Excited Greeter

The why:
Most puppies are excited when someone new comes into the house or if they enter a house where they are expecting to be greeted warmly on the other side of the door. It's very hard not to greet an excited puppy with the same
enthusiasm but it is important to keep in mind that it is not good for your puppy's training or his emotional health. Your dog will mirror your energy and respond to your voice tone. If you greet him with excitement or irritation you will reap excitement or irritation. Excited does not mean happy. Just as an excited child is not necessarily a happy child.

If you want your puppy to greet people calmly when he is a full grown dog, it's a good idea to practice calm greetings when he is a puppy right from the start. It's much easier to teach them when they are young. In nature, dogs don't greet one another by jumping up on each other. This is something that many domestic dogs do because we set them up to be overly excited when we enter or leave their presence. Dogs who are conditioned to be calm by good greeting practices will walk up to people or other dogs and just sniff and wag their tail. In nature, tail sniffing is just another way to say 'Hi, my name is Jack, how are you? What's your name and where ya been!". This is a very pleasant and safe way to greet and be greeted. Your dog is less likely to get into fights with other dogs when they have good social skills as well. Any dog who is petted while excited is likely to do something inappropriate. They can't help it, it's because they are dogs, they are not humans. A stable dog does not run up and touch another dog who is acting in a non threatening way and so should your puppy if he is conditioned right from the start!

The solution:
The best way to keep things under control and to avoid having to scold your puppy all the time for jumping up and scratching someone is to ignore him for a few minutes and ask your friends and family to do so as well. It feels uncomfortable to do so for the first few times because we always want him to know that we are glad to see him too but by ignoring him until his heart rate returns to normal, 5 to 15 minutes depending on the dog, he is much less likely to become a nuisance greeter. If he jumps up on you just turn and ignore him until he calms down.
Once he has had a few minutes to explore and sniff, then a calm greeting ritual can be established. Keeping your voice calm and your movements slow when you greet him and pet him will prevent him from becoming over stimulated. If he gets excited still then wait just a bit longer and be a little quieter when you pet him. This is the healthiest way to teach your dog to greet visitors calmly. This makes him safer, especially for children or persons with poor balance or skin that is easily torn such as the elderly or disabled. It also creates a stable environment for him which will make him a more relaxed dog in general. A happy, well balanced dog is simply a pleasure to be around.Your friends and family will appreciate you for it and so will Fido!

Happy puppy greetings!
Mary Kowalczyk

Power Paws Dog Rehabilitation and Training Contact us at:powerpaws@live.com or 321-302-4142