How to Train Your Dog to Greet People Politely
Coming home to our pets is one of our favorite things to do. As soon as we step through the door, no one is more delighted to greet us and shower us with affection. Our dogs can't seem to keep their excitement in check at times! Regrettably, this can be an issue.
Many of our dogs display the same tremendous energy and affection when other people come to our doors. And, especially when dogs leap up, scratch, or bark at visitors, that eagerness can become overwhelming. It's not always simple to teach a dog to greet visitors politely with respect.
How to Train Your Dog to Greet People Politely
It will undoubtedly require a significant amount of work and will not occur overnight. You may be able to teach the dog to greet guests politely, by following the techniques mentioned below.
Begin by training your dog to greet you courteously when you get home. When you educate your dog on how to greet you, you're also teaching them how to behave when anyone arrives at the front door. When you walk through the door, give your dog the command to sit and stay.
Do not give directives more than once, and ignore any boisterous behavior until they follow your instructions. If you must push your dog away from you, do so swiftly and as much as possible ignore the behavior.
Once your dog has learned to sit respectfully, you can greet them with lots of pets and a soothing voice. You might even want to reward them with whatever drives them the most, whether it's a toy, a treat, praise, or even a short walk outside. For your dog to truly learn this, it must be done daily.
The longer you do it, the easier it will get. Place a small mat by the front door to teach your dog that here is where they must sit to greet visitors.
You may help your dog grasp and get the point of what you're asking them to accomplish by going out and coming back in again and over again. If you have a dog who enjoys spending time in the yard, teaching them to sit respectfully when they enter the house is also a beautiful idea. You could also wish to put a "welcoming mat" by the back door.
Teach them to sit on the mat and wait to be greeted or given the command to come in and make themselves at home when they arrive. With a high-energy dog, this will be more difficult. They'll want to come inside and run around the house because they're excited, which is probably what they do most of the time. For this to work, you'll need to be very patient and persist with the training every time your dog comes in, but it will, and your dog will eventually learn to enter the house calmly and politely.
This will teach the dog to greet visitors politely at the door rather than bouncing all over the place when you come home. All of these strategies will teach your dog to remain calm when the door opens or when someone enters your home, whether human or dog.
It's now time to invite some friends over. Begin with one or two people and work your way up from there. Get your dog to sit in the welcoming posture near the door after having a friend knock on the door or ring the bell. Wait until your dog is calmly in place before opening the front door.
It doesn't matter how long this takes; what matters is that your dog completes the task correctly. The first time is always the most difficult. When your dog does it right, be sure to praise them.
Allow your visitor to enter the house, but make sure your dog remains in the greeting stance. Allow your human companion to welcome your dog by touching and talking in a calm, soothing voice, then allow your dog to sniff your visitor before inviting him to sit on the sofa.
Then tell your dog that they are welcome to join you in the living room with your visitor. You may need to repeat this process several times. Hopefully, you have some dog-loving pals who will be patient with you!
You'll want to keep inviting more people over to ensure that your dog fully comprehends what is expected of them. Maintain your patience and consistency. If you give in, the battle will be lost. Teach your dog to sit by your side when you go for a stroll and need to chat with someone. Allow your dog to sniff the person who greets your dog.
This "sit greeting" strategy should be used every time your dog meets a new person, regardless of where you are. When teaching your dog a new behavior, consider that using management tools is acceptable. If the mailman shows up with a box unexpectedly, for example, it's best to put your dog in her kennel.
You'd instead prevent your dog from rehearsing undesirable behavior than allow her to engage in it for a short period because you're not ready to train. Praise and reward generously. Above all, have a good time!
