This seems to be one of the most asked questions so I thought I would try and touch on this a little more today. Lets first understand why they jump up on people? I think there is multiple answers for this but in general it has to do with the instinctive desire to greet pack leaders by jumping on them to get food and to play.

The problem is when these dogs are cute little puppies, this behavior is usually incouraged as the owner picks up the pup and gives it all the love and attention it was looking for. We dont stop and think about the adult version of this dog and the problems that will arise if we dont start the training now. We have to remember that the dogs dont speak english, the speak dog. We need to understand how to speak dog. If we know that the dog is excited and looking for attention than what can you do to help correct it. Is yelling and scolding the dog do the trick? No, the dog just got your attention.

I suggest that you turn and walk away, completely ignoring the dog. You will be surprised how fast they get the hint. Especially with the puppies. The older dogs may be a little more of a challenge but if you stick with it and can get your guests to do the same, you will get the results you want.
If you can, get some neighbors and/or family to come over and do some practicing. You can excelerate the learning with multiple repititions. Remember to praise like crazy when your dog gets it right.

This is a question I have to ask my self as well. Maybe it just has to do with human nature. We all want the quick fix…instant gradification. Its not easy to work hard for those long term goals. But arent those the things that mean the most? Arent those the things that make us into who we are?
I think that if we could all be a little more dedicated to dog obedience training, we would look back and think that it was sooo worth it. The rewards so outweigh the sacrifice.
I think the main obstacle for people is just that they dont have the tools to know what they should be doing. Hopefully I have helped there. So now there are no excuses. This is a member of your family and could be for the next 10 to 15 yrs or longer. All you need is a few 5-15min sessions at first. Who cant come up with that amount of time? If you cant than you should not have gotten a dog. If the time crunch is a recent thing than you just need to do the best you can and may need to consider finding the puppy a new home.
My point is that it really isnt that big of a time requirement, it just might take some planning on your part to make sure the time is scheduled in the day. The great thing about training is you can incorporate it in other things you are doing that day. If you have to take something to the neighbors be sure to take your puppy and do some leash training and socializing with the neighbor. If you are watching a show you can practice some sit stay and down stay while you watch your show. The main point of training is helping your dog know how to live in your environment so what better way than to do the training while you go throughout your normal day.
Of course it will not be as easy or convenient as it was to do it yourself but again IT WILL BE WORTH IT. Lets all commit to put in the time and do better for our dogs and ourselves.

I was visiting my parents yesterday and saw my dad with a little Shi-Tzu on his lap. He had his hand on the dogs chest, ( I say chest but his hand was basically covering the entire dog) and it struck me how dogs can affect us so much. I could tell how relaxed they both were and knew that it has something to do with the relationship between man and dog. I have always been drawn to dogs, I watched every show or movie and even read books (that was a big deal for me) as a child if they had to do with dogs. I loved the way the stories made me feel, I loved the bonds that were formed between boy and dog and of course wanted the same thing for myself. Luckily I grew up with a mom who shared my love for animals. (My dad loves animals too, he’ll just never admit it. He likes too complain too much to admit he likes anything. )
I had some great experiences with dogs throughout my childhood but never felt it quite matched those stories I read or movies I watched. I later realized one of the things I was lacking was the dog training. How come my dogs never communicated to me of some disaster (”Timmy fell into the well”)? How come they didnt go fetch me my slippers and paper like the dogs in the movies. I had no real understanding of the training those dogs went through. Having a well trained dog makes all the difference. Sometimes it seems too daunting a task but with the right tools it really can be relatively easy and extremely rewarding.
Whatever it is that connects us to our K9 friends, some good dog obedience training will make that connection stronger than you thought possible. Make it a priority to train you dog. Do the homework, if you dont use my program make sure you find good one and stick with it. You will never regret missing that episode of Lost or Oprah when you see the results in your new best friend.