Greeting at front door

[LYNN PARODI]

My 5 year old Vizsla goes crazy & excited when someone comes to the front door or deliveries.  He gets so excited sometimes he nips me.  I've been training and knock at the door while he's in another room.  That works perhaps he knows it's just me.  He knows sit, down, leave it, etc. but that greeting is out of control.  Honestly what would suggest?  I look forward to your response.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums,

Sounds like your Vizsla is way over threshold and that is turning him into a nipping machine. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

We need to take steps to first lower those threshold levels, because in this state, it's close to impossible getting them into a learning state. Even though he knows sit, down, leave it, when a dog is in this state, there's a high chance they won't be able to cognitively function enough to execute. 

A few questions that come to mind:

1) Has he always been this way? How long have you had him?

2) Do you have a baby gate or a way to block direct access to the door area?

3) Is your dog already in a hyper state upon seeing them approach by a window or hearing a car in the driveway?

4) Thinking back to past episodes, when you had guests over, how did he behave? Was he jumping all over them? Did he seemed nervous about them moving around the house, gesticulating, talking lively? Does he ever get into a relaxed state after ward?

5) Do you have friends, neighbors, family etc that can volunteer to help you train your dog? You would need their help at some point so that they can do the knocking so your dog knows it isn't you, however, before moving to this level, your dog needs to be in a calmer state. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/

6) How is he overall around people? Would you say he's comfortable around them or somewhat anxious/concerned? 

7) Does he know how to lie on a mat? https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

Thanks for the extra details!

 

 

[LYNN PARODI]

1) Sparky was a show dog and the breeder/handler said don't teach him to sit.  I got him at 10 weeks old.  

2) The front door is an open room so no way to block direct access to the door area.

3)  Yep he is hyper state when he hears sounds outside thinking they are coming to see him.

4)  Sparky is thrilled/happy to see people he knows, however he is very nervous with strangers.  Fight & Flight comes to mind...unfortunately I'd say he's a fight.  People he knows he'll jump and be disrespectful.  Strangers I tell them to move slowly and let Sparky come to them.  He does calm down eventually like in a few minutes.

5)  Can't wait to open the link you sent regarding front doors.

6)  Depends on if it a stranger or friend.  He's anxious/concerned around strangers.  After a while he does calm down...but getting to a calm state is my mission.

7)  Yes he knows go to mat and does so.  However if someone is at the door it's all bets off.

Thanks Adrienne for your suggestions.  I'm on it.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful!

Being that he is very nervous around strangers, I feel that the behaviors you are seeing are for a good part based on anxiety, as your dog comes to anticipate people coming over and doesn't know whether they are friends or foe. The anxiety may then shift into happy excitement if he recognizes a familiar face, but we are still on a too charged level causing him to be too over threshold. This mental state causes a lack of focus and is overriding everything. So the first goal is finding ways to lower the intensity of these emotional states.

We can accomplish this using management, desensitization, counterconditioning and training alternate behaviors. Let's delve deeper on these. 

Management:  

When it comes to engaging in undesirable behaviors, practice makes perfect. The longer dogs rehearse over-the-top, overly excited behaviors, the more these are likely to establish and risk becoming their default behaviors, meaning they'll become habit-forming. Long-established habits are harder to break, but if we take steps to prevent the dog from rehearsing the problem behaviors, and on top of that, allow other desirable behaviors to eventually establish, we can allow them to outrank the undesirable ones. So this is the final goal. 

So if your dog acts out of control when guests are over, it is best to keep them away, at least, until you can get him a little more under control and get the cognitive part of the brain in a semi-working state. This is usually just a temporary measure, and/or for those times when you don't have willing guests who take directions on what to do or you need to give them undivided attention.

Therefore, before working directly with him when guests come over, you will have to work with him in making him feel less anxiety about them. For the time being, I would therefore suggest not having guests over, as we don't want him to rehearse these anxious/overly excited behaviors, or if you must have guests, he should be kept in separated area.

You mentioned you have an open room by the entrance, so therefore you may have to use a spare safe dog-proofed room, a crate, a tall exercise pen or keep him in the yard or have a family take him on a car ride while the guests are over. Provide him with a stuffed Kong to keep occupied if using confinement. 

In the background, you will have to work on ways to present people in a way that they are perceived as less threatening, while also creating positive associations and putting him into an "operant' thinking state. 

This requires doing exercises based on desensitization and counterconditioning. 

Desensitization (low level-exposures/baby steps):

Basically, when dog are uncomfortable towards certain stimuli and/or situations, the goal is to present them in forms that are perceived as less threatening and intimidating. When we present stimuli in gradual, less threatening forms, the process is known as desensitization. You can read more about desensitization here: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Counterconditioning: (forming positive associations)

Along with presenting stimuli and situations in less threatening/less intense forms, we should also aim to create positive associations. The process of creating positive associations is known as counterconditioning. You can read more about counterconditioning here: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

As a starting point, an exercise that comes handy as an introduction is the "look at that" exercise, where you can have him watch people walking by at a distance from your property. In general, one can use a leash for this exercise initially to keep him better under threshold, but since he's prone to nipping when aroused/frustrated, you can skip it for now, and instead enlist helpers to walk by your property at a further distance (like across a sidewalk, rather than directly by the sidewalk in front of your home). 

