Dear Miss Behavin’:
Our puppy has been allowed to say hi to the family by jumping up on us. We are now realizing that he will be bigger than what we thought and that he could hurt someone, how do we correct the behavior?
Great job on realizing the potential problem and trying to address it before he does hurt someone. For many dogs and their owners this is a very satisfying behavior, but does have its draw backs, such as your pup knocking someone over.
You can easily teach your pup to say hi to people without jumping on them by asking your pup to offer a sit when they are approached by a stranger for petting. I usually like to set everyone up for success by letting the stranger know that if they are going to pet my pup, he has to be in a sit. I also try keep my pup as calm as possible with the interaction by asking that they pet him on his chest or give chin scratches. If my pup is excited and gets up, I can easily correct the behavior by asking for the sit again. Finally, if my pup is over the top excited, I can easily end the interaction and be on my way. This final piece helps to save the training you are doing with your pup.
If you or any family members enjoy having your pup jump up for hello’s or cuddles, put it on cue. This means he should only do it when asked, if he does it unprompted, you should ask for the sit and reinforce that behavior instead. You can also teach your pup that people approaching means they should offer a sit by having them do it on your walks.
If you are still having problems with your dog’s jumping, I suggest that you schedule a 1:1 Consultation with one of our behaviorists to work on the problem with you and your dog or call our Behavior Hotline.