----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > ? from New "mommy"?? My 41/2 month female is 35lbs What is the best way to > stop her from jumping on people. I dont want to be cruel, but I can be > consistent. I have conflicting advice on leash/collar types choke like vs > the non-muzzle leader leash
You don't stop jumping with punishment. You stop jumping by giving the dog another behavior for which it is rewarded. I knew my Newfie, Nessie, would grow large (mama is 138, dad 170--now at 3 yrs old, Nessie is a lean and active 140 lbs). I taught her to SIT when she came up to someone to be petted. And I taught her to DOWN when she approached or was approached by children (this is so engrained that if we are walking and someone's toddler comes shooting over to the "pony" she throws herself on the ground and starts scooting towards the child on her belly). My other dogs (Micawber the Berner boy, Cassie and Lliira the Pyr girls) also know "four on the floor" means they will receive a lot of attention, and jumping means they get none. So, what you do is work on her SIT command in a low distraction environment. In order to really get it proofed, have her SIT before all good things--she wants to go out and play? She has to sit nicely at the door. She wants a cookie? Sit. She wants a walk? Sit. She wants dinner? Sit. She wants petting or to greet someone? Sit. To teach the SIT, take a treat and a hungry puppy on a leash with a plain buckle collar. Take the treat, put it in front of that little nose (keeping your hand closed around it so she can't grab). Draw your hand up and back over the top of her head towards her tail; the nose should follow the good smell (hot dog, cheese cubes, liver treats--something really yummy). As the nose goes up, the butt goes down and she finds herself sitting. As the fanny hits the floor, reward mark. I would click the clicker at this moment, but you can give a fast 'good girl.' Repeat a few times, til she starts to really zip into place, then you add in the word sit and phase out the lure. Still reward the sit, though. Once she is sitting in a variety of settings and with distractions, put the reward on a variable schedule and you can mostly phase it out as well. Now have her SIT whenever she is greeting people (you included). She learns to run up and plant the fanny, and no one gets knocked flat. She is highly rewarded for the polite greeting with praise, and you have replaced the undesirable behavior with one you want. Eileen Morgan The Mare's Nest http://www.enter.net/~edlehman --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.426 / Virus Database: 239 - Release Date: 12/2/2002
