachers and playmates. Without teaching good behaviour, your puppy will continue all the habits that they have grown up thinking are acceptable, and even desirable, into adulthood. Not to mention, this also helps with the bonding process between you and your puppy!
Our guide on puppy training is a helpful read for developing more training with your new family addition.
Why does my puppy jump on me?
Puppies jump up on you for attention. It could be because they’re excited to see you or it could be because they want something from you. Either way, it’s important to teach them from a young age that they shouldn’t jump up to get attention and should sit instead.
Though it can be a shock to see our new puppy jumping, this isn’t them being naughty, bad or aggressive in any way. In fact, these are all totally natural behaviours for a puppy. It’s up to us teach them what is good behaviour and what isn’t.
How to stop puppy jumping up in 3 steps
If you’re looking at how to stop puppy jumping up on you, it is important to know that most puppies jump up as it is a natural canine greeting behaviour. It’s how they would greet their mother and so they do that to people they are happy to see. Puppies want our attention and up until now they only know one way to get it, so you can’t blame them for doing what comes naturally. Teaching your puppy not to jump up is simple.
Anticipate the times your puppy is likely to jump up
For example, when you come back from being away from them for any reason – and instead crouch down to greet them. This way they get your attention at their level rather than feeling they need to come up to yours.
Don’t reward jumping up!
If they do jump up, don’t give them your attention until their paws are back on the floor. It’s easy to do that by just gently turning your body and legs which will encourage them to put their paws back down. As soon as they do, crouch down and give them your full attention. Make sure everyone in the family – and everyone your dog meets – does the same.
Teach an alternative behaviour
Once your puppy knows how to ‘sit’ when you ask, you can ask them to sit instead of jumping up, and then reward them with your full attention (and even a tasty treat) for doing that instead.
How to stop puppy jumping up on other people
Dogs can get super excited when people come to visit. Sometimes, the jumping up training goes out the window from all the excitement! However, it’s important to ensure that your puppy doesn’t jump up on them by training them with a few simple steps. Take a look:
- When your guests or visitors arrive, make sure to keep your pup behind a baby gate
- Let your visitors settle and then bring your pooch to the guests on a lead or houseline
- Make sure they sit and wait
- Keep your dog focused on you and feed them treats whilst they sit
- It’s time to greet! Gently guide them to your visitors and make sure to reward them with treats for good behaviour!
