It's so embarrassing... Your friend stops by for a visit and, before you know it, your dog has jumped up on him to say hello. This type of behavior isn't just annoying - sometimes it can be scary too. Especially if your dog is large, or your guest is afraid of dogs.

As a responsible dog owner, it's your job to teach your dog not to jump on people. Luckily it's not hard to do, because getting muddy paw prints on your nice clothes - or scratches from their sharp nails - isn't fun. And while some dogs are just jumping up because they're happy to see you... others are actually using it to show you who's the boss.

Most dogs jump because they are excited. They's just plain happy to see you - or you've gotten them worked up about something so their adrenaline is pumping. Maybe you just got home from a day at work - or someone has come over to visit.

There is also a less common, but more serious reason dogs will jump on you.

As you know, dogs are pack animals. They live in groups, or packs, and each dog has a ranking. The highest ranked dog is the leader, or the alpha dog. You will know who this is because he will always eat first - go through doors first - and he will also put on or both of his paws over the shoulders of the other dogs... just to remind them that he's the boss. Some dogs think they are ranked higher than their owners. If your dog think's he's the alpha dog over you, he will often demonstrate this by jumping up on you.

You see, your dog sees you as part of his pack too. So if you notice he's not just jumping up on you in excitement, but at other times too, it's more likely he's expressing dominance over you.

If you find that this is happening, you need to realize that you're dealing with more than a simple jumping issue. Your dog thinks he's your pack leader. It's time to brush up on your alpha-dog techniques. Better yet, get some outside help. Since this is a more complex issue, you are going to need to make some serious adjustments to your overall relationship with your dog.

Fortunately, most "jumpers" are just doing it because they are excited. It's not hard to stop this type of jumping. The most important thing is to be consistent. You can't let your dog jump on you when you're playing, and then get mad when he jumps on you as you walk in the door. To stop jumping, you need to teach him that it's never okay to jump up on you.

Here is a 2-step technique that most trainers use to stop dogs from jumping.

The first step is very simple. You just ignore him whenever he jumps up on you. This means you withdraw all attention - even negative attention - so no yelling, shoving, or corrections whatsoever. The idea is to give him the cold shoulder.

How do you do this? Whenever he jumps on you, immediately turn your back to him. Your posture should tell him that this behavior just is not acceptable. Fold your arms, turn your back to him and turn your face away. Avert your eyes. Since dogs use body language to communicate with each other, he will know exactly what you are saying.

This isn't a matter of ignoring the jumping. You need to completely ignore your dog. Don't look at him, yell at him, or acknowledge him in any way. Trust me, without the encouragement of your attention, he will calm down very quickly.

The next step is very important. Even though you are "ignoring" your dog, you will need to pay close attention to what he is doing. This step is a matter of timing.

The minute all four paws are on the ground and he is calm, then - and only then - you are going to praise the heck out of him! You need to act with enthusiasm the moment he is acting appropriately. Even though he was jumping up on you just a second ago, he will associate your praise with when he was NOT jumping.

This technique is simple, but it works. Give it a try today. You'll be surprised at how quickly your dog learns. All he wants is your love and attention. By making sure he doesn't get it when he's jumping, he'll soon become the well-behaved pooch you've always wanted.