Question: How should a former door reactive, human aggressive, territorial of the house dog meet people entering my home?
Answer: THEY DON’T!!! They simply coexist… this means that the dog should hold command calmly and politely or be put in the crate and the guests should be asked to ignore the dog.
When we have dogs with a history of dangerous behaviour towards people in triggering situations, like guests entering the dog’s home, we need to give that dog lots of help in order for her to be make better choices and also prioritize human safety.
In training we address reactivity in all aspects of her life including the doorbell and teaching her how to make better choices by prioritizing commands over her impulses and waiting on instructions from me rather than acting on her own.
Holding place command, wearing her muzzle and also back tied for safety and working on our doorbell exercises when we have a family member arrive home from work are a fabulous opportunity to work on doorbell etiquette on a daily basis BEFORE adding the challenge of an actual guest into the mix and keeping those skills in shape!
When the doorbell rings, if the dog gets tense and perks- we will correct and help her hold command and relax. As I say ‘No’ I add information with the ecollar to extinguish her loading, the building of mental arousal, towards the door.
