Jumping up on people is a common behaviour in dogs, it is their way of greeting them. It will take consistency and patience to stop your dog from jumping, but it can be frustrating and even dangerous, especially for children or elderly people. You'll also need to enlist the help of some friends to train and test your dog to stop jumping on every person that enters a room. Your dog may jump up on you when you get home and if it is allowed to do this it will see this as normal and acceptable behaviour.
Here are some steps you can take to stop your dog from jumping up:
First step would teach your dog to keep their paws planted on the ground. As soon as your dog jumps on your friend, gently tug on their leash, and use the command "off". You will need to keep practising this command. Over time, as you practice, slowly reduce tugging the leash until you don't need it anymore.
Your dog will either stop jumping completely or will obey the "off" command.
Teach an alternative behaviour: Give your dog a specific behaviour to do instead of jumping up. For example, teach your dog to "sit" or "down" on command. Practice this behaviour often and reward your dog when they do it correctly.
Use positive reinforcement: When your dog greets people without jumping up, reward them with treats, praise, or attention. This will help reinforce the desired behaviour.
Ignore jumping behaviour: Dogs often jump up to get attention, so if your dog jumps up on you or someone else, ignore the behaviour by turning away or walking away. Don't make eye contact or give your dog any attention until all four paws are on the ground.
Be consistent: Consistency is key when training your dog. Make sure everyone in your household and any visitors to your home are aware of the training and consistently enforce the rules.
Use a leash or tether: If your dog is particularly excitable, consider using a leash or tether to prevent them from jumping up on people. This will also give you more control over your dog's behaviour.
Last step avoid punishment: Never use your knee to hit a jumping dog in the chest as it could seriously injure your dog and your dog may interpret this as playing. The dog's response will be to continue jumping because it thinks this is a game, and now you've reinforced the behaviour you're trying to discourage. The same goes for yelling or pushing your jumping dog; it'll be interpreted as playing. Remember punishing your dog for jumping up can reinforce the behaviour by giving them attention, even if it's negative attention. Instead, focus on rewarding the behaviour you want to see.
Remember that training your dog takes time and patience, and it's important to be consistent and positive in your approach. With consistent training, your dog will learn to greet people politely without jumping up. If you have any other suggestion or questions on how to stop your dog from jumping, please comment below