How Do I Stop My Dog Jumping Up and Chewing Things?

To stop your dog jumping up and chewing things, identify what triggers the behaviour, manage the environment and teach your dog more appropriate alternatives. Jumping may be driven by excitement, attention or frustration, while chewing is a normal behaviour that can become a problem when your dog chooses unsuitable objects. Consistent guidance, suitable activities and rewarding better choices can help your dog develop more appropriate habits.

The aim is not simply to stop unwanted behaviour. It is to teach your dog what to do instead. Your response should reflect your dog’s age, needs, environment and the circumstances in which the behaviour occurs.

Why Do Dogs Jump Up and Chew Things?

Jumping up and chewing are common behaviours, particularly in puppies and young dogs. However, they can continue into adulthood when the dog has not learned a suitable alternative or the behaviour repeatedly produces a rewarding result.

Before deciding how to respond, consider what is happening immediately before and after the behaviour.

Why Does My Dog Jump Up at People?

Dogs may jump up because they are excited, seeking attention, frustrated or trying to interact with someone. Puppies may also jump because they are still learning how to greet people appropriately.

Consider what happens when your dog jumps. If people talk to them, touch them, laugh or begin playing, the interaction may encourage the behaviour to continue, even when they intend to discourage it.

Instead of assuming your dog is being deliberately disobedient, look at the circumstances and teach a more appropriate greeting.

Why Does My Dog Chew Furniture and Household Objects?

Chewing is a normal behaviour. Dogs may chew to explore objects, relieve the discomfort associated with teething, occupy themselves or engage in an activity they find rewarding.

Problems can develop when unsuitable objects are readily available or when your dog has not learned which items they are allowed to chew.

Common targets include:

• Furniture legs and cushions.
• Shoes, clothing and bags.
• Children’s toys and household items.
• Door frames and other accessible surfaces.
• Electrical cables and objects that may contain harmful materials.

The appropriate response depends on the cause. Provide suitable alternatives, supervise where necessary and make it harder for your dog to practise chewing things that could cause damage or injury.

How Do I Stop My Dog Jumping Up at People?

The most effective starting point is to manage greetings and consistently encourage a behaviour that is more suitable than jumping.

1. Manage the Greeting

Before your dog becomes overexcited, consider how you can make the greeting easier to manage. You may need to use a lead, a suitable barrier or more distance from visitors.

Ask people to approach calmly and avoid encouraging your dog to jump by giving attention while they are doing it.

Management helps prevent repeated practice while you teach the behaviour you want.

2. Reward Four Paws on the Floor

When your dog approaches without jumping, reward the appropriate behaviour with attention, praise or a suitable food reward.

If your dog jumps, calmly reduce the attention or create space where it is safe to do so. Once your dog settles and returns to a more appropriate position, reward that response.

Everyone involved should aim to respond consistently. If one person rewards jumping while another discourages it, your dog may find the behaviour harder to change.

3. Teach an Alternative Greeting

Give your dog a clear alternative, such as standing calmly, sitting if appropriate or remaining on the floor while a person approaches.

Practise when your dog is relatively calm and the distraction is manageable. Gradually introduce more excitement as your dog becomes better at maintaining the alternative behaviour.

Do not expect a dog to perform reliably in an extremely exciting situation before they have practised successfully in easier ones.

4. Manage Excitement Before It Escalates

Some dogs jump more when they have difficulty managing excitement. If your dog becomes increasingly energetic as someone approaches, increase the distance, reduce the intensity of the greeting or pause the interaction.

Reward calm behaviour and give your dog time to settle before continuing.

The aim is to help your dog learn that calm, appropriate behaviour is an effective way to gain access to people and interaction.

How Do I Stop My Dog Chewing Things?

Preventing access to unsuitable objects is an important part of changing chewing behaviour. Dogs cannot learn to make better choices consistently if they are repeatedly left with unrestricted access to tempting or dangerous items.

1. Manage the Environment

Put shoes, clothing, children’s toys and other tempting objects out of reach. Use appropriate barriers or supervised areas where necessary, and check the environment for hazards.

Electrical cables, medicines, cleaning products, small objects and items that may splinter or cause an obstruction require particular care.

Management reduces the opportunities for unwanted chewing while you teach your dog what is appropriate.

2. Provide Suitable Chewing Alternatives

Offer suitable dog-safe chew items that match your dog’s size, age and chewing style. Supervise their use where necessary and remove items that become damaged or present a choking or injury risk.

If your dog repeatedly chooses furniture or other household objects, calmly redirect them towards an appropriate alternative when you can do so safely.

Reward your dog for choosing and using the suitable item. Over time, this helps establish a clearer distinction between objects they can chew and those they should leave alone.

3. Supervise and Redirect Early

Watch for patterns that indicate your dog is about to chew something unsuitable. If you notice your dog approaching furniture or picking up an inappropriate object, intervene calmly before the behaviour becomes established.

Guide them towards a suitable alternative and reward the better choice.

If your dog has already picked up something dangerous, avoid creating a frantic confrontation. Where safe, use a familiar exchange cue and an appropriate reward. Do not put your fingers into your dog’s mouth if there is a risk of being bitten.

If your dog swallows a potentially dangerous object or substance, contact a veterinary professional promptly rather than waiting for symptoms.

4. Consider Why the Chewing Is Happening

Chewing may become more frequent when a dog has limited suitable activity, is teething, is exploring its surroundings or struggles when left alone.

