Your friends' dog jumps on you and your small children whenever you visit, scaring the kids. Is it OK to ask your friends to put their dog in another room when you visit?

Removing the dogs from the room will stop the jumping in the moment, but it’s unlikely to have an impact on the dog’s behavior or help your kids feel better around the dogs. It’s a Band-Aid, not a cure. A more proactive solution would be to teach the dogs and the kids.Suggest that your friends keep the dogs leashed when you visit and then reward the dogs for calm behavior. The dogs will learn that calm behaviors are rewarding and, thus, will offer those more in the future.Teach the children what to do if a dog jumps at them: freeze, cross their arms across their chest, keep quiet and stare at the ground. Ask the kids to toss treats to the dogs as rewards for calm behavior.By Aileen Stevenson, owner of The Perfect Puppy.