Tag: dog jumping at visitors

Many dog owners prioritise stopping their dogs’ jumping behaviour, considering it a troublesome habit that can potentially pose a risk to others. While this perspective is right and understandable from a human point of view, it’s essential to recognise that from a dog’s standpoint, jumping serves as a means of communication, and there are several underlying motivations behind this behaviour for you to be able to address the issue effectively. This is also why the conventional advice of simply turning your back on the dog, does not prove effective for many, as it only yields results with a limited number of dogs.

There is also often a difference in how it’s managed with small and big dogs. Management and control of this behaviour is heavily focused on with large dogs, due to risk of injury however small dogs not so much. Small dogs often just being reprimanded when it happens when you have your best clothes on or they have muddy paws and are about to jump on a stranger, without training them what we prefer them to do.

Jumping up behaviors are indeed observed in dog-to-dog interactions, although they are less common compared to interactions with people. This difference can be attributed in part to human influence through selective breeding, resulting in variations in size and temperament among breeds. Additionally, mounting behaviours may occur for sexual activity, if excitement levels become excessive or if the interaction becomes too overwhelming. Jumping can also be seen in play between certain dogs or during moments of rising tension and during a fight. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for interpreting canine behaviour accurately.

In my view, it’s crucial to gain an understanding of the underlying causes before attempting to tackle this issue. This understanding can contribute to success for both you and your dogs relationship. Some of the motivations behind their behavior might even catch you by surprise. Additionally, I’ve provided a set of straightforward initial guidelines to assist you in addressing what you might perceive as nuisance behaviour while helping your dog convey their needs effectively.

Jumping up as a greeting

Certain dogs exhibit high excitement upon your return, expressing relief, joy, or sheer happiness at your presence. Unlike us, they walk on four legs, and if you observe their interactions, you’ll notice they frequently start by sniffing the mouth before proceeding to the rear, especially when greeting familiar canines. Our upright posture can lead some dogs, especially those with a more appeasing disposition, to aim for the facial area during greetings.

This behaviour can often be unintentionally reinforced during a dog’s early stages, where puppies may jump up in certain situations, and we initially encourage it when we interact with them as they are small and cute. As they grow older, we may become frustrated with this behaviour due to getting scratched or fed up with our clothes being dirtied, even though it was our initial encouragement that taught the behaviour, dogs tend to repeat behaviours that they find rewarding or reinforcing.

Commonly people manage jumping up by pushing the dog down, shouting, ignoring the dog completely, folding arms and turning away or a combination of all these responses. The problem with the above reactions is either the dog is getting attention for the behaviour you don’t want or goes into appeasement see below, because you are getting angry or they get frustrated/distressed because they are getting no feed back at all, which can lead to more desperate attempts to gain interaction.

• Be mindful how over the top your interaction is when greeting them, your dog will match your energy. This is also not a normal greeting for a dog, so can make them feel in conflict, if you watch how adult dogs with good social skills greet you will see it’s much calmer.

• Preempt the jumping before it happens and reach down to their level, stroking their chest/shoulder calmly for paws on floor, you do not need to insist on a sit in fact this can sometimes be like putting a lid on a boiling pot and escalate their jumping. Keep greetings short many dogs are not looking for physical touch

• Give them a special toy to hold, this can work particularly well with retrieving breeds and dogs whom enjoy holding or parading with an item.

• Drop treats to the floor or on to a mat or bed away from the entrance way, when greeting visitors/strangers making the visitor boring, drop until completely calm, ensure you do not loop jump at visitors gets treats, preempt the behaviour

• If they jump pause any interaction, step back, no talking to them or touching until feet are back on the floor and then calmly stroke

• Use a hand target to redirect them down, no pushing them.

• Build on duration of pauses between strokes for dogs that repeat jumping up when you stop interacting, teach an end signal when you are finished and then walk off, to prevent them being left in limbo and to learn that you are now unavailable and for them to go and relax.

Jumping up as appeasement

Like people some dogs just have a more appeasing nature than others, they are like the people pleasers of the human world. You may see body language like ears pinned back, jumping up and licking to avoid conflict. You often see this in dogs where the owners mood state might be up and down or the dogs behaviour has been managed aversively in the past or the person is intimidating.

This is why getting angry or physical cannot only be detrimental to the dogs well being but it actually heightens the jumping up behaviour, it’s their attempt to prevent conflict escalating. These dogs may seem they are instigating interaction but history can teach them that people when they make eye contact often head towards them so jump up in advance.

• Do not force interaction, let them come to you, do not stare at them directly for long periods, these can make them jump up again
  
• Stroke them gently and not over the top, avoid reaching over the top of them or touching on the head, focus on less intimidating areas are like under the chin, on the chest or shoulder using one hand in gentle circular motions. Two hands can cause them to feel trapped.
  
• Avoid using shouting or physical threats to correct behaviour and particularly when they are jumping up as this will exacerbate the behaviour in a dog that is unsure
  
• Avoid leaning over them, this can be intimidating which again triggers the jumping up crouch down instead if possible
  
• Prevent strangers reaching out to touch them constantly, reward to the floor when people insist on interacting, listening when your dog wants to move away
  
• Pause frequently during interactions giving choice to walk away

Jumping up when uncomfortable

Dogs that are anxious, fearful or uncomfortable in a situation will often jump up. This can be on you as an owner, as an indication that they are wanting to come away from the situation. You might see a dog jumping up and interacting with another dog owner, which can be a way that helps them avoid interactions with other dogs. This can occur repeatedly, particularly if the dog’s caregiver is missing the signals that the dog is finding something difficult so the dog seeks support from others.

