Jumping up and getting in face

by Shelley
(BC Canada)

My 8 month old pup (Shih Tzu cross) goes crazy when someone come over. He jumps up on them and cries and if they get close enough jumps at their face.

He does this to everyone in our family also, every time they come in the house, even if they are only gone 5 min.

Every time someone goes to the door to leave or answer it he tries to take off out the door. If he makes it out he takes off running and won't listen to us. If he sees someone he goes straight for them and does the jumping, whining thing.

We have tried everything from restraining him, putting him in his crate and trying to get him to calm down with treats etc. but nothing works.

What would you suggest?


Hi Shelley
Your pup has been doing this jumping and whining, and running off ever since he can remember. It's now a habit, and to overcome this is going to take time, patience, effort and then some more patience!

It's natural for a pup (or dog) to want to get close to your face. In the wild, that's how they would greet and show respect to each other. But, that doesn't mean it's acceptable behavior to you or me.

You will need to train him not to jump on people, and to do that you will need to correct him every single time. The best way to do this is to have him wear a longer 'training' leash, or even a piece of nylon rope, attached to his collar. Set him up to 'practice' by having someone come in the front door - or whatever usually sets off the jumping behavior.

Someone needs to hold the leash/rope and as soon as your pup goes to jump,say "NO JUMP" very firmly and give it a sharp downward tug so that he is pulled back. When his four paws are back on the ground, tell him "good boy" and ask him to "sit". Once he's sitting, have the person who came in give him a treat.

You will need to practice this over and over and over again. Puppies are creatures of habit and learn through repetition. Now he has the 'bad habit' in his little brain, it will take a while to get him to replace that with the good one.

I would recommend enrolling your pup in a basic obedience class. It really helps you both learn to communicate better with each other and the instructor can help you with this kind of behavior problem.

Best of luck!