Why Does My Dog Jump On Me While Walking?

How many times a dog would jump on you while walking? Some dogs do this all the time while others will jump every now and then. Why does my dog jump on me while walking? There are 7 reasons for this and each one is different. You first need to know all about the reasons and then what you should do about it. This is not an appealing behavior and you may want to stop it.

7 Reasons Why Does My Dog Jump On Me While Walking

Dog Wants To Play

The most common reason for them all is also the simplest. Your dog wants to play. He will jump on you so he wants to initiate play. Keep in mind that this can hurt, especially if your pet has long nails and sharp teeth (most of them do). Why does my dog jump on me while walking? He wants to play with you and this is his way of saying ‘’come and play’’. To test the reason, start playing fetch with your pet. If he stops jumping on you, you know the cause.

Your Dog Seeks Your Attention

It is another, also very common and a bit interesting reason. A dog will want to get attention in one way or another. Even if you push him, tell him ‘’no’’ or something similar, he will get what he wants. See, all of these actions are interactions in the mind of your dog. Despite the fact these are negative, they still work and your pet gets what he wants. Remember that every time when you look your pet in the eyes, he is getting some form of attention. 

Your Pet Learned That When He Was A Puppy

How many of you allow puppies to jump on their legs and that is cute? Probably all of you. But there is one issue here. If you don’t help your pet realize that this is something he should stop doing he will continue doing it as long as he can. Because your dog doesn’t know that this is bad behavior, he will continue doing it as long as possible. 

Dog Is Overstimulated 

This particular reason is common among puppies. When they are sleepy, they can jump on you and bite you. Older dogs can do this as well but it is rare. Just compare the behavior with your own one. You are grumpy in the morning before you have your cup of tea or coffee. Dogs can feel the same. Just sit back and allow your pet to relax. He should get the time to rest properly.  

Dog Is Frustrated

Believe it or not, this is a valid and one of the very common reasons here. A dog can be frustrated when he sees another dog who is not on the leash. But your dog is on the leash. He wants to be free as well. There are countless examples because your dog can be frustrated. This is an interesting reason. Jumping on you will literally means ‘’let me go’’ or ‘’I need something’’. 

Anxiety

It is possible that your pet is anxious. He or she will jump on you in order to tell you that and to get some protection. A fun example would be a dog who does this when puppies are nearby. He is scared of puppies or he just feels anxious around them. This is one of the countless examples. Your dog can be anxious when other dogs are around, people can hear a loud noise, and countless other triggers. You can tell that this reason is present if he looks you in the eyes while jumping and barking!

You Reward Him When He Jumps On You

Many dog owners believe that this behavior is appealing and even fun. As such, they will encourage their dogs to do it. Some will do it deliberately while others will make a mistake and try to stop it without realizing that they are promoting it.

When a dog jumps on you and you start petting him or scratching him, you are promoting the behavior. In the mind of your pet, it means that you kike that and he should do it more frequently. This applies to all actions your pet does and it is one of the main parts of the training. 

Don’t forget that if you don’t have courage or approve of some behavior of your dog, he will stop doing it, eventually. He will not get a reward hence there is no need for him to do that. In some cases, you may need a lot of time to make this work! 

 3 Things You Should Do About This

Luckily there are 3 simple things you can do about this and all of these work well. In general, your mission is to help your pet understand that this is not acceptable and he should stop doing it. 

• Ignore Him

The simplest and very effective method is to simply ignore your dog. He will realize that he shouldn’t do this and he should stop as soon as possible. After all, he won’t get a reward so he doesn’t have a need to do it. 

• Increase Exercising

The best thing is to increase the exercise of your pet. More exercises will have a huge, positive effect on your pet (mentally and physically). He will use more energy and he will be more relaxed. All of this means that he will not jump on you. 

• Redirect His Focus 

You can try to redirect his focus when he starts jumping on you. Issue a command ‘’sit’’ or something similar. You can give him a toy or something else. 

The Final Word 

We hope you got the answer. Why does my dog jump on me while walking? There are 7 causes for this and each one is important to understand first and deal with it later. This is not a behavior you will like and appreciate so you may want to stop it right now. Yes, you can do it relatively easily and in no time.