New Rescue Greyhound Bit The Dog-Sitter

[Guest TMag]

To nnamdismom: In the instance with the dog-sitter, Marco bit as the door was opening, it was a blind situation for him, and I'm sure that he was scared of who was entering. When he was crated he had no issues with the dog-sitter - probably because he had more time to see who was entering his space. I'm not sure if he growled before the dog-sitter bite. He has growled before in instances where our other dog approached his bed, or where he was anxious about his food.

 

Some notes on our recent training:

 

1. We have been doing a lot of knocking, doorbell ringing and treating. After about a week of daily short sessions, he is rarely barking, and sometimes he doesn't even rush the door anymore.

 

2. in instances when we know someone is approaching the door (i.e. pizza delivery), we start treating him for "WAIT" before the doorbell rings. So he is in a calm and happy mood. When the doorbell finally rings (or the visitor knocks), we just keep training for "WAIT" as the door opens. Then I walk him to the door to see who is there, and continue to treat him if he remains calm. It seems to be working well. All on leash. I decided to do this so we weren't treating him after the bell rang, at which point we would be treating him during feelings of anxiety or fear.

Edited January 6, 2017 by TMag

[Guest Amber]

Judging by your dog's reaction (he's gorgeous by the way) with the training session, I don't think it is a good idea to have a dog walker come in at the moment. Is there any way one of you can go home at lunchtimes instead?

 

With the desensitisation training to people coming to the door - needs to be a lot more controlled, with someone holding the dog on leash, so he is not allowed to practice the unwanted behaviour (rushing to the door, aggressively barking).

 

First though I would set up some foundation behaviours of what you DO want, using clicker training if possible. So without any distractions or door bells, teach him things first like lie down, or fetch a toy. Then once he has the hang of some commands, you can introduce the doorbell/strangers coming but with one of you holding him on leash and clicking and treating for an alternative behaviour. Then gradually allow him to greet the person calmly.

 

I think his current behaviour is probably down to the insecurity of being in a new home and feeling stressed, generally. So it will take time for him to settle down but in the meantime, try to 'manage' the situation of the strangers at the door by not allowing the negative behaviour and by removing as much risk as possible (ie the dog walker).

 

[Guest TMag]

Here's an update on Marco 8 months later! Marco was having territoriality issues, and has been in positive training mode.

 

We had a great summer - worked hard with a trainer. We did a lot of outdoor socialization - met lots of people and dogs on neutral territory ground, and made lots of food delivery orders for door training! We reserve all peanut butter for food delivery moments. Now he runs to his bed when the doorbell rings! He knows a KONG with PB is on the way. This has been great.

 

We stopped hiring a dog walker, and I drove home from work everyday for 5 months to take him for his lunch walk. Now my wife is part-time and is his primary care giver, which is a great situation for us. Everyone is happier.

 

Marco also made a new friend in the neighborhood - a Whippet who he loves. He visits their house and there are lots of kids - he loves everyone there.

 

Marco has gone with us on road trips, to visit family, and to visit neighbors houses. He has behaved PERFECTLY off of his territory. Always sweet and placid (although sometimes slightly nervous) with new people, kids and dogs. He loves to sniff new people and dogs.

 

Marco greets his Whippets owner with friendliness when she comes to the door. No problem. He greets his trainer with kindness and a wagging tail. He is fine at the door with friends that he is familiar with.

 

There are still some hang-ups. Marco really does not like stranger men who approach our house, especially work-men. He still has trouble with this. He is VERY wary of work men! However, when my Dad visited he did just fine. He seems to have a strong sense of the "strangeness" level of people, this is actually very similar to my own sense. We are all skeptical of strangers near our homes to varying degrees, and Marco has that same sense. However, we are, of course, concerned about his ability to growl and snap at the highly strange humans, and as of right now we steer clear of them to keep everyone safe.

 

If we know that a man visitor is arriving we meet outside and go for a walk, then we all come into the house together, this helps with the initial shock of a stranger and he generally accepts the new person when we get back inside, we do have to keep a sharp eye on him though, because we have seen him attempt a little nip at our friend when he turned his back to Marco.

 

We love this guy, he is loving and hilarious in his own way. I think we've made a great deal of progress but still have some learning to do. Socialization will be a lifelong task for Marco.

[locket]

That's a great update! Seems like you both have worked with each other and made fabulous progress, you obviously love Marco Keep up the good work!

Edited October 28, 2017 by locket