Where do you go.....

I know what it's like to have a dog that will "crawl" up on you. Our Dal was like that when he was younger. He eventually quit doing it to us, but being a Dal, never made the connection that he shouldn't jump on anyone else. Add in the fact that my mother-in-law was one of our most frequent guests, and she encouraged him because he was a pup from one of her litters - well, you can imagine.

I think the one thing that worked was putting him in another room when we had guests. Once he had calmed down a bit and the excitement was over, we could let him out. He would still be excited, but a bit more controllable. Keeping his leash on always helped, too. That leash would usually flip a switch somewhere in his spotted brain that slowed him down - slightly [:@]. (We used to joke that each and every spot was an "idiot button" that would turn him into a lunatic when touched)

I'm not sure how you could transfer this to an outdoor situation. Maybe line up some willing volunteers, then keep him in a sit or down as close to the other person as he will tolerate. The volunteers can then move closer to him. If he gets excited, they can move away. Once he stays calm and in control of himself THEN they can give him attention. If he tries to crawl all over them, then they back off and start over. The biggest problem with this is all the people who see a happy puppy and just can't resist saying hello (I'm guilty!) I can imagine it will take forever, but maybe he will eventually learn that he will only get attention if all four feet are on the ground. I think training visitors will be as hard as training the dog!

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

ORIGINAL: snownose

Xerxes, what you have proposed is +R, and as the OP indicated did NOT work.

You did throw out some good ideas though[]

In my earlier post I mentioned to watch the dog closely and intervene before the unwanted behavior was about to take place, but if it has, stepping on the leash, or a leash op could work.

 I'm not sure, given your statement, that you have a complete understanding of operant conditioning training methods, but if you want to learn, you may want to read Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog", or Pat Miller's "The Power of Positive Dog Training".  Pat's book isn't as "dry" as Karen's, but both are excellent resources.  It pays to understand the concept fully before arguing for or against.

I thought she was talking about "management."

I can imagine it will take forever, but maybe he will eventually learn that he will only get attention if all four feet are on the ground. I think training visitors will be as hard as training the dog!

 
Agreed to both. And what you have said echoes what Anne has said, as well as many dog training sources, which, in a nutshell, is don't reward the excited state. Reward them for proper behavior when they are calm and obedient. And to always have patience, especially through the extinction burst, which I think is a means-end solution for the dog. "Let me try this one time harder." How's that for a tie-in from the ethology peer review thread? Since we don't often have visitors, my best option is to continue the obedience training and rely on it when we do get visitors. While I have supported the use of some aversives, I tend to think consistency provides long-term results. Dogs are creatures of habit and stability. If you always expect them to not jump and always deal with it immediately and consistently, with obedience commands and properly timed rewards, etc. it will go far.

OK I would respectfully like to point out, R+ is working.  The problem is the R+ chosen by the people involved is not strong enough to over come the established behavioral history.  This dog's "needs" are being met by the behavior.  The behavior is being positively reinforced by something in the environments because it is being maintained.
 
Some points for consideration. 
 
For really hard cases, data collection can be very helpful.  You get to see visually if behavior change is happening, that can help you stick with a program.  Video is one option for this.  It also give you the opportunity to examine the behavior without the difficulty of handling the dog at the same time.
 
You may need to establish replacement behaviors in an alternate setting.  Some dogs find physical activity very reinforcing, a jump straight up in the air, could be substituted for contact (as an example)  This allows you to set up a DRO or DRI option when greeting people.  The dog is systematically reinforced for a behavior that is not jumping or incompatable with jumping.
 
There is an Sd (a discrete stimulus) that is setting up the occassion for this dog to jump.  Some signal in the environment is starting a chain of behaviors.  Back to that video tape idea, watch it again and again and again.  Look for the precursers and interupt the chain.
 
Establish different environmental cues through management, it might be helpful to consider one of those no jump harnesses (for fence jumpers or some other hobbling option) for some training exercises.  Double handle the dog.  These management strategies may help interrupt the behavior chain.
 
So,,, remember R+ is at work, it is just not under the human's  control at this time.  Rethink what you are doing, examine what the dog is doing.  Reframe the training exercises.