PURPOSE: To teach your dog to greet guests appropriately by sitting instead of jumping on them.
1. Teach your dog to go to a resting place (see “Going to Crate” handout and use similar techniques) that is within sight of the front door but at least ten feet away from the front door. The resting place can be a dog bed, rug, or a chair if the dog is allowed on furniture. Teach your dog to stay on the resting place using the tips on the “The three D’s of a Stay” handout.
2. To work on distractions such as turning the front door knob, allow the dog to be on a sit or down stay closer to the door so you don’t have to walk away from your dog to introduce the distraction. Once your dog has this distraction accomplished, move your dog back to his/her resting place to work on distance.
3. After cuing your dog to go to “place”, leave your dog to go to the front door. Immediately, return to your dog to reward him/her for staying. Once your dog is successful with staying despite you leaving him/her to go to the door, add back in duration and distractions.
4. When you are ready to place a person at the front door, place a leash on your dog and have a helper hold onto the leash while your dog is on his/her resting place. This way when the person enters the house, your dog cannot go to the person. The person who enters can either talk with you at the door while your dog patiently waits at his resting place (be sure to go over and reward your dog from time to time for staying despite the distraction of the person who just entered the home) or you can release your dog from the resting place with a word such as “ok” and expect him/her to sit upon approaching the new person. The helper holding the leash can ensure your dog is unable to jump up on the new person while the new person cues the dog to sit and offers a treat reward when the sit is performed. If the dog attempts to jump on the person, the person can simply step backward and wait for the dog to sit.
5. TIP- The dog shouldn’t be released from the resting place to go meet the person unless the dog is calm and either sitting or lying down. Being released from the resting place is a reward for self imposing a state of calmness.