Having Guests Over

Struggles with having guests over

Having guests over is difficult and somewhat embarrassing when you have a scaredy dog. Scaredy dogs don’t like strangers invading their territory and they often bark at the unfamiliar face for several minutes before calming down. On the other end of the spectrum is the dog that runs from strangers, shuts down completely and hopes the person goes away, or bites. Having a smooth introduction goes a long way in making the dog comfortable with each new unfamiliar face, and with strangers in general. Informing your guests of the “rules” before having them come in is imperative. Here is how to properly introduce your dog to a guest:

• Have the person completely ignore the dog. If the dog wants to hide, that’s fine. Allow the dog to smell the other person if they want to, let the dog come up to him. If the dog wants to bark, don’t yell at him because you’ll only make his anxiety worse. Until the dog calms down, ignoring him is the best move.
• If the dog shows signs of wanting to investigate the new person, have the person kneel down facing away from the dog and hold his hand out for the dog to sniff. After a moment, the person may try petting your dog under the chin, but if your dog backs away or shows any signs of stress, give him space. If your dog runs or hides when a guest is over, give him space. If he wants to come out, he will.
• Even after the barking has subsided, it may start up again if your guest startles your dog. Instruct your guest to move slowly and not make sudden movements until your dog is comfortable.
• Have treats ready for the guest to throw to the dog.
• If your dog nips at or bites unfamiliar people in the house, isolate him and seek the immediate help of a behaviorist or trainer experienced in aggression.

Using the Doorbell As A Cue

It’s a good idea to give your dog something to do that doesn’t involve barking at or jumping up on guests. Instead of going insane or running away, we can use the doorbell as a cue for a behavior. First of all, pick or teach a behavior that is incompatible with the behavior you want to stop. If your dog barks at guests, you can teach your dog to Go Get Your Toy. It’s hard to bark with a toy in your mouth! If your dog jumps up on guests, teach your dog Go To Bed or Go In Your Kennel. The options are unlimited.

Step 1:

Desensitize your dog to the doorbell. Your dog already knows that when the doorbell rings, somebody is at the door. We need to make him second-guess that assumption. Record the sound of your doorbell ringing and play it. Undoubtedly, your dog will run to the door only to find that there’s nobody there. Do this repeatedly, several times a day for several days, until your dog can remain calm when the doorbell rings because there’s probably nobody there anyway. A slightly more expensive alternative to this is to buy a new doorbell that your dog doesn’t have a previous association with.

Step 2:

Teach your dog to associate the doorbell with the behavior you want. This behavior should already be taught and put on cue – we’re just changing the cue. We’ll use Go To Bed as an example. Play the doorbell sound and tell your dog to Go To Bed. When he does, give him a treat. Repeat this over and over, and then play the doorbell sound without telling him Go To Bed. Ideally, he should go straight to his bed because he anticipates you’ll tell him to anyway. When he does, give him lots of treats and praise. Make sure to practice this often.

Having a Puppy Party

If your scaredy dog doesn’t like having guests over, here’s how to train him to enjoy people coming into the house.

Step 1:

Have somebody the dog knows and loves come over, give the dog lots of treats, and leave. Have the same person come back in, give the dog lots of treats, and leave. Repeat this several times. The more the dog realizes it’s the friend who keeps coming in, he’ll be less fearful.

Step 2:

Have a different person the dog knows and loves come over and repeat the same process. Your dog should start associating people coming in the house with treats and lots of good things.

Step 3:

Have a third person the dog knows and loves come over and repeat the same process.

Step 4:

Have all three people come over and invite a fourth person the dog isn’t as familiar with. Have all three friends repeat this process one by one, and then have the stranger come in to do the same thing. Do this several times and make sure everybody comes in a different order so that more often than not, your dog will be excited at the prospect of having somebody come in instead of afraid. You can now introduce him to new people this way.

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