How to Get My Dog to Stop Pawing at Me

Most of us know a dog that demands attention.

If it’s not our own dog demanding attention it’s a friend’s dog or a daughter’s dog or a neighbor’s dog, right?

Dogs demand attention in all sorts of ways such as whining, barking, pawing at us, jumping on us, even biting.

So I’m sharing my ideas on how to stop this behavior.

As always, I’d love for this to be a collaboration of your ideas as well, so please share your suggestions in the comments. These kinds of topics are so helpful for new dog owners.

How to stop your dog from annoying you

If your dog constantly tries to paw at you for attention (or whine, jump on you, mouth you, etc.), ask yourself this:

Do I truly want my dog to stop this behavior?

Or do I like that he paws and jumps on me because I view it as affection?

The reason I want you to ask yourself these questions is because some people say they want to stop their dog’s jumping or pawing but they truly don’t want the dog to stop.

There’s nothing wrong with this (I guess?) as long as the dog is not harming anyone.

It’s not how I would want my dog to act because I view it as pushy and demanding, but I realize some people don’t mind.

Yes, I want my dog to respect me. (Someone call the Dominance Police!)

My dog is a big klutz and I can’t have him pushing me around.

OK, moving on …

How to stop a dog from pawing at you or jumping on you for attention

IGNORE.

Truly ignore him.

Like, don’t touch him. Don’t laugh at him. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t grab his collar to keep him off you. Don’t talk to him.

Yes, Cesar Millan’s “no touch, no talk, no eye contact” works.

If you’re trying to work on something and your dog is whining, just don’t acknowledge him at all.

Other tips:

• Turn your back to him.
• Calmly get up and walk away.
• Pretend to focus on something else.

You’ll notice these are actually tactics dogs use with one another. Puppies leave my dog Ace alone because he doesn’t engage with them.

What if ignoring your dog doesn’t seem to be working?

I know some dogs won’t be ignored.

They’ll start jumping frantically on you or mouthing you. Some will even growl!

You can try a few things:

1. The battle of willpower. Just keep on ignoring him.

2. Quietly get up and leave the room, perhaps closing the door behind you (assuming he won’t scratch the door or destroy things)

3. Calmly move your dog to another room or to his crate. The key is to do this in a zombie-like, non-emotional way. So, it’s not a punishment and it’s not attention either. Hard to do!

More tips:

4. Have some chew toys set aside so you can bring them out for your dog in these scenarios.

Things like a Kong toy, other puzzle toys, a bully stick, etc.

Don’t worry you’re “rewarding” your dog for bad behavior by bringing out these toys. Instead, you can ask him to sit or lie down first and give the toy for that behavior.

5. If all else fails, I like recommending the Pet Corrector. It shoots a harmless blast of air at the dog. You’d want to deliver a quick, precise “correction” with it. 

Another option is to use a squirt bottle with water to correct your dog, however many will make a game out of this.

6. Finally, it helps to keep some dogs on a leash in the house much of the time while they’re still learning manners.

That way you have more control. You can put the dog in a down position and step on the leash if needed or tether the leash to yourself or nearby.

7. And one more thing because I have to say this in every post … EXERCISE. Get out for walks, run, go to the dog park, buy a dog backpack, etc.

So those are my tips.

What would you add to the list?

Let me know!

– Lindsay

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