How Should a Dog Greet People

Most dogs love attention so they have a natural desire to seek out new people who might provide more attention. While it might be cute to see your dog excited to meet someone new, it can be quite terrifying for the other person. Remember it’s hard to tell an aggressive dog from an excited one, especially for people who don’t know that much about animals.

For this reason, you need to teach your dog the proper way to meet and greet new people. You don’t want to stop him from meeting people. After all, this is a critical part of healthy socialization. But you do need to teach him the right way.

Meeting New People at Home

When a new person (new to your dog – not necessarily to you) visits your home, your dog might have a couple of different reactions. Some dogs are a bit threatened by the presence of a stranger so they may bark or seem a bit standoffish. Other dogs are eager to get to know the person so they may rush forward seeking out attention.

In both cases, you need to establish proper etiquette. First, you should have your dog sit and stay before you open the door for the new visitor. This is something you’ll need to practice a great deal. Staying will be a huge challenge for any dog in this situation. Just remember to practice and reinforce your desired behavior with treats and praise.

You should also instruct visitors not to have any contact with the dog – not even eye contact – until they have gotten comfortable in the house. At that point, you can release the dog from the stay command. If the dog is too excited or too forceful in getting attention, make him sit and stay until he calms down. Make sure your guests never give your dog attention until he is calm so they don’t accidentally reinforce a bad behavior.

If your dog barks at the guest, make him sit and stay. If he continues to bark, take him out of the room until he calms down then bring him back out. Again, don’t give him any attention until he is calm.

Try to bring over as many visitors as possible so you can practice these activities a lot and so your dog can become socialized with as many new people as possible in the home.

Meeting New People on the Walk

Dog walking is a great activity for meeting new people. If you go to the park, for example, don’t be surprised if people are eager to pet your canine companion at least once or more during the excursion.

The excitement of the other person, particularly if that other person is a child, can really excite your dog and cause him to be a little too energetic about getting attention. However, you must stick to the same type of routine as described above.

Make sure your dog is in a calm, sit and stay position before allowing anyone to give him attention. You may have to ask the other person to wait, of course, while you do this. Don’t be embarrassed about the time this takes. Your responsibility is to your dog and making him well-behaved not to the rest of the public to let them pet your dog on command.

Jumping Up on People

One of the most dangerous greetings dogs can give in an excited state is jumping up on people. You don’t need a very large dog to knock someone over when the dog is coming at full speed and the recipient of the greeting does not expect it.

You can teach your dog not to do this, and new people not to allow it easily.

When the dog is preparing to jump, the person simply turns around so their back is facing the dog. They don’t say anything to the dog and do not make eye contact with the dog. Because no attention is given, the dog quickly loses interest. At this point, you can make him sit and stay so he can receive the attention he wants.

If you don’t mind your dog jumping up on you at some points, you can train them to do it on command. This will actually reinforce your rule of not jumping on people because the dog will only do it when asked if you practice consistently.

Training My Dog – Finally!

Okay, I’m going to do it. Now that I have time I am going to finally train my dog so I can show him off to all my friends…and so I’m not embarrassed each time I go somewhere with him.

I bought the DVDs and the workbook and I’ll let you know how I do. I’m going to keep this blog with some other information and videos I’m finding so that everyone can participate.

Leave a comment, just don’t tell me how hard this will be!

Why Dogs Bark

Picture this, you’re walking in the park, minding your own business when suddenly a dog comes up to you and starts barking. You start to panic because there is no reason for this dog to be barking at you.

Why is this dog barking?

Dogs bark because we humans want our dogs to bark. For years our domestication process and selective breeding has allowed our dogs to develop their barking abilities. Wolves don’t bark, so through genetic engineering and the selective breeding process, dogs these days have the ability to retain juvenile characteristics. This is through the process known as neoteny.

Humans have chosen to retain the infantile traits of wolves like large heads, flat faces, large eyes and of course the ability to communicate, barking. Barking was further developed in dogs in order to scare intruders or to help the master out (i.e. on farms to assist in gathering the sheep).

Most dogs simply bark to communicate, to get attention, or simply to show their excitement. Training and lifestyle are important factors in teaching the dog how to communicate with its master.

Dogs are extremely social animals. Wolves themselves always travel in packs are usually never alone. Bringing a dog into your family is basically like bringing a wolf into a pack. It becomes a part of the family. Try not to leave it alone otherwise it will feel as if it was abandoned by the pack. Dogs are like having a baby in the house. They need love, attention, and someone to be there to take care of them. Like people they need a companion to blossom. Meeting your dog’s emotional need for companionship and play will allow the two of you to form a strong bond together.

Sometimes having a second dog in the house can minimize the barking and minimize the loneliness. Although this may be rewarding at some

times, it can also be a pain. Your best bet would be to maximize training of your dog when it decides to bark. Sometimes having two dogs may cause havoc because they may teach each other to bark more. From the example above, dogs who bark at people are trained in a specific way. Everything boils down to how the owner trains their dog. If you reward the dog for barking, then the dog will understand that it’s a good thing to bark. If you don’t reward the dog for barking, the dog will understand that it’s a bad thing to bark. If you are training your dog to become a watchdog, sometimes their barking can be very selective and discriminating with certain people. Sometimes they may just bark at anything they see. It is important to train these dogs by developing their intelligence level and how they interpret various events.

Dogs who simply bark because of activity or excitement are relatively hard to eliminate. Most of the time these dogs are unaware of their barking and in turn becomes a process that is hard to eliminate. You must turn to a dog trainer who teaches the dog to debark.

