09/03/2026
When I got my dog 8 years ago, I thought letting him greet as many people as possible (including those handing out treats, pup cups, and donut holes) was important for his socialization. Boyyyy did I reinforce unwanted habits by saying āYesā to so many greetings and cookies! In reality, I was teaching my dog to become over-aroused and fixated when he spotted people, to value strangers more than me, and that greetings were unpredictable rather than setting clear expectations.
Today, itās very rare that I allow another person (like the very well-intentioned employees at home improvement stores) to give my dogs/client dogs a snack. I would rather use the opportunity to practice habits I WANT to reinforce in my dogs: staying calm around other humans, tuning into their handler around distractions, keeping paws on the floor and mouth away from people, etc.
As with any āruleā in dog training, thereās nuance here and today I did allow someone to give a cookie to the dog I was working with! Whatās your stance?
