All Things Dog Blog

Training your Dog for Holiday Visitors: Lesson 1

Posted: 19 Nov 2009 01:50 PM PST

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Time to Practice our Greetings

This year my holiday "To Do" list has something unexpected on it--work with my dogs on their manners. It's not that they are unfriendly; quite the opposite in fact. They are too friendly sometimes, when the doorbell rings and company comes to call. Such is the way during the holidays.

I'd like to hang a sign on the door; something like:

Dear guests:

Please enter calmly.

Make no eye contact with the dogs.

Create no excitement.

I know. I know. That would just be plain weird. But the excitement of guests is definitely a contributing factor to the excitement my dogs display when someone arrives.

My plan was to create a Greeting Place, somewhere within view of the front door,where I would send the dogs when the doorbell rings. I tested it a few times with Tanner, who is very accomplished at the STAY command. It seemed to have potential.

The problem is quite simply that I am not there to do the training. With a family member sick, I find myself out of town. The dogs are in the hands of hubby, who definitely has his hands full. With 3 dogs and a cat, hubby is busy with walking, feeding and cleaning up after a houseful of playful animals who are happy to see him after a long day at work. Doubtful training will even make an appearance on his "To Do" list.

Nevertheless, I can share my plan with those of you who would like to work on your own dog's door manners. It is very simple, really:

Ring the doorbell and send your dogs to their "place", "spot", "bed" or other permanently named location for greeting.
I will use the commands, STAY and DOWN, to get the message across further.
Treat the pups after I pet them, if they stay put in their spots.
Release them after a short stay and practice again.
Repeat several times a day, and Thanksgiving could mean calmer greetings from my "happy-to-meet-you" pups.

Oh well. Maybe at Christmas time; it just was not destined to happen before Thanksgiving. I'll keep it on my To Do list. What about you?