How to make a dog less reactive to the door?
Charles McKenzie
2025-07-23 08:57:05
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: 14
If your dog gets very excited about the sound of the doorbell, you’ll need to retrain and desensitize them to the sound. Start with high-value treats, like very smelly or sticky treats that take a little while for dogs to eat. Show the treat to your dog. While they’re licking at the treat in your hand, push the doorbell noise. Praise your dog as they continue to lick. Repeat several times. When your dog consistently eats the treats as the doorbell sounds, try pushing the doorbell before giving the treat. Then, as the doorbell rings, offer the treat and lots of praise. Go to Place Once your dog has gotten used to the sound of the doorbell, we want to teach them to go to bed when the doorbell rings. Giving your dog something to do that is incompatible with barking or scratching at the door will allow you to more appropriately engage with your deliveries and guests. When the doorbell sounds, get your dog’s attention with the high-value treat. Wth a happy voice, praise your dog and use the treat to lure them to their bed or crate. When your dog is on the bed, give them the treat. The ultimate goal of the above exercises is that the doorbell ringing is going to eventually become the cue for your dog to go to their bed and wait to be treated.
Howell Herzog
2025-07-23 08:36:42
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: 12
To make a dog less reactive to the door, teach your dog to “stay” in different locations and situations before you practice at the front door. Next, go to the door, and ask your dog to stay a few feet away from the door while you walk to the door. If he succeeds, give him a treat. If he gets up, no big deal! Simply reset him back to his location, and try again by taking fewer steps toward the door.
Return to him if he stays and reward him with a treat. Repeat until you can walk away from him and to the door, without him following you. Then, ask your dog to stay, walk to the door, put your hand on the door and rattle the door handle. If your dog stays, go back to him and give him a treat.
For excessive barking at the doorbell, find a level of ringing the doorbell that does not cause excessive barking. Ring the bell a few times, then end the session and walk away together. Once your dog is successful at the first stage, make things a little more like "real life". Sit somewhere near your front door and ask a friend or neighbor to ring the doorbell. When it rings, completely ignore the doorbell. Wait till your dog is completely silent before getting up to open the door. Repeat this process until your dog becomes desensitized to the sound of the doorbell. Be patient, because you will see success.
Eliza Hayes
2025-07-23 07:38:37
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: 6
Add a sign to the door asking people not to knock or ring the bell, but to text you when they are here instead. Install an external post box. Close the blinds or add vinyl window stickers. Greet visitors outside of your house with your dog and go for a short walk around the block before all going back to the house together. For excitable dogs, if you know you have a visitor and your dog is going to go into overdrive give them something calming to do beforehand, such as a frozen Mud Daddy Lick Mat. You can also teach your dog to fetch a toy when the door goes so that their mouths are occupied and they are unable to bark. It is also possible to desensitise your dog to the sound of the doorbell or knocking: Knock lightly on a table with your dog in front of you and give them a treat. Make the knocks slightly louder each time and treat. For dogs who are reactive to the doorbell; use a doorbell soundtrack and gradually increase the volume on your phone each time. Move the phone around into different rooms to make it more realistic.
Berneice Grady
2025-07-23 05:22:38
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: 13
You’re going to have to actually train proactively for some time to begin to solve this problem. If you follow me, you’ve probably heard me talk about place training. Many people have a rug in their entryway, and it usually feels substantially different from the floor it’s on. After you get your training collar and leash, you’ll need some high-value food along with that rug. First, you will teach your dog how good it is to get onto the rug or the bed and how great it is to get into a down there. I really want you to reinforce your dog while they’re there thoroughly.
Create circumstances similar to the ones your dog is likely to bark in. When you create those circumstances, you need to be fully prepared. Have your leash, your high-value food, and the ability to lead your dog over to the place before it starts. Allow your dog to decide to stay on to receive the reward, or come off and lose the reward. Then you have you use the leash to put them back.
You can use your TV or some device to play sounds that will trigger your dog. The trigger will make them come off the place. When they do come off, you’re going to be able to teach them to get back onto their place. If they do that, you’ll be able to reward them for staying there. Train like this for a couple of days.
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