To invite a friend round so you can practice nice greetings
There are three training successes you probably want from your dog (if you exclude the puppy stuff such as house training and stopping biting).
These are:
– that your dog walks nicely on lead, all the time
– that she comes back when you call her – every time
– and that your dog doesn’t jump up at visitors
We’ve covered two of these already in our March Challenge, so today we’re tackling the third.
Arrange to invite a friend or relative round for coffee (or afternoon tea, or any other beverage-themed time).
But please don’t invite Uncle Bill, who’ll “never mind the dog jumping up, dogs like me and I don’t mind.” Unless you want your dog to have no manners of course. Up to you.
And perhaps keep it to one person – a group of people can be overwhelming for most dogs, so let’s make this as easy as possible.
Then make a plan. (Have you realised the theme of these challenges yet?!)
– Set yourself up for success. Make sure your dog is tired from a good walk and ready to settle down anyway
– Have your lead ready to use when the visitor arrives
– Plan where you will let your dog and visitor meet – short, small hallways are not ideal, so it might be better to shut your dog away while your visitor comes in initially
Preparation is half the battle.
When the visitor does arrive, focus on your dog. Is he calm and responsive to you or is he pulling at the lead trying to get to the visitor? Is he sitting when you ask, but you can see him preparing for the big lunge?
Remember, getting a nice greeting can take some time. Just keep to the rules – if your dog is calm, he can approach, if not, he needs to move backwards.
If you have completed all our challenges, then VERY WELL DONE and huge congratulations from us.
Without perhaps realising it, you’ve taken some big steps forward in knowing your dog better and working out how your dog can best be trained.
Keep training,
Carol