Inconveniencing others by allowing your dog to jump up on them as a form of greeting is socially unacceptable. What’s more, it’s unfair to the dog, who will be ostracized by polite society.
Ironically, your efforts to teach your dog to keep four paws on the floor may be undermined by your own friends and family, some of whom may actually encourage your dog to jump in greeting. How confusing! For the sake of civility and consistency, you will have to teach everyone the Four-Paw Rule, whether they walk on four legs or two.
Unlike people, who recognize and acknowledge each other visually, your dog is near-sighted and odor-dependent. He identifies others through close facial engagement and scent. Although it is unacceptable, jumping up is an understandable canine behavior, as your dog’s impulse is to take a closer look. Even if your dog startles a visitor, please remember your own manners and be kind. Rather than isolate him, show him a more reasonable gesture to invite acknowledgment. Whether you are opening the door for yourself or to welcome a visitor, teach your dog a perfectly civilized greeting option.
Teach your dog to approach all visitors on four paws and, if he desires interaction, to sit and wait for it. A sitting dog angles his face on a direct plane to a nearby human’s. No one will be able to resist rewarding his eager expression with a pat or a kiss!
Miss Sarah Says…
Are you guilty of sending your dog a mixed signal or two? Do you like the jumping when it suits you but find yourself reprimanding your dog for greeting visitors in the same way? Think long and hard about how confusing this is for him. Instead, guide your dog along this new regimen:
- When you return home, ignore your dog at first.
- If he jumps or gyrates out of habit, brace him into a sitting position. To brace your dog properly, clip your right thumb over his collar, pointing toward the floor, and fan your fingers across his chest. For extra leverage, use your left index finger and thumb to hold his midsection. This is especially helpful when greeting guests or strangers.
- As you greet him, repeat a verbal cue such as "Say hello!"
Follow this routine with visitors, too.
Excerpted from Miss Sarah’s Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People, published by Howell Book House, Wiley Publishing Inc., Hoboken, N.J. Copyright 2006. Reprinted by permission.