Consider whether your dog has access to appropriate exercise, enrichment, rest and opportunities to chew suitable items.

If destructive chewing happens mainly when your dog is left alone and is accompanied by distress, vocalising, pacing or attempts to escape, do not assume the problem is simply boredom. Separation-related distress may require a different approach and appropriate professional support.

How Do Household Boundaries Help?

Dogs benefit from clear, consistent expectations about how they can behave in the home. These expectations should be supported by the environment and by teaching suitable alternatives, rather than relying on repeated corrections after unwanted behaviour occurs.

For example, you can establish routines for greetings, restrict access to rooms when necessary, keep tempting objects out of reach and provide suitable places for rest and play.

These practical steps connect with Home Training and House Rules — Establishing Household Boundaries, which explores how consistent routines and managed access can support better everyday habits.

Household boundaries should help your dog understand what is expected and make appropriate choices easier to practise.

How Can Calmness and Self-Control Improve Behaviour?

Jumping and chewing can become more difficult to manage when a dog is highly excited or struggles to settle. Teaching suitable alternatives requires you to recognise when your dog can engage with you and when the situation needs to be made easier.

Encourage calm behaviour in manageable situations. Reward appropriate choices, introduce distractions gradually and give your dog opportunities to rest between activities.

Avoid expecting your dog to remain calm in a situation that is currently too stimulating. Reduce the difficulty and build up gradually as your dog becomes more successful.

The GPK9 course Behaviour, Calmness and Self-Control — Developing Calmness and Self-Control explores settling, managing excitement and developing more appropriate responses in everyday situations.

How Does Play Help With Jumping and Chewing?

Play can provide an appropriate outlet for interaction, movement and motivation. However, the way you play with your dog matters.

If play repeatedly involves grabbing clothing, jumping at people or becoming too excited to respond, adjust the activity and teach clearer boundaries.

Use suitable toys, keep sessions manageable and reward appropriate interaction. Pause or change the activity if your dog becomes too excited to engage appropriately.

Play should not always mean maximum excitement. Dogs also need opportunities to disengage, settle and recover.

Play, Toys and Motivation — Understanding Play and Motivation explores how toys and play can support engagement and structured training when used appropriately.

What If My Puppy Bites, Chews or Mouths People?

Puppies commonly explore their surroundings with their mouths. They may mouth hands and clothing during play, become more bitey when tired or excited, or struggle to control the intensity of their interactions.

Respond calmly and consistently. Redirect your puppy towards a suitable toy, pause play when necessary and provide opportunities for rest. Avoid encouraging rough interactions that make biting hands or clothing part of the game.

If your puppy repeatedly bites hard, becomes difficult to manage or the behaviour raises safety concerns, seek suitable professional guidance.

For more specific help, Puppy Biting, Chewing and Mouthing — Understanding Puppy Biting and Chewing explores puppy mouthing and chewing and how to manage these behaviours appropriately.

Although puppy biting and adult jumping may look different, both benefit from understanding the circumstances, managing the environment and teaching a suitable alternative.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Giving Attention to Jumping

Talking to, touching or playing with a dog while they jump may reinforce the behaviour. Make sure attention is given when your dog is behaving appropriately.

Expecting Your Dog to Know What Is Allowed

Dogs need to learn which objects are suitable for chewing and which behaviours are appropriate around people. Show them what to do instead.

Leaving Tempting Objects Within Reach

Repeated opportunities to chew household items make the behaviour harder to manage. Use supervision and environmental management while training develops.

Using Punishment Instead of Teaching an Alternative

Harsh reactions can create confusion, fear or further excitement. Focus on preventing the behaviour where possible and rewarding a more suitable response.

Allowing Inconsistent Rules

If jumping is encouraged in some situations but discouraged in others, your dog may struggle to understand the expectation. Aim for consistent responses across the household.

Expecting Immediate Results

Changing established habits takes practice. Adjust the difficulty, recognise small improvements and make sure your dog has enough opportunities to succeed.

A Simple Plan for Better Everyday Behaviour

Use this sequence to help manage jumping and chewing:

1. Observe: Identify when the behaviour happens and what may trigger it.
2. Manage: Prevent access to hazards and reduce opportunities to repeat unwanted behaviour.
3. Redirect: Guide your dog towards a suitable alternative when appropriate.
4. Reward: Reinforce the behaviour you want to see more often.
5. Progress: Practise in manageable situations before introducing greater distractions.
6. Reassess: If the behaviour continues, consider whether the environment, activity, training approach or underlying cause needs further attention.

Apply the same approach consistently, but adapt it to the behaviour. Jumping during greetings and chewing furniture may require different alternatives, even though both benefit from observation, management and reinforcement.

Final Thoughts

Stopping your dog jumping up and chewing things begins with understanding why the behaviour happens. Manage the environment, reduce opportunities for unwanted habits to develop and teach alternatives that your dog can practise successfully.

For jumping, focus on calm greetings and rewarding appropriate behaviour around people. For chewing, provide suitable alternatives, supervise where needed and keep dangerous or tempting objects out of reach.

Clear boundaries, suitable activities and consistent reinforcement help your dog learn what to do instead. If the behaviour is persistent, causes injury or appears linked to fear or distress, seek appropriate professional support.

If you need additional support, contact our online coach.