Why ignoring doesn't stop my puppy from jumping up when I get home
Standard advice like ignoring a jumping puppy fails when dogs are too excited, anxious, or persistent to calm down, even following people to jump on their back. Treats fail because the dog is too amped up to sit, leaving owners unable to relax without the puppy jumping on them again.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Ignoring the puppyDid this help you?
- 2Bringing a treat to the door and asking for focus or a sitDid this help you?
- 3Practicing leaving and returning repeatedlyDid this help you?
- 4Immediately lowering down to scratch the puppy's back and keeping lowDid this help you?
- 5Trying to ignore the behavior and walk awayDid this help you?
- 6Preventing rehearsal by using gates or closed doors for short resetsDid this help you?
- 7Rewarding alternative behaviors like keeping four paws on the floorDid this help you?
- 8Giving the dog predictable decompression routines and food puzzlesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“He's a sweet boy but can get anxious and then reacts by jumping up and trying to "hold" you.”source ↗
“We try to ignore the behaviour because that's what we we're told but it's hard to do with a rather big 40kg dog hehe.”source ↗
“walking away and ignoring him doesn't seem to really do the trick as he keeps following and jumping on my back.”source ↗
“he can lay down and the moment i go sit in the couch he's back at it again.”source ↗
“The treat at the door he couldn’t calm down enough to sit cause so excited and happy to see me.”source ↗
“She is never calm she is the most high strung crackhead of a dog I’ve ever seen lol.”source ↗
“My puppy is almost 8months old and I still can’t break her of jumping when we get home. I’ve tried it all. Ignoring is the most common suggestion but it does not work a bit.”source ↗
Where this came up
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