Is Your Dog Scared of Visitors? Try These 4 Tips
Is your dog nervous or fearful when guests come over? Certified Dog Trainer Robert Haussmann shares simple and compassionate strategies to help ease your dog’s anxiety and make visits less stressful for everyone. Learn how to spot the signs of fear, set your dog up for success, and create a calm environment that supports their comfort and confidence.
Disclaimer alert: This information is just for educational purposes! Every pet is different, so always talk with your vet or trainer for specific advice on your pet's situation. We don’t accept any liability for any loss or injury that occurs as a result of watching videos on Kinship's channel. (Fyi: We also don’t accept any liability for extra training treats given…but we doubt your pet will mind.)
TRANSCRIPT
Do you have a dog who doesn't do great with house guests? well, we can help with that. I'm Robert and this is Josie. let's get into it. so before we can get into that though let's talk about what a fearful dog may look like be on the lookout for your dog pinning its ears back seeing the whites of its eyes yawning lip licking all this can lead to more severe behaviors like growling barking or even biting it's better to be able to see what's coming before it's a big problem let's get into some tips avoid having your dog see your guests enter your home have your guests text or call ahead of time so you can be prepared and have your dog in a separate space like a bedroom or out in the backyard i often encourage people to meet their guests outside with the dog and come in all together this can really help avoid the alarm bells the intruder alarm bells from going off once everyone's in the house be sure to avoid forcing your dog to say hi never drag them over or try and like pick them up and put them on somebody's lap to try and make them comfortable you want to make sure that it's on the dog's terms as much as possible you can ask your guests to stay quiet not reach for the dog not stare at the dog or talk to the dog just give the dog a little bit of space and act like she's not there you can arm them with treats that they can maybe drop on the floor uh to try and add value to their presence and make the dog feel more comfortable after following these tips many dogs will warm up to your guests over time for dogs who stay extra nervous you may need to remove them and keep them in a separate space this can be as simple as keeping them on a leash near you so they feel safe and supported or if they're comfortable in their crate they can hang out in their crate or be in a separate bedroom or something while your company is over if your dog continues to seem anxious or fearful or if they start becoming aggressive be sure to reach out to a certified professional trainer for some help so no one session works for every dog make sure you're practicing extra caution for dogs who are prone to biting and this is going to take time and patience and lots of consistency so thanks for watching see you next time