How to Stop Dogs From Jumping on People at the Door

For this West LA dog training session we worked with MaeDay rescue pup Hugo and his roomie, 10 year-old Barnaby, sharing tips to stop dogs from jumping up on people.

I started out the session by going over a number of fundamentals, what marker words are, how to use them and a loading exercise. We did the same thing for the clicker so that the guardians can use that positive dog training tool to help the dogs better understand what the guardians want from them.

We covered a few different exercises like hand targeting, cookie in the corner then we discussed dog body language and dog consent. I think this was really helpful for Barnaby who was a little standoffish from his guardian due to her missing some of his cut off signals.

I shared a pair treating exercise to help the dogs practice being together as well as another pair handling exercise to help Barnaby feel more comfortable being petted or near the guardian who used to hold him while she petted and cuddled with him. While she was only tryingt o share loving touches, anytime we restrain a dog we are taking away their free wil which can cause them to resist or feel trapped. Fortuantely for these dogs their humans are amazing people who want what is best and took the new info the way it was intended; to make things better.

I also shared some tips on the importance of celenrating desired behaviors, how to teach doggy manngers as well as ways to get the dogs some physical exercise and mental stimulation. After that we discussed some potty training tips to stop Hugo from having accidents in the house.

Stopping dogs from jumping up on people

Towards the end of the session I addressed one of the main issues the guardians wanted help with, stopping the dogs from jumping up on people at the door.

Training a dog to stop jumping up is all about first teaching them what you want them to do instead. Many people get upset with their dogs behavior but fail to communicate to the dog what they want them to do instead. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of dog behavior modification I run across as a LA’s Dog Behaviorist.

I have found that teaching the dog the guess which hand game or doing hand targeting when people come through the door is a great way to stop dogs from jumping up on guests. Teaching a dog to stop jumping requires communicating what you want them to do instead, then practicing it often until it becomes habit.

If your dog has a jumping habit you want to stop, you should definitely check out the free positive dog training video below.

This is an easy way to get a dog to stop jumping up on people, but it takes some practice. By first desensitizing the dog to the sound of the doorbell or knocks at the door, the guardians can help put the dogs in a position to succeed. As one of LA’s dog behavior experts, I have found that desensitizing dogs from reacting to triggers is one of the secrets to stopping dogs from jumping up on people.

The other dog jumping tip that I shared was all about helping the dog practice what the humans want them to do when people come over. This is a very effective way to train a dog to stop jumping up on people because the dog wants to offer the new behavior to get a reward.

After we filmed the above video on how to stop a dog from jumping up, I had the guardian practice the same exercise for a couple minutes. At first her timing was off and she was missing a few steps, so we continued to practice. It only took a couple of additional minutes before the guardian was putting it all together and Barnaby was touching his nose to her hand instead of jumping up when she came through the door.

I always enjoy working with rescue dogs, especially those that are placed through our friends at MaeDay rescue here in LA. We covered quite a bit in this West LA in-home dog behavior training session. To make sure the guardians could remember everything, I filmed a short roadmap to success summary video that you can check out below.