Over Excitement with Visitors and Your Dog

“Excessive greetings” is the term I often write down on my enquiry forms when first speaking to a new client. It’s one of the most common behavioural issues I come across, yet it can look completely different depending on the dog, the household, and how long the problem has been allowed to go on.

At first glance, it might seem like a charming quirk. A dog that gets a bit overexcited when someone comes through the door can be funny at first. But for many owners, this behaviour quickly becomes overwhelming. Whether it’s a yapping Chihuahua or a solid Labrador launching themselves at the postman, excessive greetings can be a real source of stress.

And let’s be honest, it’s not always just a bit of fuss. Sometimes it’s absolute chaos.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve seen dogs of every breed and size struggle with this issue. From terriers spinning in circles to retrievers dragging guests around by their coat sleeves, the expression may vary but the underlying theme remains the same. It’s emotional overload at the front door.

It’s a moment that’s supposed to be simple. Someone knocks, the door opens, and the dog says hello. But for many homes, it feels more like opening the floodgates.

It’s All Relative

The key thing I always remind owners of is that the problem is relative. A miniature dachshund bouncing around someone’s feet may not seem like much to an outsider, but to an elderly owner with mobility issues, it can be a genuine hazard. Likewise, a young Labrador jumping up at head height is no joke if there are children involved, or guests arriving in their best clothes.

Breed and age play a huge role. A junior dog might be excitable and full of beans, and early on it’s easy for the owner to brush it off. “He’s just happy to see you,” they say, laughing as their puppy charges at the visitors. But that laughter can quickly turn to frustration once the same behaviour continues into adulthood. What was once cute becomes irritating, and sometimes even dangerous.

Worse still, if the dog begins to realise it can control who comes and goes by standing in front of people, barking, jumping, or blocking the hallway, it can evolve into something more serious. I’ve seen cases where excessive greetings have morphed into guarding behaviours, especially when the dog starts making decisions about who’s allowed in and who isn’t.

At that point, it’s no longer just excitement. It’s control. And it needs to be addressed.

What’s Really Going On?

Excessive greetings are usually a mix of excitement, anticipation, and emotional arousal. For many dogs, the arrival of someone new is the biggest event of the day. It triggers a flood of emotion: curiosity, joy, anxiety, protectiveness, and more. All of it wrapped up in one explosive moment.

Some dogs are driven by affection. They genuinely want to say hello, to greet, to sniff, to jump and be part of the action. Others are a little more stressed or unsure, and their over-the-top behaviour is actually a form of displacement or anxiety.

What can make this worse is the reaction of the people involved. Dogs are emotional sponges. If guests squeal with delight, fuss the dog, raise their voices, or encourage the leaping and licking, they reinforce the excitement. Likewise, if the owner gets flustered, yells “No!” repeatedly, or tries to hold the dog back by the collar while fumbling with the latch, the whole scenario becomes more charged. More pressure builds. More energy surges.

What the dog learns is that this is the most exciting moment of the day and they must get involved at full tilt.

Reclaiming Calm at the Door

The goal here isn’t to squash your dog’s enthusiasm or character, but to gently guide it into something calmer, more manageable, and safer. Calmly taking back control is the priority. The most effective changes start not with the dog, but with us.

What you do in the build-up to the door opening matters enormously. So does how you respond once the greeting starts. Often, I’ll ask owners to create a small routine, something simple that lets the dog know what’s expected. That might mean using a house line/lead to maintain control, asking the dog for a sit and wait at a set distance from the door, or even putting the dog behind a baby gate or in another room at first, gradually building up to more freedom as behaviour improves. Lots of prior practice goes a very long way.

Visitors play a role too. I often find myself having to brief people ahead of time: no eye contact, no fussing on arrival, and no high-pitched “Helloooo!” until the dog is calm. That might sound cold, but it’s actually the most generous thing you can do for the dog. You’re helping them succeed. Once they’re calm, then the calm affection can come, and at that point it won’t add fuel to the fire.

It’s worth mentioning that not every dog will calm down immediately. This kind of behaviour is often built up over months or even years, so expecting instant results isn’t always realistic. But with consistency, repetition, and calm leadership from the owner, most dogs begin to settle within a few weeks.

The Role of Structure and Boundaries

One of the common threads I see in homes with excessive greeting behaviour is a lack of structure. The dog is often in charge of deciding when and how it interacts with guests, with very little input from the owner. What we need to do is shift that dynamic gently, by showing the dog that the humans are managing access, not the other way around.

This doesn’t mean being harsh or overbearing. It means setting boundaries and sticking to them. It might mean blocking access to the front door temporarily, or using a leash or crate to create calm space. Over time, you can fade these tools out. But they’re invaluable when you're first trying to rewire behaviour.

A structured daily routine can help, too. A dog that gets plenty of physical exercise, mental stimulation, and calm leadership throughout the day is far less likely to blow a fuse when someone turns up. If their tank is already full with engagement and connection, they’re less desperate for stimulation when the doorbell rings.

The Hidden Challenges: Submissive Urination

There’s another aspect to excessive greetings that doesn’t always get talked about, and that’s submissive urination. This is where the dog becomes so overwhelmed by the excitement, or so uncertain about the interaction, that it releases a small amount of urine on the spot. It’s involuntary. It’s not done out of spite. But it can still be distressing for the owner.

In small dogs it’s often more easily forgiven, but in larger breeds it can quickly become a problem, especially on carpets, near the front door, or when guests are arriving in clean shoes and best clothes. Again, the key is to reduce the intensity of the greeting. Keep everything low-key. No direct eye contact. Calm energy from guests. Avoid bending over the dog or reaching hands out too soon. Allow the dog to settle, then reward calmness. Don’t scold your dog for peeing at this stage, work on the reaction through calm practice and in time this normally stops.

I always reassure owners in these situations. This can change. It’s not fixed. But it requires a shift in the energy of the entire moment. You’re not just changing the dog’s behaviour, you’re changing how that moment at the door feels to everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

Excessive greetings may seem like a lighthearted nuisance at first, but left unaddressed, they can grow into bigger problems. For some, it becomes a daily stressor. For others, it leads to deeper behavioural patterns involving control, dominance, or anxiety. But here’s the good news. This is a changeable problem. And often, it’s one of the first areas where people see noticeable improvements when they start to implement calm, consistent leadership.

By taking a moment to observe your dog, recognise the build-up, and create a plan to bring calmness back to that all-important front door interaction, you can shift things significantly. Not just for the sake of guests and muddy pawprints, but for the overall emotional wellbeing of your dog. A calmer greeting often reflects a calmer mind and remains a key point to address when looking at wider, more pressing behaviours.

If you’re dealing with this challenge, you’re far from alone. And with a few changes to routine, expectations, and interaction, you’ll be surprised at how quickly things begin to settle. Like with so many areas of dog behaviour, the transformation starts with us.