Any Dog Trainers here???

[KauaiK]

I have a 11 mo old large puppy (part lab, part pit, part black mouth cur, part wonder dog - we wonder what she is).

Someone dumped her in a shopping center parking lot and of course sucker here picked her up with the intention of taking her to the humane society the next day. HAH!

ISSUE: She's very good; sweet, gets along with the old cat not a mean bone anywhere and well mannered - EXCEPT when someone comes to the house. Then she gets hyper excited and goes completely batshit crazy. She so good in every other way except this.

She's OVERLY social - loves people!! Most dog training speaks to "anti" social dogs.

[elleng]

1. No idea.

Check with the Pets forum, and good luck.

[NV Whino]

2. Not a trainer, but

She's a puppy. Give her a chance.

However, "overly social" can be handled the same as antisocial. Check out some Cesar DVDs. They'll give you some clues how to handle overly friendly behavior. Some of his videos are streaming on Netflix. Some libraries carry them as well.

[KauaiK]

3. Thanks!

[roody]

4. Do you have a crate? Crate train her.

Teach her "off." You will need lots of treats for training. Have someone come over as a visitor. Reward her lots for sitting while you visit. She has to learn good manners to be a good dog. I'm sure youtube has lots of training videos.

[femmocrat]

5. Find a friend or helper who won't mind coming to the door repeatedly.

Have that person knock or ring the bell. Make Puppy SIT. If she gets up, make her sit again. Keep repeating it until she "gets it". Reward her. Then allow the person to enter, but do not let the puppy jump up. You will have to repeat this exercise over several days or weeks, but keep at it. It takes lots of repetition.

Oh, and do not permit the visitor to fuss over the puppy. Our family members know to just walk right past the dogs and to say "hello" to them later.

Our front door opens on to a staircase, so we taught ours to wait on the steps. The youngest one never quite got the hang of it though, because we have so few visitors.

Good luck!

[underahedgerow]

6. Cesar Milan is your new best friend! He is such a go-to source for common dog behavior

understanding! Here's a video that addresses this common issue http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/dogbarking/Ask-Cesar-Doorbell-Barkers and he's got many others.

And please don't put your dog (or any dog, puppy or adult) in a crate as another poster suggested.

To gain control it's best to simply ignore your doggie when you come home, and to have your guests ignore the dog for at least 2 minutes when they arrive as well.

When you arrive home, don't make eye contact or acknowledge pup in any way for at least 2 minutes. Then calmly call pup to you and before you touch him, have him sit until he's calm. Rub him on his chest and greet him. Don't make a big fuss, just keep calm.

I did this with my pup since he was a wee chappie and he doesn't spazz out at the door with anyone. I used the same technique on older dogs and with client's dogs who've had this common problem, and it works well also.

Always give a specific direction (works with kids too) rather than just saying no. Telling pup to sit or lay down, etc. The point is to redirect their focus and attention to something else rather than just saying 'no' all the time.

You're a great doggie daddy, what a lucky pooch!

[KauaiK]

7. Thank you...

I wouldn't crate her. I i don't have one anyway.

She only does it with visitors. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try it She really is a good dog and very sweet. She just LOVES visitors.

[ripcord]

8. Let her meet more people

When she has been properly socialized she will calm down. Many dog people would be willing to put up with meeting an effusive puppy.

[pnwmom]

9. A puppy like that needs a LOT of daily exercise. If she can't be exercising,

she needs to be chewing on safe things.

Is she getting enough activity or is she feeling kind of pent up?

[roody]

10. Dogs love their crates when used correctly.

It is a safe place where they cannot screw up.

[Major Nikon]

11. Check into clicker training

It's a 100% positive reinforcement method of dog training that teaches your dog to control themselves.

In a nutshell it basically involves a mat, a clicker, and treats. A special mat (used only while training) provides a home base for the dog. You then slowly introduce the types of things that cause the dog to go batshit, and reward them for staying on the mat. The clicker is used at first in conjunction with treats to get the dog to associate the clicks with good behavior. Eventually you can reduce or eliminate the amount of treats given.

It worked very effectively with a dog I had that did the same thing as yours. It does take patience as the training needs to be applied in very small doses over however long it takes to modify the behavior, which may be a few weeks.