21/10/2025
How Do I stop my dogs from Jumping on Guests?
What if, instead we asked: “What do I want my dogs to do instead - and how can I make that easy and rewarding?”
Here’s what this looks like at Barbara's house, with her very real, very enthusiastic dogs:
When we’ve got people coming over, I don’t ask, “How do I stop the chaos?” I ask, “What do I want them to do instead?”
For us, the answer is stationing - each dog settles on a bed they already love.
How we set it up (on normal days):
I build a big reward history for “go to bed.” We practise when nobody’s visiting, and I pay generously for lying down, breathing, and just being there. Beds become the comfy, predictable place where good things happen.
Guest day routine:
- Before arrival: short sniffy walk, or I have them enjoy their licky mats, water bowls topped up, beds in their usual spots, and long-lasting chews ready.
- Doorbell moment: I give the dogs a minute to realise what's happening then ask them to hop on their beds and give them their chews on the beds so choosing to stay there is literally the easiest, yummiest option.
- Prime the guests: I ask my visitors to not mind the dogs and just come in and while the dogs are chewing I drop the odd cookie for stying on their beds with the chew.
- After the chew: my dogs are softer and more thoughtful. If they want to say hi, they'll come over. If not, they can keep relaxing. Both are wins.
It’s not about perfect obedience; it’s about stacking the deck so calm is simple and rewarding. The longer we practise this, the more evenings we get to enjoy - friends around the table, dogs on their beds, and me actually enjoying the evening. If hosting feels stressful right now, start with two minutes of “bed + chew” and build from there. Tiny layers, big difference.
