01/12/2025
Mia keeps “failing” her greeting test. She’s the little brown dog behind the gate, and the moment she sees Ziva (the GSD), she jumps up and goes straight for a mouth-lick—what we jokingly call a “dental cleaning.” 😂
Over two Academy sessions, we tried:
1️⃣ Recall (nope—too excited)
2️⃣ Leash (stopped only while the leash was on)
3️⃣ Sq**rt bottle (interrupted her, but shut down the Dobermans nearby)
So we switched to what’s often the best option for new dogs learning social skills:
Management.
Management prevents dogs from rehearsing unwanted behaviors. The gate slows the interaction (which we love) and gives us space to teach. Mia’s jumping is her coping mechanism (eustress from seeing another dog).
Behind the gate, we can reward the behaviors we do want:
✔️ calmness
✔️ four paws on the floor
✔️ pausing
✔️ looking away
Once Mia clearly understands those choices, then we can fairly correct the behaviors we don’t want. But first, we teach her what success looks like.
Learn more about how to train your dog to have positive greetings or start a socialization business
www.RhondaBilodeau.com
