How to get my overly excited dog to listen when meeting people?

Question

Pilot gets really excited when meeting new people which is understandable but how can I get him to actually listen to me?!! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4 months and 14 days old | 104 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

I would recommend keeping Pilot on a leash when he is meeting new people, so that you can have more control of the situation. You will also need to keep very tasty treats on hand to use for greetings. You can teach him to sit nicely for greetings by using a treat to help him sit, and holding a handful of treats in front of his nose for him to nibble on to help him stay still while someone says hello to him. Eventually, with lots of time and practice, he will get better at this and you won't need to help him as much. But for now, be patient and use lots of treats! If he gets too excited, just move further away until he is able to calm down and focus, then try again. For most dogs, it takes several months of working on this skill to be reliable, so be patient and consistent while he learns :)

How to get my overly excited dog to listen when meeting people?

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