Stranger danger

How to teach your dog to greet strangers

Does your dog seem unfriendly when meeting unfamiliar people or greeting visitors to your home? If so, the chances are, he’s not actually aggressive but just doesn’t know how to handle the situation. Luckily, there are steps you can take to correct this behaviour and reassure him that there’s no need to be anxious. In this article we have some tips and tricks to make introducing your dog to new people a breeze:

Why does your dog behave the way he does?

It’s never a pleasant experience when your dog meets someone new, and he either jumps all over them or barks incessantly, but before you can hope to address this challenge, you need to understand the cause. Let’s explore some of the reasons he might exhibit such behaviour:

• Excitement: If your dog is barking at new faces but wagging his tail and displaying a friendly demeanour, he could just be overcome with excitement to meet a new person or enthusiastic about someone visiting the house.

• Territorial behaviour: Territorial dogs bark to warn invaders away when they feel their territory is threatened. A territorial dog takes his role of guarding his humans and home seriously.

• Fear: Dogs that haven’t been exposed to many new people or have experienced negative exposure to situations often bark, chase or nip. They may also display behaviours on the other end of the spectrum — a timid demeanour and snapping when they feel cornered.

• Lack of socialisation: Dogs without adequate socialisation may display undesirable behaviour when faced with unfamiliar circumstances. They thrive on routine, and it can be challenging to predict how an unsocialised dog will react when faced with a new stimulus.

How can you help your dog behave more appropriately?

Once you understand why your dog behaves the way he does and have identified his triggers, you can start to address the unwanted behaviour. It’s important to note that while this behaviour is frustrating and even embarrassing, your dog isn’t being naughty. He is simply exhibiting his natural behaviours. In his world, these behaviours are acceptable, but teaching him to behave in a human world takes time and more than a little patience.

If your dog’s behaviour concerns you or makes you feel uncomfortable, consult a qualified behaviourist for a professional assessment. Otherwise, try the following techniques.

1. IGNORE UNWANTED BEHAVIOUR

Dogs crave attention, and with this approach, you’ll be looking to teach your dog he won’t get any if he engages in unwanted behaviour. This means no praise or treats — not that you would give him any in this case — but also no communication or pulling on his leash. Any interaction from you might result in your dog misinterpreting the signals, and he could believe he’s behaving the way you want him to.

To make this approach work, you need to have a few willing and well-informed helpers. It is better to practice this technique on your own terms rather than on the unsuspecting public. Here’s how it goes:

• Put your dog’s collar or harness on and secure him on a short leash.

• Ask a friend to approach you but keep a space between you just beyond the reach of the leash.

• Your dog will naturally do what he does. Let him do it, act naturally and don’t interfere.

• Your friend should also ignore his behaviour, not make eye contact, and interact with you as if nothing is happening.

• Once your dog realises that he is not getting the reaction he wants, he may stop and settle down.

• If your dog settles down, your friend may reward him with some praise, a pat or a treat.

• If your dog does not settle down after some time, end the interaction and try again in a few minutes. Chances are that this behaviour is ingrained, and it may take a good few goes before you see improvements. Just be patient.

• Should this technique work for your pooch, you must reinforce the behaviour periodically until it replaces his old reaction.

2. WALK AWAY

If your dog doesn’t understand that barking and jumping on guests is rude, you need to show him his chosen behaviour will result in his exclusion from the festivities. Do this by simply taking your dog and walking away from the new person as soon as he displays this behaviour. Once he is calm, you can try again. Be patient; this may take a few attempts.

Once your dog stops barking and lunging, you can reward him with interaction and give him some positive reinforcement. If he starts misbehaving again, you will need to start the process from the beginning, so he knows he won’t be rewarded until he can complete the interaction without reverting back to the undesired behaviour.

3. DISTRACTION

When your dog is behaving in a manner unbecoming of a good boy, his attention often isn’t on you at all. Distracting him from the new stimulus and getting him focused on you is an excellent way to retrain him and replace unwanted behaviours.

There are several methods to try, as every dog reacts differently to various stimuli. Pushing the right buttons may require a little trial and error, but if it works and your dog focuses on you instead of the new person, reward and praise. To get his attention, the reward you give him must be more enticing than the kick he gets from achieving his objective. You may need to bring out extra special treats for this one.

Try these out to divert his attention:

• Jangling keys

• Snapping your fingers

• Using a clicker

If you have managed to stop your dog from scaring every person they come across, you both deserve a big pat on the back. It’s no easy feat and takes a great deal of patience and determination. If not, be patient and keep trying. Strangers will stop running for the hills in no time.

NOTE: Some dogs are naturally more anxious than others, and it goes without saying that we must never put our dogs in situations that make them very uncomfortable. If you feel your dog's behaviour is linked to anxiety, we suggest speaking to a behaviourist as a priority before beginning any of the training outlined here.

Your dog stopped barking and lunging; now what?

Congratulations on taking a positive step towards training your dog. You’re starting to speak the same language. It’s time to go a step further and see how far his good manners stretch. The aim of the next step is to have your dog sit and stay politely by your side, with his attention completely fixed on you, waiting for his next instruction. You’ve already done the tricky stuff, so this step should be relatively easy. Call on your willing helper once again and ask them to walk towards you and greet you. Once you’re face to face, give your dog the ‘sit’ command and have him sit on your left side. Shake hands and continue your conversation. If your dog remains sitting, you can treat him and then ask him to come with you and walk away. If he becomes restless, ignore the behaviour and just walk away and try again. Start with short interactions here and build on these until you can have a conversation with your helper. If you think your dog is up for more of a challenge, ask your friend to interact with him and see if he has the obedience to stay put, not start jumping or getting overexcited. Remember to positively reward your dog at each step to reinforce the good behaviour.

Note: It is also important that humans greeting the dog behave appropriately around the dog. Most dogs don’t like somebody close to their face and many do not enjoy being patted on the head. Please make sure that your dog does in fact find the rewards you give him in the training a positive experience, not something he would rather avoid.

Final words

Teaching your dog to be obedient is no small task. It’s always best to start in puppyhood, but sometimes, life gets in the way, and we can’t get around to everything in such a short time. It’s never too late to train a dog, and with a little time and patience, your dog will soon be the toast of every gathering. Work together, and you never know what you can achieve.