posted 06-08-2003 12:30 PM         

Either put him on-leash or in a crate/seperate room before you open the door. Greeting visitors is a very exciting/stressful time for a dog, and most will not be able to learn to control themselves right away under that type of pressure.

If you crate him (which I advise if they have kids or if you're going to be preoccupied with them, as you won't be as able to make sure he doesn't mess up), then you can bring him out on leash after everyone is settled. Bring him over to the guests and make him sit, then let them pet him. If he breaks the sit at anytime, they are to stop petting and turn away from him. Your job is to keep him where he can't just jump on them.

If you just put him on-leash, then when they come in, let the leash lay on the floor, and step on it so he can't jump up, not so tight he can't move, just tight enough that he can't climb/jump. Again, make him sit (doesn't matter whether you tell him or they do, as long as he does it), then they can pet. If he breaks the sit, have them stop paying attention to him and walk right by.

Dogs will only repeat behaviors that work for them, so if you ignore his acting like a maniac, eventually the behavior will "die out" for the most part and be replaced by an automatic sit when greeting visitors. When he is sitting consistently (100% of the time), you can remove the leash and just have him sit. You just have to be consistent and understand that it may take a while for you to see the results.

If YOU like it when he hops on you, then teach him a word for that, so that he sits most of the time, but still gets all excited when he knows it's allowed.

You might also teach him a "leave alone" type command, I use "go away" with our dogs, it just means that I don't want them climbing all over me, they're free to lay at my feet on the floor, or even on the other end of the couch, but not on or against me.

posted 06-08-2003 12:42 PM         

[This message has been edited by iluvmypup (edited 06-08-2003).]

posted 06-10-2003 10:26 PM            

I took an obedience class and was told that the reason a dog jumps is because they want you to touch them. If they jump on you, your first reaction is to put up your hands, or push the dog away. Guess what? The dog is getting what it wants! So, for me, I turn my back and tell her to 'sit'. Once she finally sits, I say hello.

My husband has another approach. He completely ignores the dog when he comes home! She realizes he's not interested and leaves him alone. After a few minutes, he calls her and to say hello.

These are a couple suggestions that have worked for our super-hyper dog. I also like the idea of using a leash.

posted 06-11-2003 12:57 AM         

Edit: Forgot this part... the reason the sit is a good thing to have the dog do is because sitting and jumping are mutually exclusive behaviors. It's impossible for the dog to sit and jump (or knock into legs, or whatever other rude greeting things they do)at the same time, so they have to pick one.

posted 06-11-2003 04:29 AM            

If you don't like something someone says, no harm in saying so. But hang in there. There's some very good advice here.

I myself would recommend the leash, and the Sit command too. I wouldn't take your pup out of the room - he just needs to be encouraged to greet people nicely.