Dogs jump up to greet faces, and they carry on doing it because it works. Someone looks down, speaks, pushes them off, laughs: all of it is attention, and attention is the payment.

That’s the whole mechanism, and it’s the reason the fix is simpler than it’s usually made to sound. Make four feet on the floor the thing that pays.

It isn’t about status

The earlier version of this article said a Frenchie jumping on guests is either “very enthusiastic or very dominant”, and went on to explain that owners should establish themselves as the alpha, partly by eating first, so the dog learns “their place”.

That’s not how any of this works. Veterinary behaviour guidance is explicit: most unwanted behaviours in pets aren’t about priority access to resources at all, they’re the result of the behaviour being accidentally rewarded (AVSAB). A dog jumping at the door is pleased to see you, not staging a coup.

Eating before your dog changes nothing except the order of two meals.

What’s been removed, and why

This article used to recommend five methods. Four of them were physical:

  • Stepping into the dog to knock it off balance, described as “not a pleasant experience for the dog”, which was the point.
  • Grabbing both front legs and walking forward so the dog is forced backwards.
  • A leash correction, with the dog “corrected by your voice but also by a pull on the leash”.
  • The knee method, raising a knee into the dog’s chest. The article acknowledged this could hit the stomach or throat and cause injury, and recommended it anyway with a warning to be careful.

None of them are here now. The veterinary behaviour position is that training should be reward-based, and methods that rely on fear, pain or startle should not be used (AVSAB).

There’s also a breed-specific reason. A knee into the chest of a dog with a compressed airway, prominent eyes and a spine prone to malformed vertebrae is a genuinely poor idea, and a dog hauled up by both front legs is taking its whole weight through two shoulder joints.

The fifth method, turning your back, is sound and is below.

What actually works

Manage the arrival

Most jumping happens in the first thirty seconds of a greeting, so make those thirty seconds boring.

Come in calmly, put your things down, and don’t greet the dog while they’re bouncing. Wait. The moment all four feet are on the floor, crouch to their level and say hello properly. Crouching matters: it removes the reason to jump, because your face is already reachable.

If your dog is beside themselves every single time you come home, and the calm arrival makes no difference over a few weeks, look at whether this is distress rather than excitement. Pacing, destruction, accidents or vocalising when alone point to separation anxiety, which is a different problem (VCA Animal Hospitals).

Pay the floor

The rule your dog needs is “feet down pays”. So:

  • Reward calm approaches before the jump happens, not after you’ve fixed one.
  • When they do jump, turn away and take your attention with you. Say nothing. Pushing them off is still contact, and telling them off is still conversation.
  • The instant the feet land, turn back and pay.

Expect it to get worse before it gets better. A behaviour that used to work always escalates before it fades, and giving in at the loudest moment teaches your dog to go straight there next time.

Teach sit as the greeting

A dog can’t sit and jump at once. Teach sit somewhere calm first, then ask for it as people approach, and pay generously for holding it. Our training guide covers building the cue.

Scatter a few treats on the floor as someone comes in if you need a head start: a dog with their nose down isn’t a dog in the air.

Get everyone doing the same thing

This is where most households come unstuck. One person who lets the dog jump keeps the behaviour alive for everyone, because intermittent payment makes a habit harder to shift, not easier.

Brief visitors before they come in: stand still, no eye contact, no hands until the dog has four feet down. Keep the dog behind a gate or on a lead for the first minute if visitors can’t be trusted to follow the plan.

Start as you mean to go on

A puppy jumping up is charming, and a puppy is 5 pounds. An adult is up to 28 (weight guide), which is plenty to hurt a toddler or knock over someone unsteady on their feet. Changing the rule later is harder on the dog than never having allowed it.

Take the edge off first

A Frenchie who has slept all day and has nothing to do jumps more. Short walks in the cool part of the day, sniffing games, a stuffed KONG and a couple of five-minute training sessions do a great deal. Our guide to playing with your French Bulldog covers the options, and our hyperactivity guide covers the sleep most owners underestimate.

Don’t overdo the exercise to tire them out, though: this is a flat-faced breed that overheats quickly and tires fast (PDSA).

The short version

Jumping up is a greeting that got paid. Stop paying it, pay the alternative instead, crouch down so there’s nothing to jump for, and get everyone in the house doing the same. No knees, no leg-grabbing, no leash jerks: none of that is necessary, and on this breed in particular it risks doing real harm.