It can really be exasperating
when you see your furry friend howling frantically at the sound of the
doorbell. This is a big time problem for dog owners because they want to
showcase their doggies as an obedient friend and managing their manners is one
of the most important things that is in the mind of dog owners.
The good news is that this
fanatic behavior of your pooch can be corrected with little effort and hard
work from your side. The ultimate goal of this exercise is to ensure that your
pooch finds something interesting that does not get along with barking when the
doorbell rings.
But before we look at the
solution to the problem, it is important to look at the various reasons that
act as a stimulus to this odd behavior in tykes:
- Dogs associate the doorbell sound with playtime with new human which can lead to excitement and unnecessary howling
- To alert their owners about a possible intruder
- Accidental reinforcement of doggie behavior at the front door by their owners can make pooches give frenzied response
Once you have understood the
reason that has led to this behavior by your pooch you can correct it by
following the steps given below:
- Ask someone to be your partner (preferably a friend) while you train your pooch to react positively at the sound of a doorbell.
- The initial reaction from your pooch will be to bark and race at the door when the doorbell rings. The best thing to do in such a situation is to place yourself between your tyke and the door and then shuffle forward.
Note: Never use your hands to push or pull your
furry pal instead shuffle forward with your legs so that he backs off by
looking at your non-verbal cues or you can give him “back” command.
- Once the pooch obeys the command and sits down at a distance from the door hold your palm and gesture “stop” and then firmly say “wait”.
- Then slowly move to the front door to open it. If your furry friend again jumps up and comes to the door, immediately close the door and repeat the commands mentioned above until he becomes stationary and sits in a spot away from the door.
- Repeat the process several times till the doggie stays stationary to the spot and then go and actually open the door.
- Close the door and then praise your tyke by giving him a treat.
- When the pooch sits down calmly finally open the door for the visitor. The dog may try to act fanatically by jumping at the visitor to greet him or to escape.
- The best thing to do in such a situation would be to body block your doggie and close the door on the face of your friend and then move forward to your pooch to make your pooch back-off and return to the original spot.
- Replicate the steps several times till you train your dog to act calmly at the doorbell noise.
The ultimate objective of this
exercise is to enable your doggie to understand that positive things happen if
he remains quiet when the doorbell rings. Once that is fulfilled you can
officially make your pet meet the guests. But ask them to avoid direct eye
contact with the furry friend while the door is open and then you can tell your
doggie to say “Hi” to your guests. Always make certain that you reward the good
behavior of your pooch when he sits and stays calm in front of the guests. This
will ensure that there are no possible relapses of this behavior in the near
future.
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