I have an adopted mixed breed, 8 months old, who insists on jumping on my wife when she hasn't seen her for a while. We've followed the directions in your book, but the pup is very persistent. Meanwhile, my wife's clothes are getting ragged, and she has to resort to shoving the dog off while "snubbing" her and saying "no" or "off." But the behavior continues. One can only "ignore the behavior" for so long before it gets intolerable. The dog doesn't jump on me except during play time, and respects my daughter's snubbing and commands "off" and "sit" pretty well. We tend to allow the dog to come up, front paws on our laps, when we are sitting and she is calm and can be petted. Should we cease this practice altogether, in other words, off is off, no matter what the situation? Would a squirt gun be advisable?
It is good to hear from you. Sorry to hear about the unresolved jumping issue. How is your dog settling in otherwise? We hope training is going well.
With regard to the jumping issue, you should try and work out what you and your daughter do differently from your wife in terms of interactions with your dog. Once you work this out it may be easier to correct the issue. In addition to this, it would be help if your wife participated in obedience training sessions, to gain better control over the pooch. A squirt gun will definitely be helpful.
As for the 'should we allow her up if she is calm' dilemma, it isn't easily answered. There is no guaranteeing that stopping it will stop her from jumping all together.
All the best with training! Please do write back if the issue doesn't resolve with the above suggestions.
