Board and train for jumping and polite greetings

Board and train for jumping and polite greetings in Gloucester, MA: a four-on-the-floor routine, kid and visitor practice, fear-free 1 or 2 week stays.

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A woman on a leash walk pets a golden retriever that sits calmly on the paving beside a playground

Why your dog jumps on people

Jumping is a greeting. Puppies lick and nuzzle the faces of adult dogs, and our faces are a long way up, so a friendly dog launches toward them. Then we reinforce it. A small puppy jumping at your knees is cute and gets petted, and by the time the puppy weighs sixty pounds, the habit is well rehearsed.

Even the responses meant to stop it often feed it. Pushing the dog down, kneeing it, shouting "off" or grabbing the collar all involve touch, eye contact and voice, which is exactly what an attention-seeking dog wants. Dogs who jump at the end of a long day alone are often simply over-full of excitement with nowhere to put it.

The four-on-the-floor routine

The fix is to make the greeting itself the reward, and to give it only to a dog with four paws down. The person approaches; if the dog stays down, it gets attention and food at its own level; if it jumps, the person turns away or steps back, and the greeting resumes once the paws are on the ground. Dogs work this out quickly when every person plays by the same rule.

During a stay, the dog meets people constantly, which turns a normally slow skill into a fast one. Trainers, other staff and families dropping off dogs all count as greetings, and a lobby where people come and go makes a natural practice station. The more different people a dog practices with, the more the skill means people in general rather than one trainer.

Start with a sit for greetings, because a sitting dog cannot jump
Feed low and fast, so the dog’s nose stays near the floor
Approach slowly; back away if the dog launches, return when it settles
Fade the sit later so a calm stand also earns attention

Kids and visitors at home

Children are the hardest test because they squeal, run and wave their hands, which looks like play to a dog. They are also the most likely to be knocked over. Practice the greeting with adults first, then with calm older children who can follow the rules, and keep a leash on the dog for early visits so nobody has to grab a collar.

Visitors need a script. Ask them to ignore the dog until it is calm, then greet it at its level. Most adults will happily follow a clear request; the ones who say "I don’t mind, I love dogs" are teaching your dog to jump. A friendly "we’re training, please wait until he sits" saves the routine. Families with young children may also want our page on board and train for families with kids.

Foundation or Advanced for a jumper?

Foundation is designed for this kind of manners problem: impulse control before greeting people sits right in its skill list, alongside place, which gives an excited dog somewhere to go when the door opens. One week with a go-home lesson is enough for many young dogs to learn the routine and for you to learn how to keep it.

Advanced makes sense for big, bouncy adolescents and for dogs that greet nicely at home but leap on strangers on the sidewalk or at the café. The second week adds distraction proofing and real-world outings, so the greeting holds with more going on. The one week vs two week comparison covers the choice in more detail.

What the stay cannot do for you

If anyone at home still rewards jumping, the jumping will come back. That includes the family member who lets the dog jump when they are wearing old clothes, and the child who encourages it as a game. The dog cannot tell the difference between allowed and forbidden jumping, so the rule must be the same for everyone.

Some jumping is not friendly. A dog that jumps and mouths hard, grabs clothing, or jumps with a stiff body and a hard stare is telling you something different, and that belongs in the assessment rather than a manners plan. Mention it in the enquiry so Gabby can look at it properly.

A two-week plan for home

Consistency in the first fortnight matters more than anything else, so plan the greetings rather than leaving them to chance.

Coming home: walk in calmly, wait for four paws down, then greet quietly at floor level
Visitors: dog on leash or on its place for the first few minutes; greet when calm
Walks: if someone wants to say hello, ask for a sit first and be ready to step away
Everyone in the house uses the same cue and the same reward
Keep a jar of treats by the door so rewarding the right moment is easy

The program for this

1 week · Puppies, young dogs & foundational manners Foundation Board & Train A one-week stay for puppies, young dogs and dogs missing the basics: obedience, leash skills, place, stay, recall, impulse control and household manners, with daily updates and a go-home lesson. Read about Foundation

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