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Short calm greetings for puppies
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It is important to teach your puppy how to greet other dogs politely and calmly, preventing over-excitement and jumping. It builds their self-control and helps them understand that short, controlled interactions are the most rewarding, leading to happy, stress-free encounters for everyone.
With practice this will help you achieve:
- Meeting new dogs calmly
- Preventing over-excitement
- Stress-free park visits
What you'll need
- Your puppy’s lead
- Super yummy high-value treats
- A friend with a calm friendly dog (if you are doing this with an unknown dog, always ask the owner if your dog can say hi first)
- A quiet park or outdoor space
Step-by-step
- Understand an ideal greeting: In a perfect world, dogs greet with a relaxed body. They sniff head-to-head for a split second before moving to the rear. Afterwards, they either calmly disengage or start to play.
- Ask permission: Always ask the other dog owner if a brief hello is okay before approaching.
- Recognise the on-lead problem: When on the lead, dogs often pull forward with a tense body, getting “stuck” in a head-to-head stare. This is unnatural and can cause conflict, as the dogs can’t communicate effectively.
- Calmness before saying hello: Ask for a sit and give them a treat before you send them to “go say hi”. This is good practice if you dog is on lead or off lead too.
- Use the 2 second rule: For on-lead meetings, stick to a brief 2 second greeting and call them away with an upbeat “let’s go” and give them a treat for coming with you. If they do not follow then you will need t gently guide them away with them lead. This avoids them getting tangled up together.
- 1 in 10 rule: When meeting and greeting other dogs I like to teach my dogs to ignore most dogs unless I say they can go say hello. A simple way to do this is to let other dogs walk past while you keep your dog close and focused on you with tasty treats.
- Manage off-lead greetings: When your dogs are off-lead, don’t just stand still and watch while the dogs play together. Keep moving to encourage your dogs to keep moving too. Let them play for a couple of minutes, then call them away for a calm sniffing break. You can send them to go play again if appropriate to do so.
- Don’t let your dog run up to dogs on lead. Dogs can be on lead for lots of reasons — maybe they’re nervous, recovering from an injury, or still learning. If you see a dog on lead, it’s polite to clip your own dog on too. It helps everyone feel safe and comfortable!
Top tips for success
- Always keep greetings short and sweet to prevent over-arousal.
- Make calling your puppy away super rewarding with extra special treats or a fun toy.
- Don’t let your puppy pull on the lead to get to another dog; wait for a loose lead before approaching.
- Focus on quality over quantity for greetings; a few good ones are better than many frantic ones.
- If your puppy doesn’t move away from the other dog when asked then gently guide them with the lead and a treat under their nose.
Members only
This resource is a special perk for our members. To join us, first is to book one of our services. If you’re already a member, log in to enjoy full access.
Struggling with over-excited greetings?
It can be tricky when your puppy gets super excited to see other dogs, making greetings chaotic! If you're struggling to teach calm, polite hellos, or need help with their social manners, I'm based in Epsom and here to help. A fun, personalised One-to-One session can transform those bouncy greetings into happy, controlled interactions.
