Dog Reactions When You Come Home

[JulesP]

Try a really loud noise to distract them from the nutty running. Saucepan lids banged together, that sort of thing. Then teach the alternative behavior.

I have to lol a bit as I have a really strong visual of what they are doing!

[Staffyluv]

They are total loons and if it was just one dog, I would not have a problem but 2 dogs doing it at the same time is just more than I can handle.

I will try the loud noise and see if that works, I have tried clapping my hands and stamping my foot but they are more interested in jumping all over the furniture.

The fact that I have an expensive white leather lounge means nothing to them and they have damaged it already.

Don't get me wrong I adore them but I guess I am just used to Ollie dog who had lovely old dog manners and these two are just insane at the best of times...

[Rusky]

you know what? I have had dogs who don't go nuts when I come home because I trained them not to..I now have a pack of loons and I adore my welcome with absolutley no intention of any retraining. I love my enthsiastic welcomes. I missed them and they missed me..ahhh perfect :D

saucepans Jules ? Oh my

I will try the loud noise and see if that works, I have tried clapping my hands and stamping my foot but they are more interested in jumping all over the furniture.

it won't Edited December 18, 2011 by Rusky

[Staffyluv]

you know what? I have had dogs who don't go nuts when I come home because I trained them not to..I now have a pack of loons and I adore my welcome with absolutley no intention of any retraining. I love my enthsiastic welcomes. I missed them and they missed me..ahhh perfect :D

saucepans Jules ? Oh my

I will try the loud noise and see if that works, I have tried clapping my hands and stamping my foot but they are more interested in jumping all over the furniture.

it won't

I work from home and do not want the dogs to do this every time i come and go during the day (which can be a few times a day). It is not just me, they jump on everyone and go nuts every time someone comes.

I think it is great that so many here want their dogs to greet them this way and are happy for them to do so but I don't want my dogs to do this. It is one thing to be welcomed home and another to put up with them not listening and running amok and ruining furniture.

My previous dog did not act this way and all future dogs that want to stay here will learn not to jump on people and ruin furniture.

I am sorry if people don't agree with me wanting to stop this behavior.

I just wanted some advice on how to teach them to stop this before I can get the funds together and take them to training in the new year.

[Weasels]

There are some great suggestions in here.

The bolded bit is the problem - I can't get them to come to me. I can't get them to stop, until they are ready and they stop of their own accord.. I have tried calling them, showing them I have a treat for them and asking them to sit but they won't sit still. They continue to chase and run riot.

I am happy they are happy but this behaviour can be quite over the top sometimes. It is getting better with me not speaking to them. By just opening the door and walking outside they do seem to understand but they are still jumping (even when I turn away, they still jump up).

It is better if we go outside rather than I let them inside - where I have no control and they won't stop (until they are ready), even when ignored.

We will just keep working on it and bring in someone to help after Christmas if we can't get it sorted on our own.

Hopefully formal training at the local dog club will be beneficial after Christmas.

The funny thing is, when they are on their own (if I take one out and the other is left at home) - they are both on their best behaviour. They really do egg each other on...

If you wanted to go down this path you might need to start slowly then build up to returning from a prolonged absence, e.g. walking out then straight back in again then training the behaviour you want. Then walking out to the front yard then back in, then when they've got working well go around the block and then back in -> train -> repeat, etc.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Weasels

[pie]

Also - can you separate them before you go out, in the beginning at least - that way when you get home they won't be feeding off each others excitement so much?

[Greytmate]

There are some great suggestions in here.

The bolded bit is the problem - I can't get them to come to me. I can't get them to stop, until they are ready and they stop of their own accord.. I have tried calling them, showing them I have a treat for them and asking them to sit but they won't sit still. They continue to chase and run riot.

I am happy they are happy but this behaviour can be quite over the top sometimes. It is getting better with me not speaking to them. By just opening the door and walking outside they do seem to understand but they are still jumping (even when I turn away, they still jump up).

It is better if we go outside rather than I let them inside - where I have no control and they won't stop (until they are ready), even when ignored.

We will just keep working on it and bring in someone to help after Christmas if we can't get it sorted on our own.

Hopefully formal training at the local dog club will be beneficial after Christmas.

The funny thing is, when they are on their own (if I take one out and the other is left at home) - they are both on their best behaviour. They really do egg each other on...

