Is Your Puppy Jumping Up at Visitors? Teach Them to Stay Calm with Canine Kids
Puppies are naturally curious and excited by new people. When someone comes to the door, it is completely normal for a young puppy to want to rush over, bounce up and say hello!
While this often seems sweet when they’re small, jumping up can quickly become a problem as your puppy grows, especially if they’re a larger breed.
At Canine Kids, we help you teach your puppy to greet visitors in a calmer manner, using modern, reward-based puppy training. In our training classes in Camberley and elsewhere in Surrey, we focus on practical everyday skills that help your furry friend become calmer and more confident.
Why Do Puppies Jump Up?
Most puppies jump up because they are excited, want attention or have learnt that jumping ‘works’. If a puppy jumps up and someone laughs, strokes them, talks to them or pushes them away, the puppy may still see this as attention.
For many puppies, visitors are one of the most exciting distractions. They bring new smells, sounds and experiences, all of which can make them more excitable.
Why Greeting Visitors Calmly Matters
Jumping up might not seem a serious problem at first. However, it can become difficult when your puppy gets bigger, stronger or more confident. A young Labrador, Spaniel, Cockapoo or German Shepherd puppy can soon knock into children, scratch at visitors or muddy someone’s clothes after a walk.
It’s not about preventing your puppy from being friendly. It’s about teaching your puppy how to greet people politely. This helps your puppy feel more settled around visitors, improves their impulse control and makes home life much easier.
In our puppy classes in Camberley and across Surrey and Hampshire, we teach owners how to reward the behaviour they do want, such as four paws on the floor, sitting calmly, checking in with their owner and settling after their initial excitement.
How to Stop Your Puppy Jumping Up
The first step is to avoid rewarding the jumping. This does not mean shouting, pushing or telling your puppy off. At Canine Kids, we use positive reinforcement puppy training, which means we teach your puppy what to do instead.
You can start by rewarding your puppy when they keep four paws on the floor. If your puppy sits calmly, even for a second, mark and reward that behaviour. Over time, your puppy learns that calm behaviour gets attention, treats and praise.
It also helps to practise before actual visitors arrive. Ask a family member to calmly enter the room while your puppy is on a lead or behind a baby gate. Reward your puppy for staying calm, looking at you, sitting or remaining settled. It’s best to keep sessions short and positive.
If your puppy becomes too excited, give them more space- by creating distance, you can make it easier for your puppy to think and learn.
Start Your Puppy’s Training in Camberley
At Canine Kids, we provide specialist puppy and adolescent dog training in Surrey and nearby Hampshire, including Camberley, Farnham, Godalming, Fleet, Northchapel and Guildford.
Our approach is modern, reward-based and focused on real-life results. We want to help you build a strong relationship with your puppy, based on trust, clear communication and positive learning.
Our Pup1 puppy classes are suitable for puppies up to 18 weeks and are designed to support socialisation, confidence building, training and problem prevention. We also offer puppy socials, adolescent dog training classes, and one-to-one puppy training sessions for owners who need more tailored support.