My dog, Neeko, occasionally jumps up on visitors that come to our house, so I began researching ways to positively enforce her to not jump up. Many techniques I researched involved physical pain to teach the dog not to jump, such as holding their paws or kneeing them in the chest, but these are not ways I want to treat my pet.

Neeko loves getting attention and praise, so I used this as her reward for not jumping up on people that came to the house. Before our guests arrived I would hold our dog back on a very short leash (you can also tie the leash to something stable in the house like the couch). When the guests arrived I would have them slowly and calmly approach my dog to give her attention. If she started to jump up I would ask the guests to leave the room. We would wait a few minutes and then try again. Neeko quickly learned that she would only receive attention if she remained sitting.

Give it a try with your dog, but remember to be patient. It can take many attempts before your pet learns not to jump up.