Your dog trusts its nose first, its eyes second, and your voice last

A puppy arrives in the world nose first. Puppies are born with their noses open, their eyes do not open for about 15 days, and their ears do not open until about 21 days, according to Cesar Millan, the dog trainer known for rehabilitating difficult dogs.

Millan says that means a puppy first smells its parents, next sees them, and finally hears them. In his view, that birth order becomes a trust order, nose, eyes, ears.

Most people do it backward. They walk through the door talking constantly, saying hello over and over. Millan says speaking constantly is not the best way to communicate with a dog about who you are and what the trust relationship is.

What it creates, he says, is excitement. When greetings at home are excited, the dog learns to greet other people that same excited way. That dog then jumps on visitors, and not every visitor wants a dog that does not belong to them jumping on them.

The alternative is to follow the same order. Millan teaches owners to practice no touch, no talk, and no eye contact when they first meet a dog. He describes the ritual as a way to remind the dog about safety, peace, trust, and respect first.

In practice, that means walking in quietly and letting the dog sniff before you look at it, speak to it, or pet it. Millan advises waiting to give affection until the dog has settled.