Adult wolves returning to the pups after a hunt are ceremoniously greeted by them rushing up and licking their muzzles, stimulating them to regurgitate food.
Adult wolves also show this muzzle licking behaviour as a form of greeting to appease other adults and inhibit aggression.
A puppy in a domestic environment will also try to do this. However in the puppy-human interaction in order for the puppy to reach the faces of returning human ‘pack mates’, be they owners or visitors, it must jump up.
Most owners greet their puppy with enthusiasm and encourage the puppy to jump up. Even looking at your dog or telling it to stop can be enough to encourage it to continue. This results in the puppy learning to greet people in this way and also to elicit a response from yourselves.
As the puppy grows into an adult dog, jumping up at people can become a problem.
By following a few simple rules yourselves at the outset, and asking visitors to do the same, you can combat this problem.
• If your puppy greets you with excitable behaviour and jumping up
IGNORE THEM
(their behaviour will continue for a while but will eventually subside when it goes un-rewarded)
• Give attention as soon as your puppy sits quietly.
(sitting will be reinforced and the puppy will be more likely to sit when you next enter the house)
Always make sure that all visitors to the house great the puppy in the same manner, as it will help to reinforce the behaviour. If jumping up sometimes works to get a response, your puppy will keep on doing it.