How Can We Have A Party When Dillard Sobs Pitifully In His Crate?

[Guest LauraB]

Dillard is coming along. He is sweet. He walks on a lead. He comes 75% of the time and the nights are fine. He sleeps in a crate in our room and waits till we get up. We haven't succeeded with "stay" yet.The big problem now is that he jumps on new people. It's just the 2 of us and not very much company. When someone comes to the door I have to put him on a lead and I can barely hold him back. I pull downward but it's very hard. Then I do get him into his crate where he whines and cries and barks, unless I pull up a chair and sit right next to him so I can touch him. When we don't have people over, he is happy in his crate and he is happily crated at night and when we go out. Never an issue.

So, New Year's Eve I have 10 friends for dinner. I can't board him because there is no pickup New Year's Day so it would cost $70. plus tax. yikes. The only thing I can think of is to put his crate in the heated garage, give him a good bone and a radio and hope he sleeps. If he howls and barks we will definitely hear him. Please make suggestions.

BTW, last time, and the only time since we got him, we had friends over, he howled for an hour and then we put the crate outside and he howled outside for a while, but it's too cold now.

Laura

[mychip1]

Will he settle after the initial jumping? JJ likes to jump on people when they first come in, but within five minutes he settles. So, if you can hang on to him on a leash while the people arrive, can you get through the rest after? If you crate him when they are coming in and then let him out, will he still jump?

[Guest rennina]

How about confining him in an area with dog gates or a play pen?

[Guest LauraB]

I tried letting him out after being crated when my book group was here 2 weeks ago. He jumped all over them. I finally sat next to the crate and fed him chicken feet to quiet him. My New Year's Eve group has 6 people who definitely are not dog people and would not welcome being jumped on. One of them had back surgery recently. I can't put him in the bedroom and close the door. He will go bonkers.

[Batmom]

See if you can borrow a 4' tall exercise pen (ex-pen) and try putting that where he can see visitors. Nice bed inside, water dish. Best bolt it to the wall in case he puts his feet up. Usually if they can move around a bit when they get excited (OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!! NEW PEOPLE!!!!) they settle down faster.

[Guest OPointyDog]

What about a baby gate that he can see through but still be confined? My parents used to baby gate their golden retrievers into the laundry room during parties and they would make pitiful moaning sounds for awhile and then just lay there looking sad.

[mom2four]

Hi there. We have 6 hounds to greet people that come over (that does not happen often and they are for the most part dog people). After 5 minutes of meeting and greeting they all go lay down again as the excitement is over!

I would also suggest an Expen or a babygate in front of the bedroom door so that Dillard can see everyone. Since he is still new he has to learn these things.

[Guest FijiHound]

I have no advice for this... I have a grey who would rather not meet another stranger for the rest of her life

[macoduck]

This might not sit well with some here, but I use a squirt bottle. My mutt is too rowdy when folks come over and a spray of water has been the only thing she obeys. We are now at the point where I only have to pick up the bottle and she will settle.

[Guest PhillyPups]

My personal feeling, and it is just my opinion, I would not confine any of my dogs to a crate outside or in a lonely garage just so I could entertain. I would socialize my dog a bit more. When I come home or anyone comes in, I (or they) get mugged for about 2 or 3 minutes. I know Gizmo will jump and "nit", so I hold his collar, rubbing his ears and telling him how good he is while greeting guests. Once the guests sit down, they all go for sniffs/pets, then after about 10 or 20 seconds, they all find a bed to lay down on. They are just greeting new people in the way they know how, sometimes even with a butt sniff.

 

This is my dogs' home, they live here, anyone coming in has to understand that or they can choose not to come.

 

Dogs are dogs, they bark, they shed, they sometimes have accidents, they get excited over new things, be it a person coming into their home, or a leaf blowing by them, they are living beings, and this is what they do. If I cannot accept that then I should just have stuffed animals that do none of the above.

 

As I said, this is my personal opinion, may not be the same as others, but that is what makes us all different.

[Guest june]

I don't know if this would work but might be worth a try. It is called flooding. Have someone or many someones stop over at the house every day or several times a day. Keep him on a leash to greet. As soon as the feet are on the floor have the person give him some scratches and petting and maybe a small treat. The hope is that the more times he experiences someone or people coming over the less exciting it becomes. I know you don't have much time before New Year, but it might be worth a try.

Good luck.

[Guest amethyst]

How about hiring a kid he likes to come over and sit in a spare room with Dillard? They can hang out together for the evening, watching TV, playing video games, etc..

[Guest Trammell]

I don't know if this would work but might be worth a try. It is called flooding. Have someone or many someones stop over at the house every day or several times a day. Keep him on a leash to greet. As soon as the feet are on the floor have the person give him some scratches and petting and maybe a small treat. The hope is that the more times he experiences someone or people coming over the less exciting it becomes. I know you don't have much time before New Year, but it might be worth a try.

Good luck.

