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This exercise is very easy to teach when a puppy is small. It is then, when the puppy is cute and cuddly that the problems start. Jumping up is a natural behaviour. The pup wants to get nearer to your hands and face. If he is rewarded by jumping up he will do it again!
What the dog sees as a reward may vary but often just the act of pushing the puppy off, can be rewarding as the pup has received attention.
The best tactic is to ignore the pup when he jumps up (this is much easier to do when the pup is small and you do not need to brace your weight against an adult sized dog launching itself at you). You must not give the pup any eye contact or respond in any way. You may need to move your hands out of the way,out to the side or behind your back. Eventually the pup will get off (their young legs get tired very quickly). Once all four feet are on the ground you can reward the pup with fuss and/or a treat. If he gets excited and jumps up again simply repeat the exercise.
 Once the pup has got the idea that jumping up doesn't achieve anything, he will stop doing it. However, you will need to practice the exercise with other people. Coach some visitors and have them come to your door. When they enter, they must react to the pup in the same way - ignore the jumping up and reward the calm behaviour. You also need to practice with children, who are much nearer the ground and less likely to be able to ignore the dog. Once you are getting a reliable response with lots of different people, you have probably cracked it!
With an older dog you may need a helper to pull the dog off with a lead (short lead left dangling from the collar) so that you can brace yourself to ignore the bad behaviour. However, the same techniques work well with adult dogs and puppies alike - it is just harder to implement the bigger the dog gets!
Of course, there is nothing wrong with allowing your dog to jump up if you like it - but it must be on your terms (i.e. you should "invite" the jumping) and you must remain in control.
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