I am having a bit of an issue with Raven that I am unsure how best to handle for all involved. First I'd like to quote Sophie (Giselle) from another thread, I didn't post there because otherwise it does not have to do with Cesar/The Dog Whisperer:
This is what Raven does, and only with people she sees regularly as she's more reserved around strangers. When my parents sit down she will run up, tail wagging, ears back, put her face in their face seeking to lick their lips/face. Needless to say, it's intrusive and for them unwelcome. It usually ends up with her being pushed away while saying get down/off. The thing is this seems to just heighten the intensity of her desire to get up in their face and lick.There are common arguments that claim something as mundane as a jumping puppy will turn into a dominant adult. So, then, how does one explain a jumping puppy's lip licking, whining, held back ears, etc.? If one has ever seen a band of puppies approach an older dog, the puppies will perform these behaviors while simultaneously *licking the other dog's lips*. As chance would have it, HUMAN lips are taller than the average puppy. Ergo, the puppy must jump to reach. It's not dominance. It's perfectly normal dog behavior.
Now I believe I understand her behavior, why she becomes more desperate when she is being pushed away and such. I have asked that they simply ignore her and turn their body away when she does it, and then immediately turn back and give her attention when she backs off. It seems a simple and fast solution to get the message to her but it's not so easy to get people to do this. I feel a sense of irritation from them and that I should step in and discipline her for the behavior. The thing is I don't believe discipline is the answer for this. She is not being dominating. She is treating them like elder pack members and greeting actually with submission. So what is my best course here if people won't do the ignore 'bad'/praise good method?
My only thought is to step in and redirect her when it happens or is about to happen, but I wonder how much I can actually truly eliminate the behavior from occurring to begin with. Is it possible to do this if the person the behavior is being done with won't participate in the training process?
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