Too excited when we arrive home

by Pam Moffett
(Woodstock, GA)

My Coton misses us so much when we are gone. When we come home she jumps on us and nips at our hands. We ignore her for about 5-10 minutes and she does calm down. Is this normal for this breed?

Comments for Too excited when we arrive home

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Jun 19, 2013
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Totall Understand NEW
by: Linda

Our dog Molly does the same exact same. We've tried to ignore her for a little while to see if she calms down but it doesn't work because as soon as we sit down she's all over us. We've just learned to accept it and be glad that she loves us so much to be so excited to see us.

Jun 16, 2013
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Normal NEW
by: Vicky & Jonah

When u get home ignore her until u get ur groceries in or whatever u were doing. Once u r ready to sit down weather its after u chg ur clothes or whatever then call her to u & greet her. By this time she should have settled down & will learn that she will get her greet when settled. Remember to not say a word to her when u come home or eye contact.

This also helps if u r bringing in packages & the door is a little open it will help the excitement of her not heading out the door.

Jun 09, 2013
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excited coton NEW
by: sherry cotton candie

Cotton does this also and has from day one. I think it is more extreme in this breed. Never had other dogs react quite this way. BUT we love her so much. It does not matter if its 5 minutes or 5 hours, she is jumping and so excited to see me.

I just pick her up, give hug and kiss and take her out to potty. she will come back in and life is back to normal. It only takes a few seconds to calm her down so it does not seem to be an issue.

She also has always done the mouthing thing, never bites so we ignore it. She will jump and squeal when company stands up to leave also, she thinks I am leaving to so I usually will pick her up then as well.

She is quite demanding and loves her share of attention but we love giving it to her so all is well in Cottons house........Candie is happy also when we come in, she turns in circles and will howl like a wolf. Never a dull moment here.

Jun 09, 2013
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Happy to See Me
by: Anonymous

My Figgy also goes overboard with jumping up and being happy to see me when I come home even if I've only been gone a few minutes. I learned early that these lovely dogs don't like to be left alone. They are pack animals and want to be with us or other dogs. If I'm going to be gone more than 2-3 hours I always take him to doggy day care. He loves going there and is so happy to see his friends. He is also happy to see me when I come to pick him up and has to jump up to show me his joy before jumping right into the cab of the pick up. I'm ok with this behavior, because when I've had enough I open the door for him to go outside and potty and it's done. Point being I'm in charge of the behavior, because I like the greeting. If I didn't I'd stop it pretty quick!!

Jun 08, 2013
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Its a dog thing.
by: Diane

Its not just a Coton thing, its a dog thing. Dogs are pack animals by nature, thus prefer not to be left along and very much enjoy the company of their pack members. When you come home, they can not help themselves but be overjoyed that their pack member has returned home to them. If this behavior is not problematic to you, then continue to address him upon your return and / or pick him up to stop the behavior, however, if you prefer him to not jump and possibly urinate submissively, then the only way to cure him of this is to ignore him, (no touch no talk no eye contact) until he calms down. Once he has calmed down and shows you the wanted behavior, then you can give affection to reward him for the good behavior. It may take longer than a few minutes, being his is used to this behavior and has been rewarded with attention which would indicate it was ok. So to break him of this habit, you would have to take as long as it takes for him to calm down and reward him with the affection once he has finally calmed down. I would also suggest reading and all watching the shows and books of Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisper). http://www.cesarsway.com/ He has helped me tremendously. Good Luck!

Jun 08, 2013
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Moriarty
by: Mitchell Tuckness

Moriarty does this as well. He jumps up and hops around, but he doesn't nip or bit. He does grow at my mothers dogs if they get to close, because he want's me to acknowledge him.

I have found, the best way to address this is to reach down and pick him up. Simple. Once I pick him up I give him a tummy rub, a couple of pets on the head a kiss and I set him down. He will instantly do one of two things, he will run outside to go potty, or he will pick up his squeaky ball to play fetch.

I believe this is extremely common for this breed, in fact when I was researching breeds to get, that was one of the things I read about them. This breed is very attachable. They tend to have separation anxiety when away from their owners and that should be addressed early, to avoid issues when they get older.

I trained Moriarty in a kennel, following the advice of Caesar Milan. When I first got Moriarty, I would put in him a kennel and go through the process of going like I was leaving. I would turn the TV on and play a cat video that had sounds of nature playing so outside city noises wouldn't scare him. I made sure he had toys and a chew bully stick and then I would leave. I would wait outside until he stopped making noises and then I would come back in.

I would extend this time longer and longer until he finally got the fact that I was going to come back. It took a while, but now he is very well mannered. I wake up, play fetch, put him on the back of the couch (his favorite perch) and I give him attention and tell him that I am leaving. I say the same things every morning and now he queues off the words and he knows when I am leaving and will be gone for a while.

I do the same thing when I get home. I come in, say high, pick him up, give him a tummy rub, couple of pats on the head and tell him hi and then I put him down, no more jumping etc. I honestly think he jumps so I will pick him up, he just wants to be acknowledged when you get home, FIRST.

I'd give those things a try. The best way to train a dog is early and consistent. Just do the same things every time and it'll all turn out well.

Jun 08, 2013
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Not sure what"s normal?
by: Anonymous

I'm not sure what others have experienced with their Coton, but my Bailey, did the same thing. It was actually quite problematic because I have a grandchild who wanted to play with her but she would get so excited and do that nipping thing. I found it was primarily excitement and anxiousness related. Unfortunately, as with all adverse behaviors, you have to be consistent and firm with a disciplinary response. I just would lightly close my hand around her snout and tell her "no biting", every time she did it. She quickly learned not to do it.

Depending on your particular dog, the Coton can be a little naughty that way. Unless it doesn't bother you, I would take a firm but gentle correction approach.

Good Luck!!

Jun 08, 2013
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Ollie our Coton, overly excited, too!
by: JuJu

If we go out for only 15 to 20 minutes, Ollie, our Coton, acts like we have been gone for many hours. Once, we hug him up or pet him, he calms right down. I would like to know if there is anything we should do to deter this type of behavior. We never left him more than a few hours at a time and we crate him while we are gone. He loves his crate, so it's not being in there that bothers him. At first, I thought it was normal for a dog to be happy to have us back home. But, his excitement is pretty much over the top!!

Jun 08, 2013
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Normal excitement for us!
by: Wendy (& Leila)

Leila certainly acts like she hasn't seen us for days when we get home, even after just short trips to the store! I don't know that all Cotons do that, but it has always been how she reacts. Seems like since we've had to board her a few times for family emergencies it's even worse. We probably should ignore her when she does this, but she seems so very happy to see us that we usually just play right along with her. (I've ruined quite a few t-shirts due to her jumping up and grabbing my shirt when she's insistent on investigating something and I'm not acting fast enough. Maybe all of this is anxiety? It's definitely not my favorite thing and something I'd like to learn how to deter.)

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