Does your dog control your visitors?

Does your dog control your visitors?

Pushy dogs always want to dominate visitors. They bark at them, herd them, jump up on them, lean on them, tread on their toes, block their way, lick them and nudge them for pats.

Each one of these things wins your dog a point – so by the end of the visit your dog can win thousands of extra points. This is why your dog can be so naughty for hours after your visitors go home.

The trouble with this situation is that if your dog wins more points than your visitors then it’s allowed to nip them.

TIP: Children are particularly tempting targets for dogs to throw a constant stream of challenges at.

Solution: Ask your visitors to completely ignore your dog and pretend it doesn’t exist. If your dog is too excited to settle when visitors are around, tie it up in a corner on a mat or put in the laundry till they go home. The more points you win in other parts of your dog’s life will help it act in a more mannerly, respectful way when visitors come over.