I always ask my clients to let their dog greet me at the front door, as they would with any other guest.
I like to see how a dog reacts to arrival of a stranger on his land; this tells me a lot about the dog’s temperament and position in the house.
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If I could describe the greetings I have received over the years in a way poemhere is an ode to the exuberance of dogs at the door:
How can I greet you? Let me count the paths.
I salute you by putting you in check at full strength.
By leap on your legs in front, sides and back.
By pawing with a razor nails on your exposed skin.
By lick the air next to you with wet tongue.
Or by lick you. Again and again and again.
I greet you with hug you close with my big strong paws squeezing your arm,
And by leaning against your unstable knees.
By twirling at your feet until you trip over me.
By perforation you with my quick and wet nose.
Or grabbing your pant leg with my clenched front teeth and pulling.
I greet you with bite your boot and step back while barking.
And I greet you with crawling towards you and turning around to expose my belly.
And by submissive pee when you look in my direction.
And if you wish, I will greet you with races through the house like crazy.
Or lying in the sun, raising my head, looking at you, and go back to sleep.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2cec43_0482f79d3bf64632b80b3c4301ff5cf9~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_67,h_47,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/2cec43_0482f79d3bf64632b80b3c4301ff5cf9~mv2.png)