This sounds good. I had friends come over and raise their knee up when the dog tried to jump up. Not a hard or hurtful knee to the dog, but a raise up - it makes it uncomfortable for the dog, then like above when the feet are on the floor pets and schritches. Nothing wrong with having a party that only involves your two legged folks - not everyone is a dog person.

[fsugrad]

How about hiring a kid he likes to come over and sit in a spare room with Dillard? They can hang out together for the evening, watching TV, playing video games, etc..

I think this is an excellent idea! Dillard is new and just figuring things out. You are entitled to be able to have some friends over without stressing over your hound jumping all over them or whining pitifully all night. Dillard with a buddy in another room....a buddy that can watch tv with him, give him some special treats and loving, etc. might work! You might even want to have the buddy spring a new toy on him, or a new stuffed kong or something extra special to help keep him occupied that night.

He will come around. For what it's worth, ours have always made a big fuss over guests, greeting, tail wagging, etc when they first arrive, but like everyone else said, they're done after a minute or so and then they're off to find a bed away from all the noise and activity.

[a_daerr]

Jumping is a dog's way of getting closer to a person's face, which is how they communicate their willingness to greet you. The solution is to socialize him with people and teach appropriate ways to greet. I've found that the easiest way to do this is to turn your back to him when he's jumping. This is a Victoria Stillwell trick. When you have guests over, instruct your guests not to look at or touch him- ignore, ignore, ignore- until he is standly politely. If you work on this often, he'll soon realize that jumping does not get him the attention that he wants. Reinforce the behavior by giving him pets and telling him what a good boy he is when he's calmly standing or sitting. The trick is to be consistent. If you have one friend who excuses the jumping and says, "Oh, it's okay! I like dogs!" that can be a big setback.

 

In Dillard's situation, I don't think crating him is going to help because it will likely make him more excited. Then, you run the risk that when the crate door opens, he's like a bat out of hell and the situation is out of control again. AFTER your guests come in and he's greeted them and subsequently calmed down, then you can put him in his crate with a kong, bone, etc. (something he can work on for awhile). In his case, I would make sure he's within eyeshot of you and the guests. Shutting him away in another room (while good for a dog who is fearful or nervous of strangers) is frustrating for a social dog who wants to know what is going on.

 

Truman used to jump hardcore. Since training, he now does what we call "little hops."

Edited December 18, 2012 by a_daerr

[BatterseaBrindl]

My personal feeling, and it is just my opinion, I would not confine any of my dogs to a crate outside or in a lonely garage just so I could entertain. I would socialize my dog a bit more. When I come home or anyone comes in, I (or they) get mugged for about 2 or 3 minutes. I know Gizmo will jump and "nit", so I hold his collar, rubbing his ears and telling him how good he is while greeting guests. Once the guests sit down, they all go for sniffs/pets, then after about 10 or 20 seconds, they all find a bed to lay down on. They are just greeting new people in the way they know how, sometimes even with a butt sniff.

 

This is my dogs' home, they live here, anyone coming in has to understand that or they can choose not to come.

 

Dogs are dogs, they bark, they shed, they sometimes have accidents, they get excited over new things, be it a person coming into their home, or a leaf blowing by them, they are living beings, and this is what they do. If I cannot accept that then I should just have stuffed animals that do none of the above.

 

As I said, this is my personal opinion, may not be the same as others, but that is what makes us all different.

 

 

Our house.

Our dogs.

 

All three of ours will quietly sleep on their beds while there is company....but they do need that chance to say hello.

 

Ruby is a jumper too, but she has learned to Go Lie Down.

We don't get a lot of company either, so it took a while, but she is very good now.

 

 

Perhaps you could try the 'flooding', but you must be consistent.

Let him greet the visitors while you have him on a SHORT leash...or hold his collar, so he can't get too far away from you.

You must remain calm and don't let the visitors get excited ...

I would not let them touch or feed him..... He may come to expect food from every person who comes in the door.

If Dillard is not getting any attention from the visitor, perhaps he'll settle easier.

 

No Touch, No Talk. No Eye Contact.... until he settles down.

 

Practice. Practice.Practice.

Edited December 18, 2012 by BatterseaBrindl

[Roo]

Eli is a serious greeter at home and in our neighborhood - he'll do his best to twine between legs (difficult because he's so tall!), he crawls into laps, and sometimes he'll jump up or step on toes. I used to get tense (oops!) and hold him back, trying to make him behave, but I quickly realized that his enthusiasm only lasts about 30 seconds and then he's on the lookout for the next person or a moving leaf or something. You might try having a couple people over for a few minutes - invite them in, keep Dillard leashed so that he can greet them but you can control him, and tell them that if he jumps they should take a step toward him or just turn around (as suggested above). Stepping toward them "claims" your space and usually sets them off balance so they have to get back on all fours. Once they're down and calm, allow petting. After the initial greeting, have your practice guests come in and sit down for a few minutes and see what Dillard does. If the greets them again and then goes to lay down - great! If he greets them again and won't leave them alone, then you might need to consider baby-gating him in another room or having someone come over to sit with him during your party.

