Dog jumping

Question
Hi There,
I have a 1 year old female english mastiff that within the past month has started to jump up on people in an excited and playful manner when outside.  She does not jump on me or my husband. Besides this new behavior she is a very calm and gentle dog. I have tried a "no" (this did not work because the no happens after the fact) and I have tried a water bottle.  I am worried that this may make her fearful and only work if someone has a water bottle around.  So I am looking for a postive training technique to teach her to be calm and not to jump when we have new people at the house and in the yard.  I would hate to keep her isolated from people.  Thanks for any tips you may have.

Answer
She sounds like a sweetie. But you are right to be concerned about jumping up - especially with a dog that size. One thing you can do is teach a really solid incompatible behavior. For instance, she can't be jumping on someone and sitting politely at the same time. So work on getting a solid sit stay which she is expected to hold for all greetings. Another thing you can do is get some people who follow directions well to help you. While you have her on leash, they need to approach her. You are not going to pull back on her, or go forward with her (with a mastiff sized dog, that's easiest done by holding the lead at your midsection with both hands, feet slightly apart for balance.) You are a fence post or anchor. Person approaches. If she jumps up, they act disappointed/digusted and turn and walk away. The approach again. Usually about the third or fourth time, the dog figures this out, and tries something else - usually sitting, if that's been rewarded in the past, or at least four feet on the floor. Then the person can interact with the dog and give her a treat. If she comes up, they leave and try again. You'll need to do this with a variety of people so she generalizes the rule. Jumping up makes people leave. This is a whole lot clearer to the dog than a squirt bottle. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com