My dogs used to jump on us also. They got to be so big that it was hurting us. We filled a spray bottle with lemon juice and vinegar or water. If you can find one with a single straight spray rather than a mist, it's much better. You can then reach the dog at a farther distance. When the dog acts like it is going to jump, spray it, trying to aim for it's mouth. They hate the taste and it doesn't take many times to break them of this habit. We give the bottle to visitors when they come because the dogs try to test them as well. This also works for other problems, such as barking, etc.
Unfortunately the only thing I've ever found that works (at least for my stubborn brats) is to knee them in the chest when they rear up - hard enough to make them stop but not hard enough to hurt them.
I saw on Oprah a while back how they trained her dogs from jumping. She would turn her back on them as soon as they began jumping and when they would stop, she would turn around and then greet them. They say the dogs are jumping for your attention so by turning around you deny it and the dogs learn that the behaviour doesn't get rewarded with any kind of attention (good OR bad!)
A dog trainer once told me that when a dog starts to rear up, raise your leg and put your knee into the dog's chest (not hard, but kind of pushing) and say "No! Down!" Worked for us.
I'm sure somebody is going to yap at me for saying this but I've been told that a good way to stop this is to step forward and step (with enough pressure but not to much) on the dogs toes while saying NO forcefully. Then when the dog drops down you bend down and give a pat or hug and praise. It also helps to alert everybody who has contact with the dog about this no-no so they won't allow it thus confusing the dog.
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