How To Stop Your Dog Jumping Up On People

The doorbell rings. Your dog loses their mind. Before you can even think, they've launched themselves at your visitor. Paws on chest. Slobber everywhere. Your guest backs away awkwardly whilst you apologise for the hundredth time.

You've tried everything. Shouting "down." Pushing them off. Bribing with treats. Nothing works. Within seconds, they're jumping again.

Here's what most owners don't realise: jumping isn't a greeting problem. It's a calmness problem. Dogs who jump on visitors are dogs who struggle to settle in general. Fix the underlying hyperactivity, and the jumping fixes itself.

Why Is Jumping So Hard To Stop

Jumping feels impossible to fix because every attempt makes it worse. You push your dog off—they get physical contact. You shout at them—they get your attention. You give treats for sitting—they learn jumping gets rewarded eventually.

Here's why traditional methods fail:

1. You're treating the symptom, not the cause. Jumping is what you see. The real problem is a dog who cannot switch off.
2. Everyone reinforces it differently. You ignore the jumping. Your partner cuddles them. Your kids squeal with excitement. Your dog gets mixed messages.
3. Certain breeds are naturally exuberant. Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Bernese Mountain Dogs—these breeds greet with enthusiasm. It's part of their personality. You cannot bribe your way out of genetics.
4. Small dogs get away with it. If you have a small dog, people find jumping "cute." This inconsistency makes training harder.
5. Guests break your rules. You've worked hard on training. Then someone visits and immediately pets your jumping dog. Progress destroyed.

The key realisation: you cannot solve jumping at the door until your dog can settle at home.

Why Addressing Jumping Matters

Jumping isn't just annoying. It's dangerous. A large dog can knock over elderly relatives, children, or anyone not expecting it. Even small dogs can scratch, tear clothing, or frighten nervous visitors.

Beyond safety, jumping is embarrassing. You dread having people over. You warn every visitor in advance. You feel like a bad owner.

When your dog learns calm greetings, you gain freedom. Visitors can arrive without chaos. Your dog learns attention comes from calmness, not excitement.

It's About Progress, Not Perfection

Solving jumping takes time, especially with naturally exuberant breeds. Every Golden Retriever between 6-24 months greets by jumping. It's normal. Your job isn't eliminating excitement—it's teaching control.

Don't use treats or affection to solve this. You'll reinforce the exact opposite behaviour you want. Instead, show your dog (in a loving, kind way) that jumping doesn't get them what they want.

When your dog regularly practises switching off, their overall arousal drops. Greetings become far easier.

Checklist: Is Your Dog Hyperactive In General?

Before addressing jumping, identify whether your dog struggles to settle. Common signs include:

• Following you around constantly
• Persistent attention-seeking (pawing, nudging, whining)
• Pacing or always "on the job"
• Over-alert (one ear up even when resting)
• Excessive chewing, digging, fence running, barking at sounds
• Shadow/light chasing or other "busy brain" behaviours
• Space invading (constantly in your personal space)

If your dog shows multiple signs, they cannot relax. A dog who can settle when it's just you at home will settle better when people arrive.

Having trouble identifying whether your dog is genuinely hyperactive or just energetic? The community has video examples showing the difference between healthy energy and chronic arousal, plus strategies tailored to different breed temperaments.

Step-by-Step: Teaching Your Dog To Settle

Step 1: Create A Designated Calm Space

Choose a mat, bed, or blanket placed near you but out of the traffic zone. This becomes your dog's relaxation station.

• When your dog space invades (jumps on couch, pushes into your lap, demands attention), calmly take them by the collar to their spot
• Hold their collar gently until they relax
• Don't talk to them, don't give treats, don't make a fuss
• Once calm, release and ignore them

Having a dog lying calmly without a care in the world is a good thing. Many owners confuse this with sadness. It's not. It's contentment.

Step 2: Remove Attention For Hyperactive Behaviour

If your dog constantly demands attention:

• Turn your back
• Cross your arms
• Look away
• Wait for calm before re-engaging

This teaches: calmness gets attention. Hyperactivity gets ignored.

Step 3: Build Duration

Start with 30 seconds of calm. Gradually extend to 2 minutes, then 5, then 10. Your dog is building the skill of switching off.

Practise this throughout the day, not just when visitors arrive.