 

Having guests give treats when Dillard is behaving is also a good idea - though like someone else said, having every visitor hand out treats will eventually instill in him that every visitor will have food You can still use treats, though - just start out by having every visitor give a treat when he's behaving, and then slowly dial it back to every other visitor, then only occasional visitors, and then just sporadically. That way he'll start out learning that if he behaves around visitors, they'll give him food, but then he'll never know when they'll be giving out food, so he'll have to behave all the time. I'm not sure that's explained right, but it can work.

 

Other than that, I like the idea of having a doggysitter come over to spend the evening with him. That way he's entertained and you're able to entertain without worrying about him.

[Guest memadeit]

My personal feeling, and it is just my opinion, I would not confine any of my dogs to a crate outside or in a lonely garage just so I could entertain. I would socialize my dog a bit more. When I come home or anyone comes in, I (or they) get mugged for about 2 or 3 minutes. I know Gizmo will jump and "nit", so I hold his collar, rubbing his ears and telling him how good he is while greeting guests. Once the guests sit down, they all go for sniffs/pets, then after about 10 or 20 seconds, they all find a bed to lay down on. They are just greeting new people in the way they know how, sometimes even with a butt sniff.

 

This is my dogs' home, they live here, anyone coming in has to understand that or they can choose not to come.

 

Dogs are dogs, they bark, they shed, they sometimes have accidents, they get excited over new things, be it a person coming into their home, or a leaf blowing by them, they are living beings, and this is what they do. If I cannot accept that then I should just have stuffed animals that do none of the above.

 

As I said, this is my personal opinion, may not be the same as others, but that is what makes us all different.

 

 

Our house.

Our dogs.

 

All three of ours will quietly sleep on their beds while there is company....but they do need that chance to say hello.

 

Ruby is a jumper too, but she has learned to Go Lie Down.

We don't get a lot of company either, so it took a while, but she is very good now.

 

 

Perhaps you could try the 'flooding', but you must be consistent.

Let him greet the visitors while you have him on a SHORT leash...or hold his collar, so he can't get too far away from you.

You must remain calm and don't let the visitors get excited ...

I would not let them touch or feed him..... He may come to expect food from every person who comes in the door.

If Dillard is not getting any attention from the visitor, perhaps he'll settle easier.

 

No Touch, No Talk. No Eye Contact.... until he settles down.

 

Practice. Practice.Practice.

Dito, our house, my dogs home. If you don't like it, dont come over.

[macoduck]

If you have a neighborhood kid who will dogsit for you, remind him not to take you dog outside without you. There's likely to be noisy fireworks that would spook him.

Is there a nearby greyhound owner who would dogsit for you?

[GeorgeofNE]

He's never going to learn how to act around people if he's never allowed to BE around people. And please stop rewarding him for his whining in the crate by giving him EXACTLY what he wants--your undivided attention. Lot of mixed signals going on here!

 

You need some volunteers to come over and get jumped on a few times. Have the leash on him. When he goes in for the jump, pull backwards and say "Off!" (or something similar) and do NOT pay any attention to him until he behaves nicely.

[Guest starbuck]

I have a lengthy list of suggestions that I tried to PM you with, but I think you're still too new on the forums to be able to receive messages. If you're comfortable with giving out your e-mail address, I'd be happy to send them along.

[Guest LauraB]

Thanks starbuck. I can't figure out how to PM you.

[Guest kkaiser104]

Teddi was a pretty crazy jumper when I first brought him home. I was terrified he would either knock someone over or get out of the door and I just couldn't take that chance. Luckily, most of my company are my aged, so they're young and can handle it. I agree with the suggestion to have your guests turn their backs until he learns. Also, it's important to teach him to go to his bed. My method of training Teddi was as follows:

 

1) Ask a dog-savvy friend to come over to help you. I gave my friend wine...lots of wine...

2) Have them knock, ring the bell, whatever your guests normally do when they enter your home. Greet them as you always would, open the door, ask them to come in, whatever. This is best done with a friend (s/o or otherwise) who can hold Dillard to make sure he doesn't bolt from the door. My roommate held him around his chest in a crouch position, as Teddi gets very upset if you put a leash on him or hold him by the collar for an extended period.

3) Once the friend comes in and the door is shut, let Dillard go. Have your friend turn around immediately when he comes for them. Ask them to keep quiet, not to yelp or yell at him. That's just going to excite him more.

4) Once he calms down, have your friend reward him with a treat or a pet.

5) Rinse and repeat.

 

Another option, and one that we used after Teddi got over the excitement, was to just ask him to "go lay in your bed" when my guests came in. To teach this, we always referred to his bed as his bed when he went to it. Combined with lay down, he figured it out very quickly. Now we almost always just ask him to go to his bed until he calms himself down a little. Then we release him from the stay and he's allowed to come say hi. He normally calms down very quickly though.

 

Good luck! Remember, it's his house too and it will be very confusing to him if he has to go in his crate/locked away when people come over to visit.

[45MPHK9]

Thanks starbuck. I can't figure out how to PM you.

You need 50 posts to PM.

[Guest LauraB]

starbuck

laura@hvlp.com

Thank you so much.