Preparing Your Dog For Guests And Parties

Topic: Thanksgiving Tips

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Socialization is one of the most important yet often least considered aspects of having a well-behaved dog. Even people that don't have dogs of their own often have no problem in being in a house or at an event where dogs that are behaving appropriately are. However, on the other hand, even those people that love dogs quickly become tired of your dog jumping up on their best clothes, trying to gobble down all the appetizers and generally creating a nuisance at a social event or gathering.

Dogs are often very individual when it comes to how they respond to new people and social gatherings. Some dogs are truly very people-oriented and they see everyone as a new friend that is just waiting to play with them. There are the less exuberant but equally friendly dogs that will welcome new people with a wag of a tail and a once over sniff and then they are happy to lie down and just watch the activities. The final group of dogs are those that really don't like all these new people and just want everyone to leave or they want to leave. This last group may well be the most problematic since they tend to bark, growl or show other types of aggressive or defensive types of behaviors when they are in these types of situations.

Over-excited Dogs

Over-excited dogs can be of any breed, although unfortunately the larger breeds tend to get the bad reputation since their jumping up and boisterous behavior causes far more physical damage. Some breeds are known to be highly excitable when people are around and those include the Boxers, Labradors and even some of the Setters. This excitement is a genuine love of people, it is not due to stress, anxiety or aggression. These dogs, often maturing at well over 70 pounds, can literally send someone to the ground in their excited greeting if it includes jumping up or leaping into the air.

Smaller breeds that get involved in over-excited or high energy types of greetings are typically more tolerated but they can still scratch people with their nails, rip clothing and literally shred nylons. In order to prevent your guests from having to deal with all of this, you first have to start training your dog with a calmer, more socially acceptable way to greet people.

The best thing to do to curb these behaviors is teach an appropriate alternate behavior that can't happen at the same time the bad behavior is. So, for example, if you dog is jumping up and pawing at people, teach the sit command. If a dog is sitting he or she cannot be jumping up. If they use their paws naturally, you can then add the "shake a paw" command to the sit command, resulting in a wonderful, calm and endearing greeting for your guests. You will have to start this training a few weeks in advance of your party and be sure to have a few friends drop over prior to the event for your dog to practice his or her new skills.

Trying to correct this behavior by punishment methods is really not effective plus it confuses your dog. In his or her mind they are just showing their affection and in return they are being kneed in the chest, pushed off or even crueler options such as hitting the dog. Not only does this confuse the dog but it also is likely to result in more extreme greetings as the dog tries to show you how much he or she has missed you or wants to get to know you.

Timid And Shy Dogs

A timid or shy dog poses the opposite problem. He or she doesn't want to have anything to do with all of these people in the house, and they certainly don't want anyone paying attention to them. While these dogs will often sulk off to a quiet room or hide under the bed, they can become aggressive if they somehow feel they have become trapped or feel threatened by guests trying to pet them.

A trapped dog that is trying to get away often becomes highly aggressive but also typically signals clearly that he or she is prepared to defend their space. Since many people don't understand or simply don't take the time to observe the dog, they end up being nipped or bitten. This then puts the dog owner in the position of possible being sued or even in some areas having to put the dog down if the guest complains to the authorities.

To start working with a timid or shy dog it is important to start early with just one person working with the dog. Begin your training by allowing the dog to move around the room as you sit quietly or talk gently to the dog. Avoid any threatening or aggressive moves such as grabbing for the dog or restraining it in any fashion. Once the dog is calm and will come up to you, try offering a bit of food close to you, gradually speaking to the dog and lightly petting it. Once he or she is comfortable with this, you can move into traditional training but only use positive methods, never any type of punishment or dominant training methods.

As with dogs that jump up, you will need to have several friends come over and spend time with the dog once he or she is comfortable with you and trust has been established. If the puppy or dog has been severely or even slightly mistreated in the past this may be a slow process, but typically dogs will become more comfortable around people as they interact more with patient, loving humans. If your dog is very nervous, crate training and providing a calm, quiet and relaxing space where the crate can be positioned is important. This will be the dog's comfort zone when he or she is feeling stressed. You will need to clearly indicate to guests that when the dog is in this area he or she needs to be given time and space.

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