Jumping on friends

Question
Hi Angela,
I have a 2 year old 80 lbs male boxer that just loves to jump on friends and visitors.  He will not jump on anyone in our family but if it's someone he doesn't know, it's a sure thing that he is going to jump.  I am afraid that he is going to hurt someone or knock them down.  I have tried a number of things from having them ignore him and turning away to holding on to his paws until he gets tired.
If you have any ideas or suggestions I would certainly look forward to reading them.
Thanks.

Answer
Hi John,

Thanks so much for your question. What you are describing to me is a typical boxer hug they do when they meet strangers if not taught at an early age to stop this and we all love this hugging when they are small puppies but forget how big they'll get. This hug is their way of getting a closer smell of the new stranger, to seek approval, attention or not approving the stranger.Dogs hear first then smell then see an object. Dogs see on a vertical line so they seek an advantage point. I certainly understand your concern about possibly hurting someone. May I suggest that for a minimum of six weeks to try one of the following methods. But the rule should be no talking to the dog when entering the house, no eye contact, no touching and have the visitors to come in and keep walking to a sitting area.If they stop then that will give the dog an opportunity to hug them. Ignoring is a key element to breaking this habit as the dog is not only checking them out but also seeking their attention. Next try this: Have the dog sit on command before you answer the door, treat him for doing so, when he is in a calm state then and only then open the door for visitors and have your visitors follow the rules above.Boxers have to have a good reason to obey commands and this treat will do that for him. The treats are only through the training phase. Now the next little tip is gonna sound ridiculous but it works if practiced even,if the boxer comes up to them while sitting or standing, have your quests lick their lips and turn their head away from the dog, in the canine world this is a signal to move out of my space and is a non challenging gesture. Just try doing it to your boxer while sitting around watching TV if he approaches you. Second thing I'd try is to have him on leash when visitors arrive and control him, by that I mean don't let him hug them, as soon as you think or feel him move on the leash correct him with a firm NO and pull slightly to either the right or left side with the leash as this will off balance him so he can't jump up to hug them, he can smell them but not up close, same rules apply above. This task is more challenging to both dog and humans but after six - eight weeks of not allowing the unwanted behavior it will usually cease. Be consistent and have everyone in the household follow the same rules so the dog doesn't get confused. Everyone practice giving the dog attention when they want not when the dog wants it, if he comes into their space uninvited have them do the lip lick and head turning technique. I hope these techniques will help you change your boxer's unwanted behavior.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com