How can I train my dog to calm down when someone comes in?

Question

He is a 10-year old Yorkshire Terrier who we got from a dog's home a year ago. He is so lovely and perfect in every way, except he gets so excited when anybody comes in our house, he starts screaming and jumping up and then starts coughing because he's so excited. This happens when I come home or when we have visitors, so it's a little embarassing when he pulls at their clothes and screams. How can I train him to calm down a little and not get so worked up? Serious answers only please!

Answer 1

We had/have exactly the same problem. We've recently got a canister spray called "Pet Corrector" which lets off a load hissing type noise which we use and that has been a big help. The last visitor we had at the weekend she (our dog) sat nicely by their side - her first perfect reaction. We/she just needs to keep it up now.

Answer 2

You can train this behavior. First put a leash on him and have a family member or friend come to the door. Put your dog on a sit and step on the leash closely. As he is sitting offer a small treat. Keep treating as he continues to sit. When he moves do not pay any attention. Once he is still and quiet treat again.

Do not pay attention to the dog whenever you enter the house for a few minutes. Allow him time to get use to your presence then when he is calm offer to pet him. But he must remain calm in order to get attention. If he jumps turn your back and walk away.

Answer 3

If you have cable TV there is a great show on Animal Planet called "the Dog Whisperer." He is super about tackling all kinds of problems with our canines. You need to gain control of your Yorkie by making him sit & giving him some super duper treats. You make a sound like Shh, or Ay, make them sit then treat. Don't let them look away from you & use a friend to help you. Let them come to the door etc so you can practice. It is retraining through positive reinforcement & it will take effort, but it works. Make sure your Yorkie gets lot of exercise too; a tired doggie is a happy dog & it helps them get rid of that exuberance. The Dog Whisperer is on Friday nights on Direct TV but this man is a genius: its amazing what he can accomplish & he trains the owners to interact positively with the dogs. He has a book out now too-well worth the read.

Answer 4

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tr.im/QQTDF

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 5

This problem is 'over enthusiastic greeting'. Everyone needs to ignore the dog completely, don't even look at him, until he's calmed down. Once he's calmed down you make a fuss of him. If everyone is consistent it will solve the problem but the older the dog, the longer it may take. Good luck.

Answer 6

The best way really is to make sure everyone coming in, including yourself, totally ignores the dog. Act as if he isn't there even when he's jumping in your face. Don't even look at him. When he calms down - and he will- wait 5 minutes then aknowledge him , but if he starts to jump and squeal again blank him. he will get the message that he's only welcome when he's calm. But you and all your visitors must be consistent. Good luck

Answer 7

It may be a little late, as he is probably very set in his ways, but you need to ask a friend to keep coming to the door. You both need to completely ignore him, and if he is calm, then he gets a treat (calmly and quietly). If he makes a fuss, your guest needs to leave again without a word, and come back in again in a few minutes. You shouldn't tell him off, just ignore him. He will find that his good behaviour is rewarded, and his bad is ignored.

Answer 8

ok....... what you have to do is when you come home is just ignore him for a little while until he calms down and then you pay him attention when you are ready, also when your dog is acting a little out of control you have to grab him by his scruff, dont worry it wont hurt him and when you grab him there you have to dig your nails in a little this shows him that you are the leader and slowly he will learn to be more calmer,,,,you do know what i mean when i say grab him by his scruff just in case it is the skin around the side of his neck below his ears, and one more thing to try is when he gets to excited put your hand in front of his face and make a loud shhh noise, this therapy usally works on all types of dogs and works pretty quickly too try this and let me know how it went, good luck mate

Answer 9

Positive training is remembering to notice and reward the dog when he does something right. A dog sits dozens of times a day, all on his own. If we make it a point to reward him a good percentage of the times when he does, he’ll do it even more, because all living beings repeat behaviors that are rewarding to them. This is why so many dogs jump up on people. We tend to ignore dogs when they’re sitting quietly, and pay attention to them when they jump up. They get rewarded for jumping, so they jump more.
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Answer 10

He is alerting you that you have visitors, but of course you already know this. Try the blocking technique; when the door bell rings have him sit and stay a good 5 feet away from the door. (You can practice this) Only answer the door when he is calm. If at anytime he moves you have to start over. In time he will learn to wait properly.