This Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You

I think one of the most difficult parts of training a puppy is resisting the over exuberant greetings when you return to the house. I have read that if you don’t want a dog jumping all over you and visitors, they must learn to greet people in a quiet manner. They recommend that when you return to the house and the puppy is jumping and barking, you absolutely ignore her. Don’t respond in any way: don’t say “quiet,” don’t push her down, don’t even make eye contact. After the puppy is done and is quiet, sometimes as many as five to ten minutes, you call the puppy to you to say hello. This is SO difficult. No one else is ever as glad to see me when I return to the house. Ken never jumps up and drools when I return home. So it is hard to resist responding to such a welcoming puppy. However, we are trying and Emme is getting better. Yesterday I was gone all day to a UFO (Unfinished Objects) day with my quilt guild. Emme was enthusiastic when I returned and jumped up a little but did no barking. After she was quiet, I called her to me and picked her up and said hello. This is harder on me than on the puppy.