How to greet people at the door with my dog??

[Prohibiting]

Hi guys, just after a little advice. I have a male GSD who is 1.5 years old.

When he is in the garden and someone comes to gate he spikes his fur up and barks.

When he is in the house and someone knocks on the door he does the same again.

I wanted a GSD deliberately for this guarding protective nature.

When I have welcomed friends/family to my house my approach has always been to open the gate/door while holding my dog by the scruff (he still continued to bark) and I tell the person to hold their hand so that he can sniff them and then they just walk in and everything is fine. My dog will want to play ball etc with that person.

Yesterday though my friend knocked on the door and I did the same. Opened the front door while holding my dog and told my mate to let him sniff his hand. My dog continued barking so I stepled outside into the porch with him and waited for about a minute for him to calm down. However he continued to bark and look at my mate who was just standing there. After a while I let go of the dog and although he didn't bite, he was very "full on" is what I can only describe it as. Really sniffing and sort of opened his mouth and touched my friends leg. My mate walked into the house and everything was OK. My dog wanted to play etc.

I'm wondering if there's a different approach. I don't want to smack him and tell him 'no' as I want him to be protective of the house but at the same time I want to show him that visitors are OK when I greet them.

Tricky.... And as he's only 1.5 years old, it could get even stronger(?). Before anyone asks, he's perfectly fine on walks and off-lead with other dogs and people etc.

[Prohibiting]

No one with any ideas? I shall just carry on with what I'm doing and see how it goes the next time I have a visitor in a few weeks time...

[Boosted LS1]

You teach the dog to sit and wait until after you 'the pack leader' has decided who to let into the house. then the dog can be rewarded. The longer the dog has to wait the calmer he will become as the excitement will wear off.

ETA. Perhaps you could do the greetings alone for a while thus depriving the dog of the excitement he's getting at the moment. GSD's can be very hyper when it comes to guarding.

[HOGEPH]

If the people are at your door with your dog, thank them for returning it....

[Jasandjules]

Holding him by the scruff tells him there is a problem.

I make our dogs sit and wait. The person then comes in, I release the dog which is the calmest and they say hello.

[Prohibiting]

Thank you. He's very obedient so I will make him sit and stay in the hallway the next time. He'll only be realeased on my command 'OK.'

[Prohibiting]

HOGEPH said:

If the people are at your door with your dog, thank them for returning it....

Think you've misunderstood completely.

[CAPP0]

That's the way to do it. I have a 2 year old male GSD who also guards, and who I want to keep doing so. I've had cold callers shy away from the door because of him (result!) but he has never shown any aggression to anyone once I've "accepted" them, only when they're approaching or knocking. He will either wait, or be kept away from the door. He knows to look to me for guidance.

Yours will learn the sit thing very quickly; you just may have to expect callers to wait a few seconds more in the meantime whilst you're training him.

[zarjaz1991]

Not a chance I'd be holding my hand out to a dog in that state I'm afraid.

Surely if they are friends or family, the dog would get to know them after a couple of visits. I've had several friends with dogs, and whilst initially the dog acted like it wanted to tear me limb from limb, eventually it realised that it could just as easily get its tummy tickled instead so it went down that route as it was more enjoyable and less effort.

[4x4Tyke]

Boosted LS1 said:

You teach the dog to sit and wait until after you 'the pack leader' has decided who to let into the house. then the dog can be rewarded. The longer the dog has to wait the calmer he will become as the excitement will wear off.

ETA. Perhaps you could do the greetings alone for a while thus depriving the dog of the excitement he's getting at the moment. GSD's can be very hyper when it comes to guarding.

+1

The dog is probably a little confused by letting him sniff the hand so early. Tell guests they should ignore him until they have finished greeting you and been admitted. Then once you have accepted them, he can greet them.

[technodup]

zarjaz1991 said:

Not a chance I'd be holding my hand out to a dog in that state I'm afraid.

You put your hand out backwards, as if you are digging in snow, rather than feeding the pony.

That way your fingers are out the way, they can't bite a whole hand as easily and if you pull back you're pulling away rather than up nearer their teeth (hope that makes sense).

I'll put my hand out for any dog, with the possible exception of staffies. I know it's not the dog etc, but still...

