CRAZY at the door
I've tried putting her outside when I know that someone is coming but she throws herself against the glass door so hard it bows in and I'm afraid she will hurt herself. She will normally get excited when someone from the family comes home and I've gotten her to the point that when I come in from work she does not got TOO nuts by acting and speaking calmly. She is not alone all day as my husband works out of the home and the adult children have varying work and school hours. Her behavior is over the top and I'm getting to the point where I'm not inviting people in. Any suggestions? Thanks |
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| Have you tried obedience training? It may not deal with the problem directly, but obedience training gives you a better handle on controlling other situations as well. A dog that will reliably sit and stay will also listen to the commands with varying degrees of success at times like you describe. I would try that first, as well as perhaps crating the dog to keep it safe instead of outside where as you said it throws itself at the door.
Good luck! I'm sure there will be lots more replies and more tips you could try as well. |
| Here's something that works (sometimes, that is!) When your dog starts with the jumping on people, acting crazy, etc., tell that person to turn their back to the dog. I mean literally turn their back and totally ignore the behavior. This sometimes works on Truman. After a while, he calms down. It's worth a try... |
| Oh Lorraine........
This is a tough one isn't it?? We are experiencing mild success with Chelsea (13 months) So I will share what we've done. 1) we have been training her not to jump on people in general by using a leash and rewards. She has a nylon leash that she wears when we know company is coming, we stand on the leash so that she cannot jump and when she settles and sits (usually after numerous tries at jumping) we praise and treat. this ony works with two people answering the door, or a very patient caller who is willing to be the guinea pig. If it's the girl scouts or the postman you may still want to lock your pup up until they master this. 2) when my husband comes home he does "the zombie" and this has really been working, he turns away from her and refuses to speak or acknowledge her until she sits nicely, she tries to maul him about three or four times now before she gets it, then she sits and then he gets down at her level with lots of love and kisses, and that's it, the jumping is over for the night. It's natural for them to want to jump, it's how they communicate/greet each other in dogland, so traininng them out of it is hard, especially the wigglebutt breed, they don't just want to jump, but hug, dance, and kiss as well. Our trainer has suggested having a "puppy party" where you invite your dog tolerant friends over for pizza and beer- or something- and you let them know up front this is a dog training event, then you assign someone in your pack to be the trainer for the evening and you go ahead and practice in your home with a group of people. He guarantees if you are consistent you will have results by the end of the event. Making the dog sit to receive the reward of either food or attention (or a combo ) in a super-charged atmosphere will drive the reinforcement home. Sounds crazy- but one night is as small price to pay for eventual success! My trainer also reminds us that dogs are not generalists, for instance, Chelsea responds very well to my husband's "zombie" - but when 60-ish parents do it she just tries to climb all over them, she hasn't put two and two together yet - but it will come with consistency- and PATIENCE. Good LUCK! 
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| uppetybup's advise worked for us well. I'll accept that Lennon and Sofa are not the best behaved dogs when it comes to visitors, but it has been toned down from jumping all over and running like crazy to shoe sniffing and velcro attitude towards guests... They also have learned that when unknow people comes home, it's quiet time outside and that helps a lot, bacause not everyone is dog tolerant and some elder people can get hurt.
The zombie really worked wonders to tone down their greetings when we came home, and requestings our friends to do the same worked some. You know what helped a lot for door banging? We placed privacy frosting on our glass door to the backyard. Since they can't see the guests, it calms them down a little. Be patient, these guys are very smart and they'll eventually get the message, resistance and consistency are the keys here. Good Luck! |
| Thanks for all the input. The zombie thing works pretty well for me when I come home from work. Usually she gets the idea and settles down pretty quick.
Guests usually don't fare as well. It's hard to ignore a 75 pound fur ball leaping into your arms. I've had her to obedience classes and , believe it or not, she is a 'good citizen' award recipient. That lasted until the class was over. I think it may be time for a refresher course. As for the glass door, I went so far as to buy the plastic rug runners with the spikey inside and taped it to the door with the spike side out. She figured that one out real fast and tore it off the door. Sometimes the intelligence of the breed works for you and some times against you. Thanks again for all the input. I'll give the leach suggestion a try in addition to more zombie behavior. PArt of my problem is my husband who I think needs to be trained as well. He will give the two of them a bone just to shut them up when they are barking and acting out. Reinforcing negative behavior is never a good idea, particularly with these 2. Thanks again |
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