How do I stop my dog from being reactive to visitors?
Caleigh Marvin
2025-07-25 11:22:26
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: 12
When introducing your dog to new visitors, it’s essential to handle the situation carefully. If possible, let your dog meet the visitor outside while on a leash. Go for a short walk and make sure that your visitor doesn’t bend over your dog or try to touch them. Have the visitor enter first and sit down before allowing your dog in, and tell them to avoid direct eye contact or interaction with your dog.
Sitting or standing square on to the dog can also feel threatening to your dog. You want to make sure that your dog does not feel under pressure to interact with your visitor when they are not comfortable to do so.
If your dog is particularly stressed, consider putting them in another room with a favorite toy or calming activity.
A lick mat, chew toy, or another calming activity can be a great distraction for your dog.
If your dog is not totally comfortable then give them their treat in a different room as far away from the visitor as you can.
Respect Your Dog’s Boundaries: If your dog is really uncomfortable with visitors, don’t force them to interact.
Visitor Etiquette: Advise your guests to avoid lingering in doorways, as this can be intimidating or stressful for dogs.
Encourage them to move into a sitting area to appear less threatening.
Determining the root cause of your dog’s discomfort with visitors is key.
Then working on the root of the problem is the way forwards.
Alisa Jenkins
2025-07-13 11:30:57
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: 18
Try to avoid situations with lots of strangers. This will help to prevent the behaviour from getting worse and hopefully avoid your dog learning that reacting works and makes people move away. When you are out on walks, try to maintain the distance from people that your dog is comfortable with. Stay calm and try not to pull on the lead, as sudden pressure on the lead can increase their anxiety, and they may feel restricted and unable to move. To change your dog's reaction to new people, you want to change the emotion that your dog feels when they see someone new, by associating something your dog values highly with strangers. With treats in your hand, head out for a walk and as you walk, watch your dog carefully and as soon as they notice a person, calmly acknowledge that they have seen them with a marker word and then reward them with a treat. Ideally as you give the reward you want to keep encouraging them and also move your dog away from the stranger. This means your dog gets two rewards; a tasty treat and an increase in distance from the person, which is what they wanted. Consider using a muzzle as it often acts as a visual aid to indicate to people that they should give your dog extra space. Find your dog's “bubble” by understanding the smallest distance from a person that your dog is happy with.
Shanna Bradtke
2025-07-06 14:11:34
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: 14
If your dog is nervous about visitors, then it is almost understandable, it is their home and they didn’t invite a complete stranger to come into their home. Having people come over can be overwhelming for your dog and scary depending on your dog’s temperament, so it is the owners’ responsibility to do the training, so your dog has more confidence. If your dog is extremely nervous and reactive in the short term, I would use a baby gate or a barrier to separate the dog from the front door, this will not replace your training, but it helps while you are working on this behaviour. Always leave a pot of treats by your front door to hand to your visitors when they arrive, ask them to toss the treats towards your dog, and never hand feeding because this only puts more pressure on your dog. Your dog will soon learn that when visitors arrive at your home this is extremely rewarding as they receive tasty rewards, and it helps to build their confidence. Ask your guests to ignore your dog completely, this includes not talking to your dog or trying to pet your dog. Ask your visitors to only interact with your dog when your dog has walked over to them calmly, this normally happens when everyone is sitting down, and everything is a bit calmer. Go slowly when exposing your dog to your visitors. The first step to your visitor’s arrival is to keep your dog at a good distance, remember to only reward when your dog remains calm, and do not force your dog to continue if they are unhappy. Keep continuing with rewards when they remain calm.
Talon Smitham
2025-06-29 05:00:10
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: 19
My advice is to keep your visitors safe and keep your dog shut away in another room when visitors first arrive. Try to keep your dog relaxed before they greet your guest so that the arrival of a guest has a positive association. You may need to train your dog to settle happily in this space before you use it to shut him away for visitors. You need to ask your visitors to make themselves as non confrontational as possible, so ideally sitting down, head turned away and avoid all eye contact with the dog. Put your dog on a lead where you have good control for introductions and you need to be really calm and confident as any anxiety from you will be passed to your dog and they may feel the need to protect you. Never approach visitors head on, but from the side or ideally come alongside in parallel and stay at a good distance. Give the dog lots of praise/treats when she is calm and non reactive. If she starts to show any sign of anxiety, then create some distance by putting yourself between her and your visitor and herd her away. It's not going to be an overnight cure, but each positive experience will help her build confidence and trust.
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