# Puppy won't stop jumping on everybody



## Cheryl (Mar 5, 2016)

Help! Butch jumps on everybody, all the time. Every time someonr walks up to him, he jumps. The problem is, he scratches. We tell him no, down. He doesn't seem to understand. Any suggestions, please. I am afraid he will hurt someone and he is alittle out of control. Thank you


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Not an unusual behavior, try searching some of the responses.

1) Put Butch on lead so you can keep him under control when greeting new people. 

2) Suggest people bend down to meet Butch so he doesn't need to jump.

3) Turn away quickly if he starts to jump, they hate being ignored. 

4) Work on the off command with rewards as part of your training routine, before he gets excited in the moment.


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## Cheryl (Mar 5, 2016)

Thank you! The problem is with our family as well. He just keeps lunging at us and jumping. He is almost 5 months old. I just don't want it to get out of control. It's like he doesn't hear me when I say down or no. Thank you for taking the time to help. Is it like....if you can't control them when they are young, it could get worse as they get older?


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

It's actually instinctual for dogs to jump up to greet, so unless you actively train them it's unlikely they'll out grow it. 

You have to start by teaching the words "Off!" and "No!". A lot of folks think that their dogs just know or will know what the words mean if we just say it enough. You have to pair the word with their behavior and your request consistently for them to make that association. Training involves teaching them the specifics of human language they seem to realize is communication without the understanding of actual vocabulary.

Try putting the lead on so you have more control to prevent his jumping, and as he's lunging, say "OFF!". Again, if this isn't possible, like when you come home, bend down to his level, and actively maintain pressure on his shoulders to prevent him from lunging, or turn away quickly if all else fails. When you prevent him from jumping male sure you praise him by saying "Good off, good boy!". You want to use the command when he's doing hat he's not supposed to, and then use the command in conjunction with praise when he performs.

Whenever you work against instinct it takes more patience, consistency, and time, so stay with it and don't get discouraged.


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## Pecan_and_BB (Jun 15, 2015)

In my experience, telling a dog "Off" or "Down" or whatever you use once they have jumped up, trains them to do just that, get down after they have jumped. It doesn't actually train a dog to "Stay Down" before they jump. ie: when you teach your son/daughter to drive a car, you give them A LOT of notice to put their turn signal on and to make a turn before you are at the corner so they have a chance to process what you are asking of them.

A couple of things that have worked for me and my dogs over the years. When a dog jumps up on you, stand tall and take a couple of steps forward, the dog experiences the feeling that they will topple over backwards and will put all four paws firmly on the ground quite quickly. Try not to use your hands and they can interpret that as play. Use whatever off command once you feel that their front paws come off of you but before they hit the ground.

If you know exactly when your dog is about to jump on someone, you need to train for the "Stay Down" command and this has to happen way before your dog is jumping. If your dog has already begun his jumping motion (a couple of gallops towards the person, or you see those tap dancing paws start to lift at the same time) you are already way too late with the command. As Gingerling stated, use a lead for this to keep your dog in control and issue a "Stay Down" or whatever you want to use when you see the tell tale signs that they are getting ready to jump. To start, I stand still, step down on the leash leaving just enough for my dog to sit or stand and issue the command. Once the people approach and your dog is calm, praise your dog and release them from the command so that they can greet the people. If you see after the release that they are going to jump, repeat it.

Now, just because your dog is no longer jumping on you, doesn't mean that they get that they can't jump on everyone. So ensure you repeat this process with a lot of different people and ensure you (and your family members) are the ones issuing the commands.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Others may feel differently, but I try and not use the word No with young puppies. We use the word No for so many things, and they just don't get what is being asked of them. Using command words for a desired behavior, and then having them follow through has worked better for me. I try and only use the word No after they are older. If I give a known command (that they have followed 100s of times) and they offer a different response. I will then use the word No, followed by the command to let them know they need to offer the correct response.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

Ruby still jumps on visitors occasionally, but way less than she used to. 

The best thing we ever did was teach her the "place" command. She has several different places, but the one she goes to when a visitor comes over is an accent chair we have in our living room. If we hear the door or know someone is about to come in, we say "place" and she automatically goes to this chair. It puts her at near the same height as humans, so she doesn't feel the need to jump. It also gets her out of the way so people can walk in without tripping over her, because we all know they have to be right at your feet. 

We also make her sit before she gets any attention. If she's bouncing around like a kangaroo we ignore her until she's calm.


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