Very important to dogs…
The way we introduce ourselves and our friends and family is crucial to the development of good manners in a puppy. Usually what happens is this:
Everyone is terribly excited and keen to pet and cuddle the new arrival (all well-intentioned of course!) but this is setting up your puppy for failure as they mature. If you have a shy (shy equates to fearful) puppy, this can lead to anxiety later down the developmental road. If you have a boisterous puppy, it will lead to unwanted jumping up on everyone they see; mouthing hands; grabbing clothes; and general undesirable behaviour.
So what do we need to do to shape the correct behaviour? First, control the people who are coming into contact with your puppy. I like to put a sign on the front door:
PUPPY IN TRAINING PLEASE GREET ALL HUMANS IN THE ROOM FIRST. IF MY PUPPY JUMPS ON YOU PLEASE DO NOT LOOK, TOUCH OR TALK TO HIM UNTIL HE IS SITTING. THANK YOU FOR HELPING WITH HIS TRAINING.
Most people will be happy to oblige if you give them clear instructions on what you want them to do. Enlist as many people as you can, so that your puppy can meet as many new people as possible during their crucial developmental period, 6-16 weeks. Ideally, your pup will come to you at the age of 8 weeks and your breeder has implemented a socialisation program already.
I teach my puppies to sit on a mat NEAR (but not at) the front door and keep a jar of reinforcements handy so that I can reward correct behaviour.
Shaping behaviour takes time and patience. If there are ten steps required and you shape one and two and then skip to nine and ten, I can assure you the behaviour you are shaping will fall apart.