The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [32]
Champion Crotch Sniffer
Q This is a bit embarrassing, but I need your help. My otherwise polite Great Dane, Dolly, loves to greet people. Unfortunately, her style of greeting often includes rushing up to guests and sticking her nose in their crotches. Dolly is a big dog and it is difficult for me to yank her back. She is good about not jumping up on people, but some of my friends are offended by her preferred method of greeting. What can I do to stop this obnoxious behavior?
A Dolly is 100 percent dog. 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” (age, health condition, what they ate for breakfast, and even their moods). They aim for the rear end because the scents are more intense there than other places on the body.
Dogs like Dolly need to learn that this doggy greeting is not well received by the two-legged crowd. Large breeds like Great Danes are generally the biggest offenders, because their noses are at just the right level to poke someone between the legs. It is not uncommon for them to do a front and a back sniff. Tiny breeds like Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers are more apt to be fascinated by a newcomer’s shoes or ankles, because that’s as high as they can reach.
Please don’t be too embarrassed. Plenty of dogs are guilty of this “crime,” and people shouldn’t get too huffy and offended by what is perfectly polite canine etiquette. You can teach Dolly to be a more acceptable greeter, however. The goal is to show her the preferred way to say hello while making it worth her while to change her behavior. The first step is to make sure she has a good grounding in basic obedience. All dogs, but especially giant ones like Dolly, need to be able to sit and stay when told. Reinforce those commands when the house is quiet and then have her sit and stay when a guest comes in the door. Ask your guests to approach Dolly first, rather than letting Dolly take the initiative.
Some dogs are very expressive with their front legs. If that is the case with Dolly, you can teach her to swap sniffing for paw shaking. Start by working with her by yourself. Ask her to sit. Hold out a treat in your hand positioned just below her nose. Most dogs will paw at the treat. When Dolly does this, grab her raised paw, shake it in a friendly way, say good shake or good paw, and then hand over the treat. Give her plenty of praise for a job well done.
Once Dolly is shaking paws consistently, invite friends to give her the good shake cue. If Dolly slips back to her old routine, ask the guest to simply turn around and walk a few paces away and ignore Dolly. She will soon learn that sniffing doesn’t yield her the goodies that sitting politely to shake paws does. Work on extending the time Dolly stays in a sit, too.
Finally, expand your horizon by practicing this greeting with Dolly when you are outside the home. Do it when friends approach you on the sidewalk during dog walks or when you are in the parking lot of your supermarket. The goal is to expose Dolly to a lot of situations so she learns this is an acceptable greeting for people, as long as they initiate the contact.
In extreme cases, you may need to rely on a spray bottle containing a mixture of vinegar and water or mint breath spray. Keep this spray near your door. When Dolly prepares to plunge her nose into a person’s crotch, take aim and spray her in the face (but please, avoid her eyes). The spray smells unpleasant to most dogs. This is a form of aversion therapy and is designed to create a negative experience. A few times seeing the spray