Dogs who Jump at People on Walks

by Anne-Marie Mayes

I have written articles in the past about dogs who jump on people at the door, so this time I wanted to talk about dogs who try to jump on people while out on a walk. I teach a class called Walking and Greeting and asked my current students what questions they have about this topic. Several people brought up the concern that they didn't know how to say no to people who want to greet their dog without coming off as rude, even when their dog does not want to be touched or get attention from strangers.

We need to advocate for our dogs. We know them best, and can observe their body language around strangers. Most owners already know if their dog will jump on the person, but some try to "wait and see," which of course leads to the dog jumping on people. I teach my clients a greeting protocol to follow to prevent jumping and show the dog how to greet politely, and it involves the owner's observation skills and knowing when their dog might be about to jump. The best action is to move your dog away from the person and redirect them instead of standing close by and asking your dog to sit while the dog continues to jump.

For dogs, the more they practice a behaviour the better they get at it, but this can work both ways. We want to teach a replacement behaviour that we prefer and have the dog practice this instead, so the previous behaviour of jumping will lessen. If we create a plan and practice it, we teach our dog a new chain of behaviours that will get them closer to the person for a polite greeting, instead of teaching them that pulling gets them closer to the person to jump on.

Before starting a greeting protocol, ask yourself a few questions. How are your dog's leash skills?  Can your dog walk beside you with distractions around? If you turn does your dog follow, and does your dog know a hand target? Jumping is an innate behaviour so dogs naturally do it and we have to teach them these skills to redirect to another behaviour.

Before we get into face to face greeting, I recommend that when you are walking past someone that you are in between your dog and the person so your dog is not close enough to make contact.  If your dog pulls ahead, do a U-Turn so your dog ends up beside you.  If you have to stop walking, do some trick training to keep your dog occupied instead of standing still letting your dog focus on the people and pull on the leash. 

When you are ready for a proper greeting, my first rule is that you have a plan and are guiding your dog through the steps instead of the stranger advising you how to do things; remember this is your dog. Make sure you have your treats ready, get your dog’s attention approach the person, and ask them to wait calmly. If your dog pulls, turn and repeat this approach. You may have to do this a few times. You are not failing, but setting your dog up for success. Ask the person to put their hand down. Once close enough, ask your dog to go touch their hand with their nose (hand target) and then come back to you for the treat. This way there is no waiting to see if jumping occurs, only success. 

There are several resources that The Dog Classroom has published via newspaper, newsletter, and podcasts so take a look and take advice from someone that is qualified, familiar to you, and wants the best for you and your dog.