If you wanted to go down this path you might need to start slowly then build up to returning from a prolonged absence, e.g. walking out then straight back in again then training the behaviour you want. Then walking out to the front yard then back in, then when they've got working well go around the block and then back in -> train -> repeat, etc.

This is good advice.

I am having trouble understanding what is happening. If you let them inside they go crazy and you can't catch them? If they are outside they go crazy jumping on you? Or around the yard?

It sounds like going outside to them is the best approach. But if they are jumping on you rather than running around, could you take hold of the collar and restrain one of them to see if they both calm down? You can use long, slow, firm strokes along a dogs back and sides to physically calm a dog down slightly. Same as you can use light and rapid scritching around the head to excite a dog (don't do that).

Using the command 'sit' when you are not in position to enforce or reinforce the behaviour is going to undo all your training at this stage. But if you have hold of one, you might have a chance there.

There are so many variables that you might change to change the behaviour. Do the dogs react when they hear your car, or only when you get inside? Could temporary barricades be placed that prevent certain behaviour? Your dogs are in a habit and sometimes you have to look at the whole situation, alter things that trigger learned habits and try to start alternative habits. Unfortunately we just can't switch off a dog in a state of excitement, but we can lessen it, and we can also work with the excitement to obtain a more desirable behaviour.

[Staffyluv]

There are some great suggestions in here.

The bolded bit is the problem - I can't get them to come to me. I can't get them to stop, until they are ready and they stop of their own accord.. I have tried calling them, showing them I have a treat for them and asking them to sit but they won't sit still. They continue to chase and run riot.

I am happy they are happy but this behaviour can be quite over the top sometimes. It is getting better with me not speaking to them. By just opening the door and walking outside they do seem to understand but they are still jumping (even when I turn away, they still jump up).

It is better if we go outside rather than I let them inside - where I have no control and they won't stop (until they are ready), even when ignored.

We will just keep working on it and bring in someone to help after Christmas if we can't get it sorted on our own.

Hopefully formal training at the local dog club will be beneficial after Christmas.

The funny thing is, when they are on their own (if I take one out and the other is left at home) - they are both on their best behaviour. They really do egg each other on...

If you wanted to go down this path you might need to start slowly then build up to returning from a prolonged absence, e.g. walking out then straight back in again then training the behaviour you want. Then walking out to the front yard then back in, then when they've got working well go around the block and then back in -> train -> repeat, etc.

This is good advice.

I am having trouble understanding what is happening. If you let them inside they go crazy and you can't catch them? If they are outside they go crazy jumping on you? Or around the yard?

It sounds like going outside to them is the best approach. But if they are jumping on you rather than running around, could you take hold of the collar and restrain one of them to see if they both calm down? You can use long, slow, firm strokes along a dogs back and sides to physically calm a dog down slightly. Same as you can use light and rapid scritching around the head to excite a dog (don't do that).

Using the command 'sit' when you are not in position to enforce or reinforce the behaviour is going to undo all your training at this stage. But if you have hold of one, you might have a chance there.

There are so many variables that you might change to change the behaviour. Do the dogs react when they hear your car, or only when you get inside? Could temporary barricades be placed that prevent certain behaviour? Your dogs are in a habit and sometimes you have to look at the whole situation, alter things that trigger learned habits and try to start alternative habits. Unfortunately we just can't switch off a dog in a state of excitement, but we can lessen it, and we can also work with the excitement to obtain a more desirable behaviour.

Thanks.

They are both pound pups and realistically, I should have only saved one at a time as it has been years since I had to deal with dog training (and that is not fair on either of these boys) but I really wanted to save them and I did, so now I will deal with it.

Basically when I return home or get up in the morning, if they are inside, they run amok, jumping up on me and running around, jumping on furniture etc. I do close all the bedroom and bathroom doors but my house is open and there are no doors on the lounge, dining or kitchen areas. I am thinking of getting room barriers but I feel the Kelpie will just sail over these anyway (he can jump as high as me if he wants to).

If they are outside they carry on until I either let them in or go out to see them and this then results in the above behaviour.

I have tried not going straight out to them but I have now had to replace the screen over the door twice.

I am sorry, maybe I am not explaining it well.

