Jumping up is undoubtedly one of, if not the most annoying behavioural habits that a dog can have.
It is obviously annoying it a dog jumps up on you with dirty paws, but more importantly it can be very dangerous if your dog jumps up on an elderly or infirm person or a child and knocks them over.
Therefore to avoid someone becoming injured by your dog's impulsive actions, it is very important to train your dog to stop jumping up on people.
Normally jumping up on people is not an aggressive action on the part of the dog, more a friendly gesture on his part.
It's his way of looking you in the face and saying "hello".
We inadvertently encourage this unfortunate behaviour by our own actions in trying to be friendly towards the dog.
For example, having been away at work all day who would not be forgiven for being pleased to see their dog, and when it jumps up to greet you, what do you normally do.
Yes you probably react by stroking him vigorously and telling him what a good boy he is.
Therefore we first have to train ourselves.
Stop encouraging him! Now this may be hard at first, but you will have to be somewhat firm with yourself and ignore your first tendency to rush to greet your dog.
Remember that you will have to do what is best for the pair of you so hold back on the greeting until your four legged friend's paws are all on the ground.
To enable your dog to associate the command you are about to give him you will need the dog to be in the act of jumping up on you.
The command can be almost anything but I would suggest that you use the command OFF! When choosing a word for this command you may have thought of using the word "Down", but this word is often used for the command for your dog to lay down so it would be better to choose OFF as suggested in this article.
But in reality any word or words can be used providing that it is a short word or phrase and that it does not sound like any other commands that you have already taught your dog.
You need it to be easily recognised by your dog for the action you want it to perform.
A simple way in which you can stop your dog jumping up is when he prepares to jump up, bring your knee up to his chest.
Do this gently, it's not meant as a kick, it is just done to cause your dog to lose his balance, which will in turn have the effect of bringing him back down onto all fours.
The key to this exercise is to initially allow your dog to prepare to jump up, and as he does, bring your knee up gently to his chest, and give a firm "Off" command.
Now very importantly, when your dog responds correctly to your command by dropping back onto all fours, don't forget to make a fuss and praise and reward him.
This technique although generally very successful may not work on all dogs due mainly to the size of the dog.
For smaller dogs you perhaps would be more successful by using a leash and collar.
When using this method to stop your dog jumping up, when your dog starts to jump, tug sideways on the collar and give the "Off" command firmly.
This action will distract your dog from its original objective and it will more often than not remain standing.
Again don't forget to reward and praise him.
As with all dog training commands the key to success is repetition.
Now remember, when out and about, watch your dog closely to see when it is about to jump up on somebody, and then in a firm but controlled voice give the command "Off".
For this training you will find it really helpful if you can have somebody to help you with it.
You will soon find that by watching your dog, you will know when it is preparing to jump up and you will be able to give the command just before it is about to start.
By persevering with this exercise you will stop your dog jumping up and avoid the embarrassment of dirty paws on peoples cloths or worse still having your dog knock over an elderly person or child.