[V40Vinnie]

technodup said:

ou put your hand out backwards, as if you are digging in snow, rather than feeding the pony.

That way your fingers are out the way, they can't bite a whole hand as easily and if you pull back you're pulling away rather than up nearer their teeth (hope that makes sense).

I'll put my hand out for any dog, with the possible exception of staffies. I know it's not the dog etc, but still...

Staffies a generally fine, but with a head like an anvil don't bend down or encourage them to jump up. They are clumsy and you will get a broken nose.

[zarjaz1991]

technodup said:

ou put your hand out backwards, as if you are digging in snow, rather than feeding the pony.

That way your fingers are out the way, they can't bite a whole hand as easily and if you pull back you're pulling away rather than up nearer their teeth (hope that makes sense).

I'll put my hand out for any dog, with the possible exception of staffies. I know it's not the dog etc, but still...

Hmmm, I'm sure that's true, but I'd only do that with a dog that was calm but wary, not one that had its fur bristled up and was barking in an attack-like frenzy.

I love dogs but am a bit terrified of them as well. As a small child apparently I couldn't go near even small dogs without screaming. I recall that I was 'cured' of that by being sat with a big soppy old Labrador that had blunt teeth and just wanted as many people as possible to tickle its tummy. However, I still have a huge wariness of dogs I don't know, particularly big ones that are snarling at their owner's door...so I'm afraid I'd be saying hello from the other side of the garden gate.

[V40Vinnie]

Op with our dogs they get locked out when guests arrive and only are allowed to join in when they have calmed down/forgotten the excitement of new people. My guests are usually encouraged to tell the dog what to do as well re-enforcing the dog being at the bottom of the pile

[Prohibiting]

All very useful information and it's nice to hear what other people do.

It is fantastic having such a loving GSD and having that security as well. There's literally nothing better IMO from a security point of view for a home and understandable I don't want to smack him for that behaviour.

Making him sit and stay a couple metres back should be fine. Not sure why I never thought of trying that.

[Dinoboy]

Oh how different it is when you have a cocker spaniel, house guests who arrive here spend the first couple of minutes laughing while our 5 year old cocker runs from room to room doing a hand brake turn on the carpet. She exhausts herself then flakes out on the floor

[Jasandjules]

I should add, if my dogs jump up or do anything else boistrous, they are taken back along the hallway and made to wait.........

I also prepare guests by telling them to ignore the dog when they first come in - i.e. no going "hellllooo" in a high pitched voice to excite the dogs etc..

[Autopilot]

Jasandjules said:

Holding him by the scruff tells him there is a problem.

I make our dogs sit and wait. The person then comes in, I release the dog which is the calmest and they say hello.

This^^^

Our male Dobermann has absolutely off the chart guarding tendencies. He's used in sport (Schutzhund) so his talents are channelled and put to good use.

If you're holding the dog back while you're at the door, there's a possibility that he'll interpret this by thinking you haven't got control of the situation and he's there for back up and therefore you're not only creating the problem, but you're making it worse.

Our dogs are sent to the kitchen (on command) where they sit in the threshold until they are released (by verbal command - 'free'). If they act like dicks, they are told to go back in to the other room again.

A dogs obedience is one thing. Having control over the dog is another so needs to be taught self restraint. When I tell my dog to lay down, he knows he stays there until he's released, not until he think's he's been there long enough.

If you like the guarding instincts of the GSD, I'd say it would be worth looking in to doing sport with him (Schutzhund / IPO). Incidentally, pulling a dog back actually increases drive. I've worked as a 'Helper' on the field, so get kitted out with bite sleeve etc. Before the dog is released, drive is built by winding the dog up. This is a two man job. The helper has to agitate the dog, as the dogs drive builds, the handler starts to pull the dog back. The more you pull the dog back the more it wants the sleeve. I'd easily liken this to situation you put your dog in.

[Autopilot]

technodup said:

I'll put my hand out for any dog, with the possible exception of staffies. I know it's not the dog etc, but still...

You're right, it's not the dog, it's the human offering his hand out for the dog!

Why would you offer your hand out to a dog you don't know?

[Boosted LS1]

^ To greet it and allow it to greet you.