How should I greet my dog when I get home?

[adriennelisa]

Kind of a weird question but my dog is a weird guy. He’s excited to see me when I get home and runs up to me, but often gets overly excited and mouthy (e.g. will go straight for gently biting my hands, or will try to do that if I pet him). The only thing he isn’t too excited to do is lick my face, which I don’t want to happen every time lol. Are there any other ways I should behave when I get home, like sitting down and seeing what he does instead?

 

[marlow7]

@adriennelisa Im not a fan AT ALL of the "ignore your puppy" method a lot of people insist on. I want my dog to be excited to see me. I want my dog to know im excited to see THEM.

Instead, I redirect almost immediately. Ask "wheres your toy?" or get them a treat and ask for a command. Throw a ball for them to chase or a toy to grab. Give them an easy, fun task to direct that energy towards. Sometimes even just holding something in their mouth is a good distraction.

That's just me though. I like an excited dog. I like a bounce-into-your-arms kind of greeting, without the nipping and biting and overthetop-ness.

 

[brendanmg]

@marlow7 This is the way. We just adopted a doggie and I as m thrilled she's so excited to see me now.

 

[endtimetcc]

@marlow7 I love this. I always am overjoyed to meet my puppers.
My lurcher jumps but not if he has his tennis ball in his mouth so I good boy him when he greets me with his toy.

 

[dadxfour]

@marlow7 I'm also a huge fan of having a dog who enthusiastically greets me! My dog usually grabs a toy when someone comes to the door which helps with the mouthing. Making the toy interactive and fun by playing tug can help some dogs who are more excited to grab a moving toy (your arms).

 

[jesuswarrior444]

@marlow7 I agree with you on this. I understand why some dogs who are hyperactive and/or have problematic behavior should be ignored, but personally for my dog, I love that moment when I get home and she is so excited to see me and I am excited to see her. I feel like it’s a great bonding moment and it brings me joy. She used to be a little mouthy but I started saying “ow” when she did that and she learned to grab a toy and have that in her mouth while she’s greeting me.

 

[doctrineofgabriel]

@marlow7 Yeah ours used to jump and cratch the hell out of us when we got home.

But after enough saying "no jump" in a firm tone, turning away to avoid their feet, or grabbing them and gently lowering to the ground, they got the point.

We still greeted and loved on them. But the change in tone from totally positive to somewhat firmer and some redirection really mean a lot to them.

 

[messi]

@marlow7 We had a client at the daycare I used to work at that had a really bad mouthing / snapping problem when she was excited. (We legit called her the piranha lol) her owners did the “go find a toy” trick at home and it worked so well we’d tell her “go find a stick” at daycare and it saved so many fingers and shirts from scratches and rips lol

 

[garnett64]

@messi My dog thankfully already does that naturally since she has lab in her lol. It’s so cute when they do that

 

[messi]

@garnett64 I love when they do it on their own, it somehow makes it even more adorable lol

 

[garnett64]

@marlow7 Honestly that’s up to you. It’s just a recommended method because dogs can develop separation anxiety or enhance it from the anticipation of you coming back home.

 

[meown1]

@adriennelisa I’ve always greeted mine calmly because I was worried she’d get separation anxiety if I made my arrival too much of a party.

Now she won’t even come to the door when I come home sometimes

Edit- I live in a 1-bedroom apartment so it’s not like it would be a huge trek for her. It’s kind of cute though when she comes out a few minutes later looking all groggy from her nap

 

[garnett64]

@meown1 That’s good that means she’s comfortable and secure whenever you leave the house.

 

[ireneleevn]

@adriennelisa My dog does this too. I try to be calm when I walk in the door and don’t give her much attention until she’s calmed down. They will learn eventually!

 

[mihai_1991]

@adriennelisa The over-excitement doesn’t help as it triggers him being mouthy. Try multiple methods, eg to not get super excited yourself (I know it’s hard) or divert his excitement to smth else like ask him to ‘sit’ and ‘down’ and give some treats as that’s a positive behaviour.

Mine would get overly excited but I often let her straight out in the garden so she can sniff and channel that excitement that way too.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@adriennelisa I completely ignore my puppy because he is over-excited and will jump in my face.

IF he sits down and not jumping, I will greet him, but as soon as he gets jumpy/bitey; straight back to no attention.

Usually the first thing I do when I free him from his crate is take him out to the toilet. Usually then he can relieve himself and also calm down a little at the same time. Having a garden does help for this because I don't have to leash him when we/he goes out.,

 

[paintergal73]

@imagebeastmarkbeast This is exactly what I do with my dog. I’ll get in and say hello to him but not pet him till I have done what I need to do first, put away keys, hang up coat, put shopping on the side. By the time I’ve done that he’s calmed down then I’ll then make a fuss of him. As a pup he very quickly learnt to not jump all over me as soon as I wake or arrive back home.

 

[righteousbyfaith]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Why is your puppy in a cage?

 

[garnett64]

@righteousbyfaith It’s called a crate or kennel. You can close it or leave it open for them. Helps with potty training, boundaries, ensuring sleep for the stubborn ones, keeping them safe when you’re not there, and introducing them to the home slowly.

 

[righteousbyfaith]

@garnett64 Okay, that makes sense, I used the word cage because I read it in the comment above. I also used a kennel for my puppy when potty training it, once we knew he was old enough to hold it through the night he slept there so that we don't wale up to a mess. And then once he was a bit older we trew the kennel into a basement.

But why would you get a dog when you know you can't keep it safe when away? Like why can't you at least puppy proof a room so that it has space to play?