Start by conditioning to a smacking sound:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

Introduce the "look at that" exercise:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

Use Super-duper treats!

Seeing people walk by can be very exciting, overstimulating and there may also be some stress mixed in. It may be difficult to grab the dog's attention in this case, and therefore, we need to use super high-value treats that are capable of competing against the saliency of people walking by, so experiment with a variety of treats and use what works best. 

Obtain a lovely conditioned emotional response:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

You want your dog to go from feeling concerned, to looking forward to seeing people walk by and making eye contact with you in anticipation of a treat.

Once you have worked on that, and have obtained a fluent response, you will need to increase criteria, meaning you can move a step forward. People may start walking closer, then maybe jogging, then maybe waving at you, talking loud etc.

When you can't work on this, or you can't supervise your dog around windows, remember to manage (prevent access) so he doesn't revert to reacting to things he sees outside. Use heavy window drapes, block the area with furniture, close the door/ keep your dog in a different area of the house. 

Moving forward, you'll need to continue progressing, but always in controlled settings where you have control over what what happens by the door areas, and you must always be observant, constantly scanning your dog for signs of stress.

In other words, we want to keep on ensuring our dog is under the threshold. This takes some level of expertise and a good eye so that we are able to recognize the most subtle signs of stress in our dogs and intervene swiftly upon noticing them, modifying the plan so that the dog is once again comfortable and set for success.

You can therefore then start working on more direct setups, like applying desensitizing and counterconditioning to doorbells and door knocks:

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/

However, you can temporarily skip the knocking/ door bell when you are organizing setups where you will have actual guests entering the home. When we move on to having guests over, you will need volunteer guests who can follow instructions. 

Here is a general guide on how I change the mindset with dogs who bark/act reactive when somebody enters the door. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

Preliminary Training (alternate behaviors)

Sit: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/

Smacking Sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

Down: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/lie-down/

Stay: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/stay/

Lie on mat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

Training can really start easy peasy, by having your volunteer enter the door as you make you smacking sound and then toss several small pieces of tasty treats on the ground. Once the dog is about to finish the treats, the volunteer leaves. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. 

After several trials, have the volunteer enter and try asking for a sit before tossing the treats. If your dog was able to sit, toss the treats and once again, have the volunteer leave once the dog is about to finish the treats. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. 

Next, further raise criteria, see if you can ask your dog to lie down before tossing the treats. If your dog complies, toss the treats and have the volunteer leave once the dog is about to finish the treats. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. 

*If your primary door leads to unfenced yard, practice only with a door that leads to a fenced yard for safety (many dogs will escape if a door is opened just a bit and they see something that attracts them). 

Next, further raise criteria. Add a mat, place it nearby the door and as your volunteer is about to enter, ask your dog to go lie down on it. Give the treats there. Have the volunteer leave once the dog is about to finish the treats. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. 

Next, ask for a long down/stay on the mat. As your volunteer enters, ask your dog to lie on the mat and this time offer a longer-lasting chew *(like a whole dog cookie). Have your dog stay there as you chit-chat and shake hands with the guest. As your dog is about to finish the chew, have your guest leave. 

Further raise criteria. As your volunteer enters, ask your dog to lie on the mat and this time offer a much longer-lasting chew like a stuffed Kong or safe long-lasting edible. Have your guest sit down on the couch for some time. As your dog is about to finish the chew, have your guest leave. 

The goal is to be able to have the dog engage in alternate behaviors. These alternate behaviors help dogs swap to a rational, cognitive state versus acting over the top. The alternate behaviors can be several (doesn't have to be lie on a mat, although this may work best as it has built-in duration) and you can pick which ones you prefer. Some dog owners train dogs to go grab a toy and greet  guests with the toy in the mouth. 

If your dogs also jumps when guests arrive, it also helps to do several trials at home where you  see what behaviors evoke hyper behavior and gradually expose your dog to them as your dog sits watching. Then you can work on entering the house, turning around and exiting when your dogs act hyper, and entering and praising when your dogs act calm and even sit. If your dog can't resist jumping on you, he will find it even harder not to jump on guests, so make sure he learns with you first before working with guests. Here is a case study on working on jumping:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-assessing-jumping-behavior-desensitization/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-practice-greetings/

Of course, these are just general guidelines. Several adjustments may be needed based on how your dog responds, likely involving changes to the plan such as further splitting exercises into smaller steps or instilling more management. Tethering may be an option at some point, but your dog must always be supervised when tethered and a harness should be used. 

If there are any issues with safety, such as your dog showing signs of aggression, then management would be top priority (not letting him come in contact with guests) along with working along with a professional. 

Hope this helps,

I am here is you struggle with nay parts or need to do some troubleshooting.

Best regards,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping) for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques.