I recently asked a friend if she minded if I hit her dog on the nose when he jumped on me. She looked surprised and said OK, but he won’t know what you mean. So I did it while saying NO! and he was fine after that. With me.
In my experience, people don’t take as much time and effort to control small dogs because they’re small.
I was thinking about something similar just recently. Dogs absolutely thrive on social order. They love being part of the pack!
However, when owners spoil a dog, the dog thinks that it is the alpha dog. It then tries to command the packs, and acts erratically when they don’t get their way. They see social chaos and are stressed!
When an owner treats the dog firmly, but gently, the dog will reward him with absolute loyalty and devotion. (See Hachikō)
Since you’re looking for advice, moved to our advice forum, IMHO (from MPSIMS).
Dominance is an abused term in dog training. It has nothing to do with dogs jumping on people.
Dogs jump up on people to start with, as an instinctive puppy behavior (they jump and paw at the mouths of adult pack members to trigger their instinctive food-regurgitation-for-puppies behavior). Then it continues – if it continues – partly because dogs retain some puppylike behaviors that wolves mature out of. Makes them easier to be around.
And – this is important – it is unusually difficult to be untrain this behavior. It requires consistency, attention, skill, and timing, during the training period. The owner may become inured to it especially if the dog is small or they never wear panty hose. Even if you have managed to break your dog of jumping on you, dog-friendly strangers are very prone to invite the dog to jump on them no matter what you tell them to do. There are plenty of dogs who have learned to only jump on strangers.
My guess is your friend, like the majority of dog owners, lacks the chops to stop this fully entrenched behavior in her dogs, even if she thought it was as important as you do. Frankly, dog owners and their dogs are a lot like parents and their children, in that helpful advice is usually taken badly.
If it was me, I would take a couple leashes and tie the dogs to a doorknob or other immovable object a safe distance from my seat, while wrinkling my nose apologetically and saying, “this will keep them from distracting us . . . they’re so cute!”
If they bark hysterically at this treatment (possible), then say, “you know, maybe I can take you out for coffee, okay?”
I used to have a love me love my dog attitude towards my guests, but now I put the pack in the back bedroom and if people want to meet my dogs (they have to ask), it is one at a time, on leash, before the dog goes back to the bedroom. I’m maturing.
I have a friend whose great danes are incredibly friendly but really excitable and he doesn’t have a good handle on them. When strangers come around their first intention is to meet the people at the door and jump up on them.
I solve this problem for me by bringing around a couple of treats - usually Shmacko marrowbone bits - and when I saw the front of the body go down in preparation for the jump I’d grunt in a low voice, put my hand out to push them away in case they didn’t stop, then make them sit and give them the treat and a lot of attention.
After I’d been around about 3-4 times, as soon as they saw/smelled that it was me their backsides would be on the ground before the door was opened.
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Okay, people of average size are going to have trouble kneeing Lhasa Apsos in the chest, so that’s a no-go.
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Quite right. You can get more distance on a drop-punt, too.
When they stand on their hind legs to claw painfully at my thighs, their chest lines up with my knee perfectly. YMMV.
All very valid (and IMHO, correct) thoughts on dog behavior.
You have to be in control of the animal, any behavior that is not wanted, or you (and others) do not desire or approve of, needs to be controlled.
Dogs (especially) thrive on this, and a well behaved (read, controlled) dog is a joy to be around.
For everyone involved. (That includes the dog.)
I speak from experience, not just from watching ‘The Dog Whisperer’. 
(It is an excellent program, though.)
If they’re jumping high enough to tear blouses, you should be able to nail them without stooping.
Thanks, Twixter, and everyone else. You’ve already given me a wealth of advice to mull over. I haven’t decided quite how I’ll handle this, but each of you will have helped me come to a solution. Thanks all.
I think this thread can be closed now.
I’m glad you are getting some good advice here. I agree that her dogs are too small to knee. Do you know how to train dogs yourself?
Well behaved dogs are a pleasure. Poorly behaved dogs are a burden. Would she be interested in a training class? Usually the large pet stores have inexpensive group classes. I think they run about a hundred dollars, maybe a little more, and last about 6 weeks. The knowledge she would gain will last a lifetime, so it is a good investment. Perhaps you could check your local stores and recommend one to her.
My neighbor has/had two badly behaved labs. They practically knocked me over jumping and sniffing me. Very rude.
I just started taking training treats over when I went and taught them and her a few basic training techniques. It helps that the dogs are smart and learn quickly. I taught them to sit and shake, which kept their paws off of me and their snouts out of my crotch. Now when I visit, they sit.
Please don’t link Hachiko without a tear-inducing warning.
A dog who jumps up is trying to reach the human’s chin to lick it, and therefore show submissiveness, not dominance. I just looked up how big this breed is and all you have to do is stick a foot out, not kick it or anything.
For bigger dogs, if they jump, lean over slightly and put your forearm out, so they have something to hang their paws on. Then let them lick you or not, and they go down. This has worked for me numerous times, with breeds from German Shepherds to Greyhounds. Those two times, the owners said *He/she never did that before!" Works with Pit Bulls too, when you are sitting (the breed isn’t actually that large).
She is usually very good with animals. Even her cats were better trained than these dogs. She does remind me of a doting parent who thinks her children running amok are cute, and that everyone loves them the way they are.
I’m going to have the talk with her about keeping them in a room when I visit, pointing out that I’m trying to protect my clothes. People who pointed out that I shouldn’t have said that it was ok, that the clothes they tore were old, were right.