Training: Alternative to the 'Doggy Handshake'
By Arden Moore, courtesy of the Examiner.com

It’s jokingly referred to as the doggy handshake. You know, when one dog “greets” another by sticking her nose in the back end of the other dog. But in the world of canines, this “handshake” is much more telling and revealing that a simple “hi ya” gesture performed by people.

When dogs meet and greet each other, it is very common for them to sniff each other thoroughly from head to tail. The canine nose gives the “sniffer” a lot of details about the “sniffee” such as the dog’s age, health condition, what he ate for breakfast, and yes, even his mood.  Dogs purposely aim for the rear end because the scents are more intense there than other places on the body.

So, enter your embarrassing problem: How do you get your otherwise lovable dog not to use this technique when greeting your houseguest? First, don’t be too embarrassed. Plenty of dogs are guilty of this “crime” and people shouldn’t get too huffy and offended.

Second, teach your dog to be a more acceptable greeter. Hopefully, your dog is an ace at heeding the "sit" and "stay" commands. Reinforce those commands when the house is quite and then have your dog sit and stay when a guest comes in the door.

Third, recognize that dogs are social creatures. They want to greet – in some way. Practice with a dog-savvy friend first. Ask this person to enter the house armed with a tasty treat. The goal is to teach your dog to swap sniffing crotches for sitting politely and paw shaking with guests. Have your friend hold out a treat in his hand positioned just below your dog’s nose. Most dogs will naturally paw at the treat. When your dog does, have your friend grab his raised paw, shake it in a friendly way, say "good shake" and then hand over the treat. Dole out some happy praise, too.

Once your dog is shaking paws like a politician on a campaign trail, test his new greeting talents with others. If he slips back to his old crotch-sniffing routine, ask the guest to simply turn around and walk a few paces away and ignore your dog. He will soon learn that sniffing doesn’t yield him the goodies that sitting politely to shake paws does.

This is win-win advice for your company and your dog. Let the introductions begin!

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Notes from the Editor:  There are times we almost 'over-train' our dogs and while it is just plain rude to allow your dog to attempt introductions with humans via a 'doggie handshake,' allowing dogs to be dogs with other dogs is much more natural.  On the other side of the spectrum, shoving your dog's rear end into another dog's nose is just as rude at a dog's level!