To begin you need: One dog, one lead, a buckle/martingale collar, treats and a willing human that your dog adores.
* Have a treat or two in your hand.
* Happily say "Say Hello" and walk toward your assistant.
* When you get close, you hand a treat to your puppy as you verbally praise him then you turn and walk away quietly.
* Walking toward the person – praise and treat! Walking away – quiet and no treat.
* Repeat until your dog is obviously eager to approach this person when he hears "Say Hello!"
Once the dog is good at this, use another known person then another (family members are fine). Generalize this until he is eagerly heading to greet on “Say Hello!”.
Okay, now start with less well-known people. Again, the person does not look or touch yet, just stands there as you approach, feed and walk away.
Eventually, your dog will resist moving away and that is your sign that he can be looked at briefly or touched briefly under the chin or neck and get a treat or two from the other person (this assumes aggression is not an issue, if it is, please seek hands on help.) You can ask your puppy to sit as well. Continue to move away, always trying to move him before your puppies stress level forces him to move himself.
Fun and effective, this little game can make your puppy an eager greeter in a short period of time.
Common Mistakes are:
1) Using a stranger.
The goal of this first stage is for the dog to associate the action of approaching a person with getting a treat. It needs to be as close to a zero stress situation as possible as you are laying the foundation for future interactions. We want unconcerned glee - not trepidation.
2) Not walking away after the treat.
This is a key element as it teaches the dog that he will get a chance to relieve any stress that is building. Once the dog understands that, you'll find him much more willing to approach. The tendency is to stay near the person to "see how the dog will do" but we are not testing the puppy, we're teaching. Approach, treat, retreat - that's the game.