This is not how you greet guests at your front door (unless you want them to get bitten.) (Photo: Person wearing army fatigues holds/pulls back on a German Shepherd’s collar)
If you’re already worried about how your dog greets your houseguests and you’re freaking out about hosting Christmas dinner, it’s time to start preparing your pup now.
It’s not just pandemic puppies (who are now reaching adulthood) who don’t know how to politely greet guests at our front doors: it’s pretty much all dogs. Why? Because we humans often feel:
excited to greet our guests
badly about taking our time to calm our dog down BEFORE opening our front door to our guests
We also think that six weeks of puppy classes should somehow prepare our dog for real life. It doesn’t.
Puppy class doesn’t prepare you for this (Photo: little boy entering a home through a front door)
Or this! (Photo: two boys having a pillow fight on a bed - feathers everywhere!)
We must practice polite door greetings many times in order for our dog to become good at them. Think about it: you didn’t just attend soccer GAMES, you had practices all week in order to prepare for game day. We must begin to take this mentality when training our dogs. We are putting in the necessary repetitions to prepare our dogs (and ourselves) for game day.
If you don’t like that analogy because you’re not an athlete, compare it to dance, piano, or becoming a dentist.
A lot of work goes in before game day. Practice, practice, practice. (Photo: stadium full of people watching a soccer game)
One of the biggest mistakes dog owners make is to hold their dog back. Please read this blog post to understand that holding your dog back makes other people a target. Just like police dogs. https://beyonddogtraining.ca/news/who-is-protecting-whom
The other missing piece of the puzzle is direction. What do you want your dog to do when you open the door?
Most people say: I want him not to jump up. I want him to stop barking and trying to nip people. I want him to be calm.
If you want your dog to be calm, you have to be calm. Raising your voice and pulling his collar aren’t helping.
You have to decide what you want your dog to do. Here is a list for you, so that you can choose something that will work:
-I want my dog to go to her place (elevated dog bed) and practice calmness
-I want my dog to be on leash beside/slightly behind me and calm
You must provide clear direction (a job) for your dog so they know what TO do (Photo: brown and white puppy sitting on a dog bed)
Where to begin?
Practice door greetings often. Practice with family members and friends who are capable of being calm around your dog.
As you practice, remind yourself:
-I can do this
-My dog may need a few repetitions even with a family member, but that’s part of the process.
-I have to be calm to teach calm
Question: I have a huge family event coming up and I won’t have time to teach my dog placework with large distractions (because this event is only one week away.) What do I do?
Answer: You can teach your dog to love his crate in a week. Practice at every mealtime. Start with very short sessions and build up the time gradually. If your dog is really stressed greeting guests in your home, the kindest thing you can do for him is to teach him to love his crate. He can relax in his crate during your event if you fulfill his mental and physical needs before the event begins.
When taught correctly, crates represent a wonderful, safe space that dogs enjoy resting in. They are den animals. (Photo: Border Collie lies calmly in a dog crate)
If you’re worried about hosting holiday parties, dinners, and Christmas day festivities, schedule your free call today. You still have plenty of time to teach your dog how to politely greet visitors at your front door.
If you’re feeling worried about hosting events because of your dog’s behaviour, I’m only a free phone call away (Photo: a young woman sitting on the floor, shoulders hunched, leaning against her couch - worrying)
If you are struggling with crate training, how to teach your dog to be calm, or how to be calm yourself, I’m only a free phone call away. Find out if we’re the right fit for each other.
Are you thinking about placework training but don’t know where to begin? Call me. Place is amazingly easy for dog owners to teach when they have a great coach.
Looking forward to helping you and your pup succeed with guest greetings, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: Upsplash (Person wearing army fatigues holds/pulls back on a German Shepherd’s collar,) Peter Idowu @peteridowu (little boy entering a home through a front door,) Allen Taylor
@allentaylorjr (two boys having a pillow fight on a bed - feathers everywhere!) Mitch Rosen
@focusmitch (stadium full of people watching a soccer game,) Upsplash Image (brown and white puppy sitting on a dog bed,) Ayla Verschueren
@moob (Border Collie lies calmly in a dog crate,)
Joice Kelly@joicekelly (a young woman sitting on the floor, shoulders hunched, leaning against her couch - worrying,)