Why do dogs jump up?

Answer 1

The basic reason is that dogs really really like people and they want to be closer to us, i.e. our faces. In the dog world, dogs greet each other face to face, and often lick each other's faces. A dog naturally wants to do the same to people--so you have to train a dog not to jump.

The best way to train this is not to use punishment or negative reinforcement (even though that might work faster at first, but it'll cause emotional problems and other difficulties long-term) but to use positive reinforcement for the right behavior.

If a dog jumps up on you, turn around so the dog is left jumping up onto your back. Do this every time and say "uh-oh" or whatever your "whoops, you did it wrong" word is. As I said, the dog is jumping up to be closer to you--so getting your back instead is the opposite of the what the dog wants. Very quickly the dog will realize that, to get what he or she wants, i.e. contact with you, he or she should not jump.

You can further train this by crouching or patting your thighs while you say, "Hi, buddy! Are you my good dog?" Initially the dog will take this as an invitation to jump up--but then turn around just as you did before. Very quickly, again, the dog will learn that jumping up does not get the dog the desired result.

Have you family members and friends train this with the dog. It is important for people to do this frequently and consistently. Dogs don't generalize well, so you need to train it on as many different people as possible.

Now, here's the most important part: when you see your dog deciding not to jump up--praise the dog lavishly with petting or even a treat. That shows the dog that he can get the desired contact with a human, and even a treat, if he doesn't jump.

Do these things consistently and avoid negative reinforcement and really work with the dog, and within a few weeks jumping will stop.

Answer 2

Dogs may jump up for attention, to greet you, or because they are excited. Jumping up is a natural behavior for dogs to seek attention and interaction with people. It can also be a learned behavior if they have been reinforced for jumping up in the past.