# 5 month old greets everyone with mouthiness



## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

I am not a expert but maybe can offer some advice. Start working with strangers approaching from a distance. When she sits and is calm treat her. Have the person move closer and repeat. Chloe absolutely has to sit with all four paws on the ground when someone asks to approach. She doesn't bite or mouth strangers when they approach. She does tend to do that though when guests come over to the house. We have gotten better at making her sit and calm down when someone comes to the house.


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## BuddyinFrance (May 20, 2015)

Hi. Welcome to the forum. Isn't it annoying when you work your butt off to train a new pup and some one comes along and suggests that you "need to train them". One of my neighbours once said that to me on a bad day and I replied sure and could he please train his cat to stop XXXing on my deck. Anyway, to get back on subject... I'm sure you will get some good advice here but I just wanted to say that your dog reminds me of Buddy..
Buddy mastered all the basic commands very young but he always did the mad greeting thing. Once when we were walking off lead on a remote trail we crossed another guy (unknown) and Buddy nearly knocked him of his feet in his enthisiasm to say hello. But then it stopped quite suddenly. As the months went by and he seemed to be more acclimatised to life in general! So, take as much advice as you can... but also be patient... because he will calm down with age. (Hopefully lol )


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Does she like to hold a stuffed toy or ball in her mouth? If so, it could help if you had her hold a toy in her mouth when greeting people and if she drops it you could substitute the toy for the person's arm. Even though she is a good dog, you are correct to recognize this is not acceptable behavior and it's your job to make it crystal clear to her that it needs to stop. Maybe you can find a dog-friendly neighbor or acquaintance from training classes or your obedience club to help with this lesson. Have you discussed it with a trainer from your classes? We have a couple members on here who I know have been working on this issue with their dogs who are around 2 years of age now I believe and it's been improving. Don't give up on this.


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## Stephanya (Jul 5, 2015)

Thank you for the suggestions, nolefan and cpc1972. I have tried walking with a tennis ball, but she prefers to nibble on people's clothes and drops the ball instantly. Our trainer suggested reserving a stuffy just for walks, something that she loves more than anything (squeaky, great texture, etc.) and put it in her mouth when she approaches people. I'm going to give that a try next...


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