Basic Commands You Need to Teach Your Dog Before Guests Come Over to Visit

BY | September 12 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY

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While you might be ready to have your pup tag along with you to parties and family get-togethers, he might not be completely ready for it. If you are visiting friends or relatives, or have guests over at your house, make sure that your dog knows these basic commands.

House training basics

One of the most common issues dog owners face when they visit someone else’s house are the basic house training mistakes. Your dog might understand that it is not acceptable to relieve himself inside your house, but he does not get the fact that the same applies inside the homes of your family and friends. Just to be on the safer side and avoid an unwanted accident, take him out to relieve himself as soon as you arrive at the destination and praise him for doing his business. Use your “go potty” or “go outside” command by letting him out after eating or drinking. Supervise him as closely as you can when you house training him for the first time.

Jumping

Dogs tend to start excited pretty soon and before you know it, they are jumping around for attention. Dog owners don’t handle the jumping behavior of their dogs properly and this leads to repeat offenses. In most of the cases, they end up inadvertently rewarding their dogs for their behavior by using their hands to move them off, which can seem a lot like petting. However, this will end up giving your dog more attention. The better response would be to ignore him completely and withhold all attention till he has all the paws back on the floor. Or, if you have taught him the “off” command, make sure that he listens to it and has all the paws on the ground before you reward him.

The “Sit” command

This is the most important behavior your dog needs to know before you take him to visit people. Your dog must have a clear understanding of how to control his voice and mouth, and a “sit” command should be able to take care of inappropriate biting, chewing and barking. To teach him to hold that position, ask him to “sit” and withhold rewards till he has complied. Keep repeating the routine for longer time intervals, till he comes to understand that “sit” means “sit and calm down”.As Fido gets better at sitting and staying when you command him to, you can take away the treats and replace them with petting and words of praise. Eventually, he will learn to sit without the expectation of any other reward except your approval. When that happens, you know that your dog is ready to go anywhere you take him.

Teach Your Dog To Behave Properly In Front Of Others

Be it humans or animals, discipline is a must for everyone. Dogs, especially must be taught how to behave when they are in the presence of someone else. Remember that movie ‘Marley and Me’? It’s cute but you wouldn’t want your dog to jump over people and bother them all the time.If you don’t want your dog to become another Marley, then here are some tips that should help you with the behavior training.

Be in charge

We know that you love your pet very much. But that does not mean you should let him decide what’s good and what’s bad. Make your dog understand that you’re the owner and you are in charge. Teach him do’s and don’ts when he meets someone who dislikes dogs. Sometimes, it is important for you to show who’s the boss in the house. Of course, that does not mean you should use extreme measures. It should be enough to let you have control of the situation.

Greeting visitors

Some dogs have an irritating habit of sniffing about an unknown person. From the dog’s point of view, it is the obvious thing to do. However, most people won’t enjoy having a big dog sniffing at them. The next time someone pays you a visit, teach your dog to sit at a distance from the door. Open the door only when your dog is sitting comfortably. Don’t allow your dog to come too close to the visitor unless they know each other.

Play safe

If you’re playing with your dog in the presence of a third person, then make sure you do it safely. Don’t throw the ball near the visitor so that your dog has to make contact with him/her. Maintain distance and teach your dog to do the same. Use treats and praises to teach your dog to behave nicely in front of others. Also, try playing games that don’t require running around too much. Some people are sacred of dogs running around them.

Conclusion

Training is an important part in a dog’s life and every owner must ensure that it gets the best training possible. People like dogs who know how to behave themselves, especially in front of others. It’s not difficult to train a dog to be on its best behavior. There are some simple rules that owners must follow. Owners can use treats to teach their dogs to stay away from the visitor. It can also be used to keep the dogs from barking unnecessarily whenever they see a new person. Teach your dog to sit down at a distance and let him take as much as time as he wants before he learns how to behave properly.

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