by Julie Brewer
We want our dogs to be happy and confident around people, but not so over-confident that they knock them over!
Teach your puppy all four feet on the floor – or no fuss!
A correct greeting is one which does not worry or upset the person or the other dog. Puppies must learn to control themselves – and not be over keen when greeting. But it is important that they get to know as many people as possible so that they do not become fearful of them, this should not always include people touching them, it is better if the puppy is allowed to get as much information as possible about people in a calm way before people begin to touch them.
Over Excited Greeters.
If you puppy is already an over excited greeter and tend to jump up, then teach them “all four on the floor”. If your pup jumps up, they do not get to greet. Ask the person not to touch your dog or talk to them if their feet come off the floor.
You should never shout at your dog or pull them away from people if they jump up, the puppy may learn to associate your anger with the presence of the person, and this could lead to suspicion and fear of people. If you seem angry when there are strangers around your dog will think that it is the stranger that you are worried about. Your dog will not understand it is their behaviour which is at fault. It is better to stop so that your pup cannot reach the other person.
Ask the person not to touch your pup, and to take a step back. If your pup continues to try to make contact with the person just keep hold of the lead so that the puppy cannot reach the person, do not jerk or tighten the lead. Jumping up means that your pup does not get the attention they want. If the puppy continues to jump up, ask the person to move away further from the puppy slowly and to continue to ignore them. When the puppy puts their front feet on the floor and is calm then give them a reward, deliver the reward behind you, away from the person. If your puppy is calm the person can approach, bend at the knee and offer their hand towards the front of the pups’ chest, down low not over the pups head. The pup should be allowed to decide whether or not they want to move in to the person. Remember that your pup is more likely to do this calmly if you are also rewarding 4 feet on floor at the same time. If the pup starts to jump up the person should move away, while you continue to reward with treats to the ground.
Some puppies are so excited by people that you have to hold their collar so that they are not able to practice jumping up at people, or even stand on their lead “parking”. Be careful if this causes your pup to fight against you or the lead, if the pup has a bad experience in the presence of people there is a risk they might associate this with the presence of the person rather than their own behaviour. These puppies need more time around people without being greeted by people, so try to prevent people from making them more excited.
Do not allow your dog to ‘bug’ people. Make greetings ‘happy and short’. When your dog has said hello in a sensible manner call them away “Lets Go” with a happy voice and a magic magnet (food lure). Make sure that they know how happy you are that they have behaved so well.
Timid Greeters
Some dogs roll onto their backs. This is not always a friendly greeting, sometimes it means that the dog does not really want to be touched and is finding the whole situation a bit too scary. Some dogs do want their tummy tickled, but it is still not a particularly pleasant greeting for a person so shouldn’t be encouraged – who wants to stroke the stomach of a muddy dog? It is best to allow greetings only where the dog is sitting or standing in a relaxed posture with their front feet on the floor and the dog has made the first move to greet calmly, don’t allow people to crowd your dog.
Some dogs will even do a little wee if they are unsure about a social interaction.
Do not try to force or encourage your puppy towards the person, let the puppy decide in their own time whether the person is nice to know. The treats can come after the greeting.
Do not allow strangers to give treats to your puppy, all rewards for good greetings should come from you. This is because a puppy might push themselves into a situation, they are unsure about, in order to get the treat. Once the treat is gone, they are still in an uncomfortable position and may feel threatened. It is better if the puppy approaches the person in their own time and makes up their own mind. You can reward them after they have decided to be brave.
Read Their Body Language
Be aware of how your pup is feeling by carefully monitoring their body language, all pups will go through a phase where they become ‘shy’ of being touched, watch them closely, are they enjoying the interaction? If you see any signs of discomfort e.g., looking away, licking lips, whale eye, leaning away (silent communications), weight shifting on legs, which suggest that your pup does not want to be touched then help them to move away.
Listen to the Whispers so your dog doesn’t have to Shout! (thanks to Chirag Patel)
Pups who are forced to endure unwanted attention and who are not listened to when they quietly ask for more space are at risk of learning to use growling (shouting) to ‘tell’ people to leave them alone, or even biting if they are not listened to. If they learn that aggression is an effective tool for making hands go away then they are more likely to use it in the future.
LITTLE TYKES DOG HUB 