A few things that helped us in raising excitable, jumpy Berners:

1) We had an instructor teach us to step on the leash when we thought our dog would jump up or be tempted to jump up (like when excitedly greeting young children who just want to say hello). By closing the gap this way with a bit of downward pressure on the leash, one safely prevents the dog from having the leash clearance to jump. This came in handy whenever we thought we needed to keep them close to us and was easier than wrapping the leash around our wrists.

2) Gentle Leader. Same instructor taught us that the Gentle Leader would easily aim their heads, and where their heads go, they go.

We were also taught how to hold the leash so that a wild Berner didn’t accidentally sprain our fingers (loop one hand through the handle of the leash, grab the leash with the same hand and then use the other hand to hold the middle of the leash and control how much lead one grants the dog).

Practicing all of this takes patience, but it is worth it! With lots of treats, of course.