Let’s talk about greetings since I recently posted about greeting your pets every time you walk in the door. More specifically lets talk about dogs, because let’s face it… cats… well, they take out greetings in a much more laid back manner : ) Cats are just too cool act the way many dogs do!
Many dogs do get over stimulated when humans arrive home and how can you blame them? To them, we are like celebrities!
Many will tell you to ignore them until they settle and yes, this can work. But how would you feel if your best friend walked in and ignored you?. Each animal is an individual. When something doesn’t work, humans feel stuck because in “training” there are the most common ways and not much else is talked about. What about the dogs that still go bezerk if you ignore them? Theres many that do.
So, It’s important to find what works for each dog. My dogs always expect their hellos and kisses when I get home, but often they stay right on the couch waiting because they know I’ll go over to them. Why would they waste their energy running up to me?
One stays on the couch all the time, one meets me at the door about 50% of the time. Calmly and walking. Every time I walk in the door I hear their tails wagging on the couch. They love me! But they don’t feel the need to come over and beg for my acknowledgment or attention. They know they will get it, right where they are, as soon as I walk in and put bags down or whatever I am doing.
If I am gone for days, a week, or two, they are going to RUSH to the door, jump on me, hug me, run, and go nuts! I let it happen. Extended time away is a justifiable reason for their celebration of our reunion. They have emotions. They aren’t robots.
I have learned when dogs get a lot of love and attention they don’t jump and get overly excited when their guardians come home. They don’t feel the need to beg for it because they get plenty of it. The jumping and “look at me” is often a dog begging to be noticed and begging for attention. They are screaming “HERE I AM” incase you don’t see them.
But it is also important to remember the energy of your interaction plays a role too. Every time I come home and say Hello, its happy, but calm, gentle, loving, and with a kiss. I don’t squeak my voice. I don’t scream. I greet them like I would greet any human in my home. This has created dogs that sit on the couch or walk up to me calmly when I walk in. They are SURE every single time they will be noticed and acknowledged as soon as I walk in the door.
Each dog is in individual so their behaviors, though similiar to other dogs, have different underlying reasons. It’s your job to find the reason for a behavior and create a living and interactional environment that supports them emotionally as well as physically.
If you are having communication or behavioral issues with your animal I would love to help you and your pet.