Some pooches can be very welcoming to everyone, wag their tails, sniff and generally want to have a fuss made of them. For these pooches, barking may simply be a way to say 'Hi!' to a new friend. However, other dogs may be more wary and bark and growl at strangers in a territorial, or fearful way, especially if a new person is coming into their home or safe space. Gradual training and reassurance can usually help to solve or reduce feaful behaviour. Put steps in place to protect your pooch from stress and work on reducing the fear.
HOW TO HELP YOUR DOG COPE WHEN THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT GUESTS IN THE HOME
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Introduce guests to your dog
- If you think your dog can cope with meeting new people follow the steps below. However, if your dog gets too overwhelmed with this experience it may be best to not jump straight into this and instead work with a professional to ger to this point
- Keep guest numbers low at first, you do not want to overwhelm you dog.
- Allow your dog to approach visitors in their own time, sniff and familiarise themselves. Do not encourage your visitors to approach your dog. Even throwing treats away from themselves can tell you dog you dont have to come near.
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ADAPTIL Calm can help your dog feel more confident!
- ADAPTIL Calm Diffuser releases appeasing pheromones, a copy of what a mother naturally releases to her puppies to make them feel secure. To create a safe and secure environment by plugging in ADAPTIL Calm you are sending this message to you dog.
- Plug in the diffuser ideally 24 hours before house visitors arrive, near your dog’s bed or where they spend lots of time. If it’s a regular occurrence have a diffuser plugged in at all times to provide constant support.
Vet recommended calming solution.
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Reward a good dog!
- Have lots of tasty treats!
- When your dog is able to act calmly and behaves in a way you want them to around visitors, that deserves a nice treat. Make sure when you are setting up this scenario you have plenty in as it will make the experience more positive for them.
- Our trainer's tip: Even better if your guests give treats to your dog, they will soon become best friends! ! If your dog is not keen about approaching the guests, they can throw the treats in their direction instead.
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Try using their lead
- If you struggle to stop your dog from jumping on your guests, and/or leaving them alone, have them on a lead when your guests arrive, and reward all paws on the floor.
- Alternatively your dog may be happier in a different room initially, and then welcome your guests later once the initial excitement of their arrival has past. Babygates can be useful for this.
We recommend:
To plug-in near your dog's bed, ideally 24 h before guests arrival
Offer this delicious fast calming treat to your dog when visitors come
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Recommended by Vets
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WHY IS MY DOG NERVOUS OF VISITORS?
Having a dog that is worried about visitors can take some work and practice to overcome. Always make sure, if you are worried, you have spoken to a trained professional on how you can help tackle this fear. ADAPTIL Calm is a perfect support tool to help support your dog.
Visitors from Your Dog’s Point Of View
Our vet explains: Visitors are a break in the normal routine. Depending on your dog, visitors might be perceived as friends or foes, but in both cases they are a change, which can be stressful for dogs. Dogs won’t always understand what’s going on when all of these new visitors enter your home. It might result in nervous dog barking at visitors, or even your dog acting aggressively. If your have a dog reacting in this way, it's important you look into extra support straight away with a behaviourist.
Some other dogs will bark and jump on guests, in a more friendly manner, but which as a behaviour is less than ideal. It’s common for dogs to react poorly to things that they are unfamiliar with. Doorbell sounds, visiting guests and unfamiliar scents can all be alarming to your pet if they are not used to them.
For more, read Why does my dog bark and growl at guests.
When visitors are over it’s important to teach your dog what you want them to do. Give your dog clear instructions and remember how you want them to act in the situation e.g. no jumping up. Read why is my dog nervous of visitors? for more tips.
If you are ever worried about your dog, its important you get additional support. Visit your vet to check if you dog is in pain,
and speak to a behaviourist / trainer to help you put a plan into place to re-train your dogs current fears safely.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - DOG NERVOUS OF VISITORS / DOG BARKING AT VISITORS
HOW CAN I CALM MY EXCITABLE DOG WHEN VISITORS ARRIVE?
You might wonder how do I get my dog to leave guests alone. The secret is to create some normality, practice and comfort for your dog during this special moment.
Ask guests to ignore your dog completely at first, this includes no petting, talking, looking at them or giving treats.
Your dog can be fearful if the visitors come straight in and want to interact with them. Ask your visitors to only interact with your dog when your dog has gone to them or when you are all sitting down after a while and the dog looks calm; never force a dog to interact.
If it's too difficult for your dog to calm down, consider placing your dog in a separate, calmer room, like a 'safe haven'.
WHAT EXTRA SUPPORT CAN I GIVE MY DOG WHEN VISITORS ARRIVE?
Give Your Dog Extra Support
Some dogs just need extra help when visitors are in the home to feel comfortable!
- If you haven’t planned ahead for the guests visit, we recommend that you use ThunderShirt: easy to wrap around your dog’s body, it will quickly calm your dog by applying a gentle, constant pressure.
- If you know in advance that your friends or relatives are coming over, plug in ADAPTIL Calm Diffuser, ideally 24 hours before they arrive, near your dog’s resting place. Or, if you have a generally anxious dog, having this plugged in at all times can be beneficial.
The ‘appeasing pheromones’ of ADAPTIL will help your dog feel calm and secure during the visit.
CAN I TRAIN MY DOG TO COPE WITH VISITORS?
Yes, you can train your dog to cope with visitors
Gradually socialising your dog on walks, classes, and in everyday situations can help them learn to stay calm around new and unfamiliar people. Familiarising your pet with the sound of the doorbell - rewarding calm behaviour, and ignoring aggression or barking, may help if the sound of the doorbell is a trigger.
TESTIMONIALS
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