Question:

How do you teach your dog not to jump on people you see while out walking?

Answer:

Teach your dog to do something else that prevents them jumping… like “with me” (heel work).

“With me” (Heel work) prevents jumping…

In this video I use “with me” or heel work training to stop Blue from jumping/pestering people we pass on the beach. It was a high tide with not much space on the beach and so the people were passing by close to us. It was therefore very distracting/difficult for Blue.

Although Blue already knows how to heel in response to my verbal cue “with me”, I also chose to put a treat right on his nose to “lure” him while we were actually passing the people. This set him up for success and we passed the people without issue. He also looked very pleased with himself afterwards for getting it right!

Practice often

The trick is to practice training with your dog in public often so they get used to responding to you while out and about. High value or novel treats also help!

Blue and I practice “with me” both off lead and on lead regularly in lots of different environments. It’s become a really fun team work game for us both. We practice in quick bursts randomly, sometimes with turns, sometimes without. This regular practice gives us the foundation skills we need to use “with me” or heel work training to navigate different life situations.