How do I calm my dog down around strangers?

To train your dog to act appropriately and be calm when he encounters strangers you should never punish reactive behavior, do not yell or pull back on a lead, which creates more excitement and anxiety and makes the behavior worse. You want your dog to be mentally relaxed when he encounters a stranger. Although he may be happy, and excited, or bark to let you know someone is there, there would be a confident, balanced, relaxed posture, and his behavior should be controlled and calm. The best way to create calm behavior around strangers is to socialize your dog early by exposing him to lots of different people and situations. During the training period you will want to keep your dog from being exposed to strangers except during scheduled training sessions, where you can modify your dog's behavior. Do not punish or force your dog to accept handling from a stranger during training, you will need to exercise patience and move at your dog's pace. Enlist friends who are not afraid of dogs, and who your dog is unfamiliar with, to assist you in training. Have lots of treats available to positively reinforce appropriate behavior.

Try to avoid situations with lots of strangers. When you are out on walks, try to maintain the distance from people that your dog is comfortable with. This might involve safely crossing the road so that strangers don’t try to approach them head-on, walking on quieter routes, or going out at quieter times. It's also important to think about what you are doing on a walk. Stay calm and try not to pull on the lead. Sudden pressure on the lead can increase their anxiety, as they may feel restricted and unable to move. Consider using a muzzle. A muzzle often acts as a visual aid to indicate to people that they should give your dog extra space. That extra space can be useful for a dog who's not comfortable with strangers. Find your dog's “bubble”. It’s useful to understand the smallest distance from a person that your dog is happy with. Change your dog's response to people using rewards. To change your dog's reaction to new people, you want to change the emotion that your dog feels when they see someone new. With treats in your hand, head out for a walk. 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 such as ‘yes’ or ‘good,’ 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.

If your dog is reactive in their behaviour, then reducing the number of instances where they are likely to encounter strangers is a good first step to building their confidence. Be sure to maintain a reasonable distance from others when out on walks or consider taking a quieter route. A great way to build your dog’s confidence around strangers is by introducing them to your friends and members of your family that you see regularly. This can be achieved in your home where your dog has a safe space to move to, such as their bed. Be sure to take slow steps so that your dog doesn’t get overwhelmed. Ask your friends and family to give your dog time and space for them to get used to them – keeping your dog’s ‘invisible bubble’ in mind. Practise positive reinforcement training, this involves praising and rewarding your dog when they display calm behaviour around strangers. Start by slowly building up your dog’s tolerance level to being near people they’re not familiar with in a controlled space. Treat them when your dog displays calm behaviour, offer them a treat, this will help to reinforce the positive association between their behaviour and the treat.