Debarking can be somewhat inhumane because the dog is trained to let out a low, raspy bark which cannot be heard from more than a few feet away. If you consider the process of debarking your dog you must weigh the pros and cons. It can be beneficial in the sense that your dog will no longer be the irritating dog on the block who barks at anything he sees but may be a problem if the dog is in danger. As an owner you would want to know where the location of your dog was if it was in danger.

The Key to Stopping Your Dogs Excessive Barking

Barking is the dog’s instinctive means of giving a warning and it would be against your interest to discourage it. However, once you have been alerted, your dog should realize that his job is done. So select a word of praise, such as “Good Dog” or “Okay”, or command such as “quiet”, and give your dog a pat to indicate that he must now be still.

Hysterical barking such as during a thunderstorm, can be treated by reassurance, companionship, distraction, or if all else fails by tranquilizers from your veterinarian. Barking at a strange object can be quickly stopped by showing him that there is nothing to fear.

Barking from boredom or in order to attract attention is best treated by eliminating the cause. If you give your dog plenty of attention and exercise, you can insist on quiet behavior the rest of the time. Obedience training is of great indirect benefit due to the self-discipline it imposes and the mental and physical activity it provides.

Whining, barking, or howling when left alone should not be tolerated. It is easier to prevent in a puppy than it is to correct in an adult dog. However, even a lonely barker can be cured in an afternoon or evening if you arm yourself with patience and whatever acting talent you possess.

You must pretend to leave your dog alone, telling him to “Guard the house”, and that you will be “back soon”. As soon as your dog starts to bark or howl, you must burst furiously into your home, saying “Bad Dog” or “No!” A single experience may be enough to make it clear to your dog that his barking displeases you.

When your dog is duly impressed by your dissatisfaction, you should forgive him, settle him down, tell him to “Guard the House” and leave again. Be patient and hope for the best. If your dog has not barked within 5 or 10 minutes, you can be almost certain that he has learned his lesson. But if he resumes his barking, you must repeat the entire scenario, and repeat it as often as necessary.

As a final scene, stay away for a brief time, and when he hasn’t barked, return, greet him fondly and praise him. Then reward him with a treat or a walk, whichever he prefers. The next day you can test him by making a point of leaving him alone for a short period of time. Chances are that he will pass the test.

In the future, if you take the trouble to give him plenty of exercise beforehand, and opportunity to relieve himself, a diverting to or bone, water and food, whenever you have to leave your dog at home alone for an evening, he will never howl or bark without some justifiable reason.

A simple trick to stop your dog from barking with joy when you come home in the middle of the night is to give him his ball or bone or favorite toy. He cannot hold something in his mouth and bark at the same time. He may gurgle with delight, but this will not disturb the neighbors.

How to Answer a Door With Dogs

Prevent Your Dog From Barking at the Front Door: Part 2

Prevent Your Dog From Barking at the Front Door: Part 1

How to Train Your Dog to Greet You

How to Teach Your Dog to Ask to Go Out

How Can I Stop My Dog’s Excessive Barking?

Is your dog’s barking getting out of control? Does the barking get worse when you leave your home? Are your neighbors at their wit’s end? Are you contemplating getting rid of your dog? Bark collars can stop barking dogs quickly, easily, and humanely. When used properly, the electronic bark collar can stop your dog’s barking completely within a matter of few days.

Most electronic bark control collars employ sound as the basic stimulus because it is well established that animals learn more quickly and retain a better memory when the desired behavior is associated with a sound. The more advanced models progressively increase the sonic stimulus as barking persists. Some models employ gradually increasing electric shock stimulus along with the sound to stop even the most stubborn barkers in a humane manner.

The more sophisticated electronic bark collars sense the vibrations in a dog’s throat that happen only during barking. By doing so, they prevent false corrections from other loud noises and from other dogs barking.

The drawback with some “barking dog collars” is that they may detect barking with a microphone and activate on sound; these can be set off by other noises or by another dog’s bark. Some Barking Dog Collars use only vibration; these can be set off by motion or jostling.

Stay away from the following types of bark collars:
1) Bark Dog Collars the project a spray mist which startles and confuses the dog’s olfactory senses, causing him to stop barking. These mists may cause allergic reactions and hypersensitivity in your dog.

2) Independent devices that have a built-in microphone tuned to the sound of your dog’s bark. They emit a loud correction to startle the dog so he stops barking. They automatically stop and reset themselves after each auditory correction. The dog feels no correction with this type of bark stopper and can simply move away to another location further from the receiver and completely avoid the sound all together.

Look for a barking dog collar with the following features:
1) One that simultaneously senses both sound and vibration, and only uses a combination of sound and vibration to trigger the electronic correction. By having both of these features, the electronic bark collar will be activated only by the dog wearing the collar, so there won’t be any “false corrections” caused by loud noises or other dogs barking.

2) One that automatically adjusts the level of static correction to your dog’s temperament with different levels of self-adjustable corrections in response to the bark intensity of your dog. The more intensity settings will help to accommodate the most sensitive too the most stubborn dogs.

3) One that provides a warning beep with the first bark.

4) One with a rechargeable battery, which features a low battery indicator light.

5) One that features a quickfit buckle that provides a quick release.

6) One that is durable, light weight, waterproof, and adjustable.

7) One that comes with a complete operating guide and a video tape demonstration.

Used Properly, an electronic bark collar can be a humane alternative to giving away you dog.

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