Dogs have been bred for a
long time to be defensive about
territory. Some breeds and some
individuals take this job more
seriously than others. If your
dog ignores your request for
quiet or movement, it is a sign
that the first step if for you
to work on more verbal control
using the "Learn to Earn"
technique.
If you have a dog that has
threatened or actually touched
teeth on a guest, the first step
is to make a distinction
regarding someone who is outside
or inside the threshold of your
front door.
If your dog has the history
of darting past you to bite a
delivery or other acceptable
person, then the simplest house
rule is the dog has lost
privileges, and must be put into
a different room before you open
the door. A second option is to
pick up a small dog or hold a
large dog by the collar. The
ideal, but most difficult
alternative is to go through a
training program which can be
time consuming and generally not
necessary if only concerned with
a delivery or brief front door
interaction. Short answer: Put
the dog in another room, or
otherwise be responsible for
your own dog and protect the
individual outside.
If your dog threatens or
bites someone you have invited
into your house, then it is a
different approach. In this
case, you should divide all
people who don't live in your
house into two categories.
-
Those people your dog
needs to know.
-
Those people your dog
doesn't need to know.
If the person coming into
your house is someone that you
do not expect on a frequent
basis, then do your dog a favor,
and just put him or her in a
different room. If the dog
scratches and barks, then the
dog has not learned "Contented
Confinement" and that should be
addressed separately. If a
quick solution is needed, apply
a Head Collar and tether the dog
to something solid in the room.
The other alternative is a
person that doesn't live there,
but comes quite often. This
usually means relatives or
friends.
Depending on breed, early
socialization, and life
experiences some dogs just
accept new people quicker than
others. If you have an
"asocial" dog, there is likely a
significant stress on the dog
when meeting new people, and
potential risk to the person as
well. Go slow, and if someone
insists that "I'm good with
dogs" then tell that person you
could use their help, because
you are working on a specific
goal for this dog. i.e. enlist
them in your socialization
program. Your job is to "read"
your own dog's body language
(muscle tension, and ear and
tail position) and steer the
experience. Here are the steps
-
Rule one is the dog
must approach the person; the
person may not approach the dog.
-
All interactions should
occur at least 10 feet away
from the front door or
threshold of entry.
-
Try to have the
meeting occur when the dog is
hungry. Allow the person to
toss special treats.
-
Ask the person to
specifically not look at the
dog, but when sitting offer a
hand for sniffing.
-
Perform a test of
your control of the situation:
After the first sniff, call the
dog to you, request a SIT, then
give a food treat yourself. If
the dog ignores your request to
SIT, remove the dog from the
room for that visit, and work on
Learn to Earn to increase
response to your requests.
-
Adopt the rule that
the new person can only touch
the dog when the muscles are
relaxed, the ears and up and the
tail is relaxed or wagging. If
the dog is upset, then stop the
interaction.
Do this for your dog friends
as well as your people friends.