A friend of mine tells me that her dog has always been quite barky and excited at the front door, but recently it’s gotten out of hand when someone calls. He jumps out in front of her, barking and jumping on visitors, and is just a nuisance. To make matters worse, although thankfully his excitement is moderate, his loudness and intrusiveness frightens some visitors who aren’t the most animal-friendly. Why does he do this? How can we get him to behave like a well-behaved member of the household?
But they have given me some great training techniques that I want to share with you all!!!
It may be of some comfort to you that from a human perspective, being loud and rude at the front door is one of the most common discipline issues. Most dogs have a healthy perception of the front door as the entrance to the home domain and a place where all family members are kind to each other. After all, when the doorbell rings, you usually come running. That means your dog has actually responded to your excitement level, followed your lead and is now in charge. (And… my Labradors know they will always be pampered by anyone who comes to the door, but they are very patient and never bother people… they are very good boys! If you have ever been to our house you know that!!)
The good news is that with a little patience, you can usually break the cycle of excitement/barking/more excitement/more barking. At first, you’ll need to practice with a friend so that you can control the timing of your knocks on the door. The idea is to give your dog a cue to go to another room. One technique for this is to offer him a treat the moment someone comes to the door.
Bottom line, consistency always pays off: once your dog has received the treat in the designated spot (which should always be the same spot), walk him to the front door and ask him to sit before opening the door, taking control of the situation and relieving your dog of any thoughts that they have to play the century game.
In fact, this distraction training technique (changing your brain’s gears) can be useful in other situations too, so keep it in mind!
“Territorial defense is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. Methods of defending territory range from the graceful to the aggressive. Sometimes elaborate displays replace actual contact – from the fearsome chest-thumping of gorillas to the puffy, bright pink dewlap of the tiny green anole lizard. Many species seem to be aware, whether consciously or not, of the power of bluffing.”
