Dog Jumping at Visitors: The most common behavioral “problem” is dog jumping at visitors. This behavior allows the dog to jump on your side; Or at home visitors; In any case, it can be really frustrating and embarrassing!
Why is my dog jumping at visitors?
To control this behavior, it is important to understand why dogs do this in the first place. In most dogs, there are two main drivers for jumping – first, a desire for attention; And second, they accidentally trained to do this.
Most dogs require attention, and jumping up is one way to communicate with you at your level (i.e. 3 or 4 feet above when they are standing on the ground!).
This is especially a problem when you have visitors – because chances are, you will be greeting or talking to your guests and not caring about the dog.
Of course, your visitors are only temporary, and you know that your dog is a permanent part of the family – but they do not see such things.
They will see you ignore them and draw your attention to your guests, which means they will feel left out. Of course, they are also likely to attract attention from your guests!
In addition, most puppies attract their attention by jumping (especially balancing on their hind legs). As puppies, this is often in the form of rewards (fuss, even treats, people think they “learned a trick”).
As adults, this may continue, or their owners may yell at them – but when you yell at your dog, you still pay attention to them, and ignore them (which, from their point of view, is worse than swearing).
Our instability here does not help – most people are happy when their dog jumps at them, but not at the guests, or when some are dressed but not others – but by accepting (or rewarding) any jumping behavior, they must teach that jumping is not an acceptable thing.
Dogs are generally poor at distinguishing between bad behavior when it is acceptable and when it is not.
Fortunately, although it is very rare – it can be a form of aggression towards your guests. If a dog ignores warning signs (hawks raising, howling, tail down, etc.) and ignoring them, they can make mock attacks, which can be misunderstood as jumping.
In this situation, the dog will show their teeth, bark, and possibly snooping. It is very unusual but very dangerous if it occurs.
So, your dog seems to jump up and down as a way to attract your attention from you or your visitors.
Also Read: Watermelon for Dogs: Can Dogs Eat Watermelon?
Alternatively, it may be because they know that jumping is an appropriate response when they are excited to meet new people; Or people not responding to signals like “Get out of my house”.
Whatever the reason, it’s not acceptable behavior – and the bigger the dog, the less acceptable it is to your visitors!
5 Tips to Get Your Dog to Stop Jumping on Guests
One of the most common complaints from dog owners is that their dog jumps on them when guests arrive. It’s embarrassing, it’s annoying, and it can even be dangerous if your dog is old enough. So how do you stop your dog from jumping on guests?
Here are 5 tips to help:
1. Don’t encourage it
One of the most common mistakes dog owners make is accidentally encouraging their dog to jump on guests. It may seem harmless — after all, you’re petting your dog and saying hello — but to your dog, it looks like you’re rewarding them for jumping up. So instead of overwhelming them with pets, try to ignore them or even turn your back until they calm down.
2. Use training commands
If you are working on obedience training with your dog, you may have some commands that you can use to get them to stop jumping. “Sit” and “stay” are the most common, but you can also use “down” or “off.” Be consistent with your commands and make sure you reward your dog when he obeys.
3. Keep them occupied
One reason dogs jump on guests is because they are bored and looking for attention. So try to keep dogs occupied with a toy or treat before your guests arrive. This way, they are less likely to jump up when someone comes in.
4. Put them in a time-out
If your dog jumps on a guest, don’t get mad at them. Put them in a quiet time-out for a few minutes – in their crate or in another room. This teaches them that jumping up is not acceptable behavior.
5. Be patient
It’s important to remember that breaking a bad habit like jumping up and down takes time. So be patient with your dog and don’t give up. With a little time and patience, you can stop your dog from jumping on guests.
