There are two reasons that we shouldn’t ask our dogs to off when they jump on us.

And the first reason—and the most important reason—is usually when dogs jump on us, they are soliciting attention. So if you look at your dog and you say off, you’ve now acknowledged his presence and started a conversation with him, giving him the attention he was seeking. So the next time he wants your attention, he knows exactly what to do.

And the other reason is—even if your off cue works and your dog disengages and gets down on all four—what he is learning is: it’s okay to jump on you until you cue off.

And that can be frustrating if, for the rest of your dog’s life, he jumps on you until you tell him to off.

So instead, here’s what I recommend: when your dog jumps on you, don’t look at him, don’t talk to him, and don’t touch him. Instead, maybe step forward slightly or rotate your hips so that he gets a little bit off balance and has to put four feet back on the floor.

The sooner we stop rewarding jumping, the sooner your dog is going to find another way to get your attention.