So I love attention from Bella obviously...but how would be best to teach her not to get so excited about strangers, with jumping up and licking faces... It's cute now at 15 pounds...but full grown it's obviously not going to be so cute... I'm thinking clicker is a good start...but how to reinforce it if I don't have a clicker on hand?? Thanks!
Re: Excited Puppy jumps and licks Hi Heidi, You can find a number of articles on behaviour on the main site. Here's a link See how you get on with those - let us know
Re: Excited Puppy jumps and licks You don't need a clicker - you can use any word or noise instead of a clicker You just need a sound (an 'event marker') that you can associate with food, and you charge up this sound exactly as you would a clicker. The best sounds are short - like a one syllable word, such as 'yes' or 'good'. You can use your event marker at exactly the moment your pup does what you want, like at exactly the moment she puts her bottom or her front paws on the ground. Then pay her with a treat. The timing of the event marker is what does the teaching (and then the treat provides the motivation to do it again). I do often use a clicker, as they are so consistent, clear and precise (which means it is easy for the dog to know when he's done 'the right thing'), but I don't always have I on me and so I also use the word 'yes' as an event marker.
