# etiquette with guests



## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi everyone!
Just had a question for some tips-- we've been working on getting our 7 month old vizsla to lie down and stay when a guest walks through the door. He's getting better at it and does it pretty reliably. After the guest is there for a little while, he is no respector of personal space. If the guest is sitting on the couch, he wants to sit right in front with his nose up in their face and tries to get a lick in if possible. While deep deep down I find it sweet, I know that others don't want to be on such an intimate basis with my very outgoing pup. Should I work on getting him to keep a down stay? Should I ask my guests to claim their space so that he can't get any closer than they feel comfortable? How do you work on getting your dog to have manners around your guests?

Thank you!


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

I NEED TO KNOW this as well. Just dealt with Ruby (7 months) being out of control with excitement when the AC guy came to the house. I always try to tell my guests to ignore her and not give her attention but it is bad.

How did you get him to lie down and stay so well?


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

Rubyroo,
LOTS of practice. Start easy by knocking on the door yourself, put Ruby in a down stay, go to the door while keeping your hand up to motion the stay, open the door, keep looking at her. If she even looks like she's about to break, step forward with your hand out to reinforce the down stay. If she can't keep the down stay during this exercise, make it simpler for her. Don't knock, just have her in a down stay, open the door, close it, release her and praise. Once you can knock and open it yourself, make it a little more difficult. Have someone who's home go outside and knock. Put her in a down stay. If she breaks the stay, have the guest leave immediately, knock, and try again. You can also throw treats while she's lying there to keep her down. As you get this, try doing it with neighbors who come over. They're going to break the stay many times, so the trick is to preempt the break by watching for a vigorously wagging tail or very bright eyes (haha!). At first you'll have to pay more attention to the dog than the guest. Keep eye contact with the dog while the guest comes in. It takes a lot of practice, but it's a great mental exercise for them & also so good for impulse control! 

If you're having someone come through the door and you can't practice, I'd put Ruby in a place where she can't go nuts when a guest comes so doesn't keep continuing that habit. The other thing you can do is use a checkcord while you're training so that you can control where she goes.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Cesar Millan Mastering Leadership Vol 4

This is right to the point. I use this DVD and found to be his best work yet. The fact that he consults other dog trainers proves it.


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. We tried this last night on ringing the door bell. Ruby caught on very quick that is was either me or my husband at the door and wouldn't react after a few times ;D. We are just going to keep trying it everyday. My parents are moving close by us and will be coming over a lot so that should be good practice.


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

datacan- thank you for the tip. Definitely going to get it on netflix.

rubyroo- that's actually perfect! No reaction is what you want to strive for every time and the more they get to practice that and see that it's the behavior we want, the better! Most of my friends know that whenever they knock, I need a few moments to put Miles in a down stay and they're in on the fact that if he breaks it, they're leaving. He looks so disappointed when that happens!


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## LuckysMomSamj530 (Jul 14, 2009)

Just kidding (not really kidding)...[/color]

"A Notice to People Who Visit My Home:

The dogs live here...you don't.

If you don't want dog hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.

Yes, he has some disgusting habits. So do I, and so do you. What's your point?

OF COURSE he smells like a dog.

It's his nature to try to sniff your crotch. Please feel free to sniff his...

I like him a lot better than I like most people.

To you he's a dog. To me he's an adopted son, who is short, hairy, walks on all fours, doesn't speak clearly, and hates cats. I have no problem with any of these things.

Dogs don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train than kids, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about whether they have the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and if they get pregnant you can sell the puppies !!"


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

That made me laugh out loud! Too cute!!


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/07/notice-to-people-who-visit-my-home.html

LuckysMomSamj530,

That was very cute. Altered it a bit for my blog. Hope you don't mind.

Rod a.k.a. redbirddog


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