I don't think your training is asking folks to conform to dog standards. I fail to see how that likeness can be drawn, but that's just my opinion
Several suggestions immediately come to mind:
1) Provide an alternative behavior. Sit works. But it's boring and tends to build up frustration. Hand targets work. Retrieving a toy works. Presenting a paw works.
2) Teach self-control. The "turn-around-until-calm" method works relatively well, but I find the "don't-step-into-the-house-until-dog-is-calm" works infinitely better. You also won't be subjecting your guests to pawing and jumping and licking. You'll just need them to be patient for a couple minutes and stand outside until the dog is calm.
3) Premack it <--- my personal favorite. There are healthy desires and unhealthy fixations. If Raven gets so worked up over close family members that she can't inhibit herself, you might consider training her so that the trigger is LESS valuable. It doesn't mean that she'll learn to dislike them; it just means the value of their company will decrease to a point that she can control herself in their presence. Basically, Premack says you can increase the likelihood of a low probability behavior by rewarding it with a high probability behavior. So, take Raven. High probability= Raven will jump and act rambunctious towards your parents. Low probability= She will be calm and stay near you. Essentially, this is how it would go:
- Parents come in the door. Raven jumps on them.
- You call Raven. She doesn't come but she gives you an ear or head tilt. As long as she acknowledges your existence, you click/treat. She comes to you to retrieve the treat.
- Release her to greet your parents again. Maybe she jumps again. That doesn't matter right now.
- You call Raven again. She comes more readily this time.
- Release her to greet your parents.
- Recall. She comes without fail now.
- Release.
If you repeat this enough, Raven chooses to stay by you. She will reach a point where she refuses to go away from you when you release her. And if you're regular about this, the value of your parents will decrease and the value of staying by you/recall will increase. This is often dubbed "come-and-go" training, but it has its basis in Premack's principle.
Good LuckIt does require minimal parental/familial participation, but they won't actually need to do anything other than stand there.
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