When Jake was younger, I'd taught him to "hug" ... brief stands with his paws on my chest. I'd tap my hands against my chest for the hand signal.
When he was about 10 months old, Jake started his barking/jumping/biting at me nonsense which I effectively countered by redirecting his attention, mostly with "sit". For the few weeks it took to completely work through the jumping etc, I refrained from asking for a "hug", not wanting him to jump on me at all. Since Jake has a digestive order and he must sit for about 10 minutes after eating, I began to use the phrase "Let's have a hug" to mean "Go sit at the stairs"; I sit beside him and pet him/scratch him/check his ears/tell him what a good boy he is and generally have a sit-down hug. There is no longer any fear of his mauling me and I would like him to start giving me proper hugs again. Since I now use the word "hug" in a different context, I need a new command word to have him stand up for a hug. It's been about 8 months since I've successfully asked for a "hug" from him and he no longer seems to understand the old hand signal alone or in combination with "hug"; he just sits there with a quizzical look on his face. Any ideas for another word I could use to get him nose-to-nose with me? "Up" is already used to get him to jump onto or into something (like the car). Many thanks! Maureen Barry Montreal, Quebec __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com
