approaching guests

[AmyPC]

Can anyone give me tips to stopping Rory from charging guests when they come to the door? It has always been ridculous and now we've GOT to put a stop to it.

It is mayhem when someone comes over. When the doorbell rings, she will get up and charge to the front door and they will barely be able to come in because Rory is all over them. We will put her in a drop but by this time she has the stupids and does this very annoying thing where she will twist and roll, trapping your arm under her (as you are trying to hold onto her collar). This results in her lying across the visitor's feet and acting quite embarassing.

Do any of you have Newfs that will sit and not approach a guest until invited? This is ideally where I would like to get Rory to.

Is the only way to keep enforcing the drop or sit commands?

We generally have to put her outside when guests come over as she is simply too hyper, full on and frankly, annoying and not all that endearing.

Any tips will be appreciated.

(ps - it may come to the point where we have to get a trainer to come into the house. She was excellent at school - because she knew she was at school and had to behave a certain way!!!. But I want to see if we can actively combat the problem first).

[ 11-11-2002, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: AmyPC ]

 

[Odri]

Hi Amy,
When I was in high school my buddy's parents took in a near dead golden who had been left tied outside for 72 hours in Florida summer sun with no water at all (call it stealing if you want, but I call it rescue). Chewie became a wonderful dog, but he had the strangest thing, and no one knew where it came from. At first when the doorbell rang he would go nuts, but he firmly believed that all visitors had to be presented with a hand towel. He would run to the bathroom, grab one off the towel rack, and proudly present it to the visitor. I do believe that otherwise he would have been a barky, jumpy dog. I have actually thought that when Ajax gets older I should train this...keeps the greeting of visitors controlled, and after all, he'll be drooly, so the towel will come in handy!
Just an off the wall idea.
Audrey

 

[misamala00]

Great idea Audrey! I'm sure guests appreciate a towel. Well Misha is a carrier also, and she really wants to help our guests so she grabs their bags and wants to take them inside. You can tell that there are only few to apreciate her help .
Besides that she's quite good with guests. She always has to greet them and she's always first at the door. I hold her a while to let the guests come in and then they need to greet her too - it's a rule in my home that only the people who don't mind her are welcomed. Anyway when the first ceremony is over (must say that she doesn't jump and slime on the guests) she lets them come in.
She's always around when there are guests in the house, but she only comes closer once in a while to be noticed and then continuse to lay somewhere close by.

Amy I belive a sit and wait is a good idea and with some help of your friend could be achieved. Just let them ignore her until she's in the right position and let them pet her when she's sitting.

Mirjam & Misha

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

I used to give my labs, when they were younger, a rawhide bone or other chew toy that would occupy them for a while, when guests came. It would divert their attention away from the guests and towards me in anticipation of their treat.

 

[p3robbins]

Hi All;

I have a similar problem that I thought I would run by you...

Tucker is now about 7 months old. Not sure if you remember but I posted a note when I wasn't sure how to handle his play biting just after we got him. He is a very dominant dog... so you helped me to establish myself as the alpha!!! Well, now I have a new issue.

About 2 weeks ago I took Tucker to be neutered and I was called back to the vets office just after I dropped him off... they said he "lunged" at them so I had to hold him while they gave him a sedative. Now, I don't think he would hurt anyone (he could have bitten them if he really wanted to) he is just too sweet - but he does sound really scary! Anyhow, this made me think, and I realized that for the last month or so he's done this same thing when certain people come to the door or when some of my daughter's friends are riding in our car. He doesn't bite, but he growls and jumps toward them. (It seems to have something to do with having dark hair.)

I keep the leash on Tucker all the time - so I can be sure that he doesn't cause any harm, but I'd like to stop this before it becomes a bigger problem.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Annie Milliron]

When you are expecting company, I think that the best solution is that you leash your dog before your guests arrive. If the company is unexpected, this isn't possible ahead of time. I would still leash your dog, and have it either in a sit stay or a down stay before you answer the door, using corrections if the dog breaks from the position, and rewards if he/she stays in position.

Once your guests are seated, allow the dog to approach each guest (on lead) to say hello. If the dog lunges or acts inappropriately, correct him/her immediately. If the dog behaves properly, they reward it immediately. You may even want to have your guests give the dog a treat.

Crating your dog is another option, specially if you're home alone. That's what I would do if Russell wasn't home when company came over. After I had greeted everyone and they were safely seated, I would get Kira (couldn't you guess that's who I was going to mention) out of her crate, and allow her to say hello while on lead. Once she got to meet them, and she had calmed down, I released the leash. I kept the leash attached in case I need to grab her.

You may want to ask for help from your friends with this. Explain that your're trying to correct behavior, and that you need their help.

If at all possible, you may also want to have your guests call you from their cell phone when they pull into your driveway.

Remember, consistancy and praise are key. Good Luck!!!

 

[brendapiepiorka]

I have the same problem with maggie. She thinks that anyone who comes into our house is there to see her and her alone!! I tell everyone who enters now to ignore her at first untill she settles down. My dear father in-law started this when he would come in(he stops everyday with the paper) and would get her all excited by wrestling with her and callling her you little rascal! Well now she is a big rascal and she still thinks she can play with grampa the same way. So he started bringing treats to get her to sit and be good...that has kind of backfired too because the minute he walks in the door, she goes for his pockets looking for her treat!! She seems to think she is the size of his dachund!! She does settle down after a few minutes but I tell you, if you are not a dog person, I suggest you not come to my house because you's gonna get a big newfy kiss whether you like it or not!