No matter how cute our dogs are, friendly or how happy they are that we have guests over, it’s a smart and safe idea to help prevent them from feeling the need to jump at the door or people. Even if we find that our dogs are always excited to greet people, there are still ways that we can help make this a pleasant and enjoyable experience for all involved.
And this is rather easy to accomplish if you set your home up for success!
Practice the following steps:
1. Set a specific time for your guests to arrive. Do your best to minimize surprise visits. That’s because a planned visit is one you can prepare for. This first and foremost allows you to provide your dog with physical and mental stimulation during the day and prior to the arrival so that your dog will feel as mellow and relaxed as possible around your guests.
2. The leash is the best way to avoid confronting your dog at the door. Use the leash by clipping it to your dog 10-15 minutes prior to your guest arriving. Once your guests get there, have another family member tend to the door while you guide your dog away.
Depending on your dog’s demeanour and personality, you may want to provide your dog with enough space to not feel the need to worry or feel overexcited with people coming over. Even though you might prevent your dog from jumping, the jumping itself can be a symptom that your dog just doesn’t know what to do in that instance, so make sure that you’ve planned for some activities that you can do, or potentially having your dog stay at someone else’s home if you feel that your dog is going to find it too difficult to settle.
3. Guide your dog towards your guest using the leash. Instead of asking your dog to sit or to stop jumping, use their leash to help them walk away with you. This will guarantee that your dog doesn’t get to jump and repeat the unwanted behaviour (the more your dog repeats a behaviour, the more successful it becomes to them). Afterwards, don’t let your dog off their leash because they may still run toward your guest and jump. Instead, continue walking away with them while someone else tends to the door, and as you feel that your dog is calming down on their own, you can then start walking closer to your guests.
If your dog starts pulling towards your guests, which indicates that he may jump, continue walking away. What you are essentially doing is helping your dog calm down and regulate his own emotions by walking and letting him take space. Eventually this is a behaviour that your dog can practice and be rewarded for, as opposed to jumping.