You can also sometimes see this behaviour when people are heading directly at you dog or I see this particularly in puppies when walking along the road this can appear intimidating to dogs. Dogs greet in an arch like fashion, where as we head directly at one another or it appears that way when walking on the pavement. This jumping behaviour can become excessive/panicked with some dogs even turning to mouth or bite their lead or their owners which can be the fear response fawning. These puppies and dogs need to be supported to ensure their fear response does not escalate to more desperate attempts to gain distance like growling, barking, lunging or worse biting.

• Work at a greater distance from the people/dogs/vehicles etc the dogs is finding difficult

• Let them chose to approach or interact at their own pace, no pressurising them in to interacting
  
• Visit environments that help them relax and decompress

• Back away to allow for them to make a more confident approach
  
• Teach them to associate people with a positive and that they can move away or ignore
  
• Build confidence using novelty/noise games and ACE techniques

Jumping up as a request

Dogs may learn to jump up as a way of requesting something, a behavior influenced by learning it works and occasionally fueled by frustration. Positive reinforcement, such as attention or treats, can inadvertently teach this behavior. For instance, if a dog jumps up, the owner asks them to sit, and then rewards them, the looped behavior may continue if the dog hasn’t been trained to stay.

Each dog’s learning style varies, with some becoming more frustrated than others. Building patience during food delivery is crucial, each dog is different so it’s important to go at the dogs level setting them up for success and not failure, preempting the behaviour in the first instance and reward profusely for what you would prefer them to do instead. Although sit is a common behaviour that is taught all the time this is not a necessity and can sometimes be like putting a lid on a boiling pot, standing calmly with all four feet on the floor is a behaviour that can be reward instead.

• Preempt the behaviour so for example if it happens when you are eating/cooking teach them to settle on a mat, rewarding duration and distance whilst you are doing activities in the kitchen or when you are preparing their dinner reward them for calm behaviour before they get excited

• Slow down and make training easier to avoid frustration jumping
  
• Build on duration between rewards in small increments
  
• Focus on core skills rather than tricks and what they prefer to do
  
• Give fuss/rewards sooner and frequently for feet on floor
  
• Use a finished signal to indicate that training, treats, play or interaction are over, to prevent the dog being left in limbo or getting frustrated the key to this is being clear and doing something else after the signal so the dog know you are no longer available

Jumping up to play

Jumping up during play can, again, be inadvertently taught. I often observe caregivers holding the toy up high, leading the dog to attempt to grab it. This behavior may stem from instances where the dog accidentally caught fingers during play, causing caregivers to snatch the toy away in fear, which actually in turn teaches the dog to try grabbing it again in excitement as the toy is moving quickly.

Alternatively, it could be an unintentional taught behaviour employed by handlers trying to teach their dogs to wait but inadvertently instilling frustration by not aligning with their dog’s learning style or setting them up for success.

Another factor is the inherently competitive nature of humans, making the game frustrating or teasing for the dog by not allowing them to win regularly or drawing out them getting the toy. Consequently, the dog may resort to jumping up in an attempt to grab the toy out of the persons hand. Frustration along with play sessions that are way to long can lead to overstimulation, which can result to a dog jumping up, even nipping and biting as excitement levels have become to high.

• Keep toys at nose level or lower

• Use longer trailing toys

• Release the toy sooner to avoid frustration

• Run the toy along the ground

• Let them win frequently to avoid frustration mouthing/jumping
  
• Teach a leave and get it cue so they know when to grab the toy and when not too, again both cues need to be taught by setting the dog up for success and not taught by snatching it away when you ask them to leave it
  
• Keep plays to short 15 minute sessions
  
• Again use a finished signal to indicate when play is ended or generally I suggest ending play with a chewing or foraging activity to bring excitement levels down

Jumping up to gain distance

Now this one often throws people because they think if a dog wants to gain distance from something they are uncomfortable with, say a stranger along the street or a visitor. Why would they lunge and jump up at them, why do they not just move away? My answer to this is usually history has taught them when they used subtle signals like pausing, avoidance, moving away in the past that indicated they wanted distance, the signals were either missed or ignored.

This can start from puppyhood in an attempt to “socialise” a dog handlers can think this means that a dog must be interacted with as many people as they can. Allowing people to constantly head at and touch their dogs without noticing the signals the dog is giving to indicate they are not enjoying the interaction. Overtime jumping and lunging can give the dog the distance they need by stopping the person moving, or getting them to move away or the owner moves the dog away through embarrassment of jumping up, therefore the dog learns the behaviour is successful.

Again like appeasement if the dog is not supported correctly or worse punished, they can associate people with further negative experiences and then escalate to more forceful behaviours like lunging, snapping and biting to keep potential threats approaching.

• Work at distances they feel less threatened
  
• Avoid greetings in the hallway or where they feel people are heading at them or cornering them
  
• Teach them a positive association with another room that they can come out of or behind a gate that is not headed at

• Let them approach strangers/visitors in their own time ask visitors to be hands off and to not reach out

• Invite them to come to you verses you heading towards them

• Back off at the subtle signs like lip licking and yawning, moving away
  
• Teach them to associate people with a positive and that they can move away or ignore

Being closely involved in a situation can make it difficult to perceive the reasons behind your dog’s behavior. As humans, our inclination is often to just focus on stopping or correcting the behavior, yet true success hinges on understanding the possible emotional state driving the behavior in many cases.

If you would like to chat with me or get support with your dog or puppy book in a call with me below.