Jumping on me, running around the house at full speed, jumping on furniture, the staffy cross talks (I am OK with this) but the Kelpie makes this whining/squeaky sort of noise (never heard it before) - I just ignore this but he still does it everytime I come home or let them in at breakfast.

It is like they can't focus and the excitement of it all just makes them go blank.

They really are good little guys and so loving.

It is hard to get a lead on either of them (I fear their previous homes were not so nice), even now after they have been here a couple of months - they are both quite fearful of the lead (and I put it on them each day for walks). I don't make a big deal of it, just walk over, bend down and connect it to the collar but they both roll over and you can just see the panic with tails tucked and ears back - I dread to think what sort of person makes a dog so fearful of a lead...

I am trying to ignore all unwanted behaviour - like the jumping, loud whining, scratching at the door etc.

We do practice sitting quietly and they can do it - WHEN they calm down, they are lovely and quiet. I can get them to sit together and wait but again, only once they calm down.

I don't seem to be able to get them to calm down - they only do this in their own time.

I hope I have made more sense this time around

Don't get me wrong with the quiet thing - we rumble and play outside with balls, frisbees and rope toys everyday and they are great at play. They even stop when I stop. It is just this coming home or first thing of a morning - it is like they have missed me that much they go ballistic and as much as I appreciate them missing me (seeing as most of the time I am only in the office - at home), I would prefer they did it with a little more restraint.

[Greytmate]

If they are outside they carry on until I either let them in or go out to see them and this then results in the above behaviour.

I have tried not going straight out to them but I have now had to replace the screen over the door twice.

Ok. In this little bit, the dog has learned that if it jumps on the door hard enough, it will open and you will come out. The dog needs to learn that if it jumps on the door, nothing good will happen. Ignoring the dog is the slow method. The fast method is setting up a negative reinforcement for the dog if it jumps on the door. That's where my 'balancing bamboo pole method' (mentioned earlier) might work.

The longer term training aim should be for the dog to learn that the door will only ever open when desirable behaviour is being displayed.

I would be looking at how the two differ in their excitement. Maybe they will need to be dealt with differently and separated quickly. Sometimes my two get overexcited in the house and start to play inside. One needs to be calmed down properly, he responds well to verbal commands, and one just needs to be restrained gently for half a minute until the wild look is gone from her eyes.

[Weasels]

It is hard to get a lead on either of them (I fear their previous homes were not so nice), even now after they have been here a couple of months - they are both quite fearful of the lead (and I put it on them each day for walks). I don't make a big deal of it, just walk over, bend down and connect it to the collar but they both roll over and you can just see the panic with tails tucked and ears back - I dread to think what sort of person makes a dog so fearful of a lead...

It sounds like they could also benefit from some counter-conditioning work with the lead. You can reward them for approaching, sniffing or even looking at the lead. If you have a clicker to do this it should help too. Then once they are more comfortable you could put the lead on, reward, then take it off. To speed up the process you could also do things like putting the lead next to their food while they are eating or feeding them out of the hand that you are holding the lead in. This is how I introduced Weez to his Dremel for nail trims, and he's been good with it so far.

If they are still panicking when you put the lead on they may not get over it on their own, as from their perspective being put on the lead is still a negative experience due to their anxiety, even if nothing bad is happening externally.

We will never know the full extent of what our rescue dogs have been through before we got them, but time + patience + training can help them a lot

[Staffyluv]

Thanks guys, I will try the bamboo thing at the door and see if that works (I just happen to have a half a roll of cheap fence covering here that is bamboo).

I do wait until they stop before letting them in but I can't just let them damage the door and screen by ignoring what they are doing when they are jumping on it and chewing it. I tried a more passive approach by spraying the door with a little citronella and the staffy cross pup licked it off (he was even curious about the eucalyptus oil I smeared around the garden bed to keep him out). The kelpie was happy to steer clear of those smells though.

I insist they sit before I open the door when I get them of a morning but as soon as they get in - they run and let everyone know they are inside...

I do positive reinforcement by giving a treat when putting the lead on. The funny thing is, it is only while I am trying to attach it or when they see it in my hands - once it is on, they are fine and will even walk around with it attached to the collar and they both walk fine on lead. In fact the kelpie boy is an absolute joy to walk. He keeps pace with you.

I am sure they will get it - eventually. I think it is me who needs more training on how to train them.