Need help timing your releases correctly? Inside the community, there are demonstration videos showing exactly when to release your dog from their calm space, plus troubleshooting for dogs who won't settle at all.

Teaching Calm Greetings At The Door

Once your dog can settle at home, introduce door training.

For Dogs Who Cannot Settle At All:

Remove them from the situation entirely. Put them in another room with a closed door. This is timeout, not punishment. They're too overwhelmed to learn.

For Dogs Showing Some Calm:

1. Put your dog on a short lead or hold their collar
2. When people enter, ask EVERYONE to completely ignore your dog (no touch, no talk, no eye contact)
3. Hold your dog calmly by your side. Don't say anything to them
4. Wait for relaxation. Their body will soften. Breathing slows
5. Only when genuinely calm can they approach visitors

For Dogs Showing Good Progress:

Train a "sit" before greetings. Everyone must still ignore your dog initially. Reward the sit with calm acknowledgement (not excitement).

Practise this multiple times daily with different people, not only during visitor moments. Repetition builds habits.

Struggling to get visitors to follow your rules? The community provides printable instruction cards you can give to guests, plus scripts for politely enforcing boundaries without awkwardness.

Rules For Anyone Meeting Your Dog

Dogs jump because they get immediate reinforcement: touch, chatter, or eye contact. Ask visitors to follow these rules:

1. Completely ignore the dog. No touching, talking, or eye contact when they first enter
2. Pretend your dog isn't there. Look past them, walk past them, don't acknowledge
3. If the dog jumps, turn your back. Don't push them off (that's physical contact they want)
4. Wait for calm before any greeting. Once your dog settles, THEN they can say hello

As the owner, if your dog jumps despite this:

• Put them on a short line
• Hold them next to you without speaking
• Wait for calm
• Remove them to timeout if they cannot settle

This removes the reward your dog is seeking and makes calm behaviour the only pathway to attention.

If Your Dog Jumps, Stay Calm And Interrupt

When your dog jumps:

• Don't shout. This is attention
• Don't push them off. This is physical contact
• Don't give treats for sitting. You've just rewarded jumping → sitting → treat

Instead:

1. Turn your back immediately
2. Cross your arms
3. Wait for four paws on the floor
4. If they persist, take them to their calm space and hold their collar
5. Release only when genuinely relaxed

Consistency is everything. Every family member, every visitor, every single time.

Progression Timeline

Week 1-2: Focus entirely on building calm at home. Your dog should be able to settle on their mat for 10+ minutes whilst you move around.

Week 3-4: Introduce mock door greetings. Have family members leave and return. Practise the protocol.

Week 5-6: Invite cooperative friends over. Brief them on the rules. Practise real greetings.

Week 7-8: Expand to less cooperative visitors. Your dog's default should now be calm.

Progress isn't linear. Some days will be harder than others. Maintain consistency.

Final Comments

Jumping is fixable, but it requires addressing the root cause: hyperactivity. A dog who can settle at home can settle at the door.

Build calm independence first. Teach your dog that attention comes from relaxation, not excitement. Ensure every visitor follows the same rules.

Most importantly: stop bribing with treats and stop giving attention for jumping. These reinforce the problem.

Your dog wants to please you. Show them clearly what behaviour gets rewarded. Calmness wins.

Get Support For Your Jumping Journey

Teaching calm greetings is challenging when you're doing it alone. Having guidance and support makes the process much smoother.

Inside our free Skool community, you'll get:

• Complete video demonstrations showing the collar-hold technique, calm space training, and door greeting protocols with different dog temperaments
• Weekly live Q&A sessions where you can ask about YOUR specific jumping challenges
• Printable visitor instruction cards to help guests follow your rules without awkwardness
• Troubleshooting help for dogs who won't settle, guests who won't cooperate, or training that seems stuck
• Supportive community of owners working through the same frustrations

Best part? It's completely free. No subscription. No catch.

Sydney-based? We offer in-person training sessions for hyperactive dogs. Ask about availability in the community.

About The Toe Beans Co

We're a dog training company based in Sydney, Australia with clients worldwide. We use pain-free, aggression-free, punishment-free methods to help develop great behaviours in dogs.

Our Mission:

1. Ensure you always have someone you trust for help with your pet
2. Raise as much money for Teenage Cancer Research as we can