Trying to teach a controlled greet when visitors come to my house

[ElaineH]

In our house our regular visitors are told to walk straight past bouncy Morgan, ignore his jumping up, no eye contact, no talking to him, no aknowledgement of any kind. We go into the kitchen and spend a few minutes chatting and making a cuppa (still ignoring him) by now he's usually calmed down a bit and gets a quick pat and a "good boy"

It didn't work with the plumber who did the "It's ok, I love dogs, come here boy, who's a lovely chap then?" fuss, fuss   So for the rest of the 2 weeks the plumber was here we had to crate Morgan or keep him in the living room away from the nice man who encouraged him to jump up!

It's great if you can get people to ignore him, Morgan doesn't pester our daughter's partner at all as he has made it very clear that he doesn't like dogs, has never encouraged him and Morgan realises the man isn't worth bothering with.   I just wish our daughter was as wise as Morgan!!  

[tritonx]

I think I'll have to insist my visitors ignore him. Male friends might have to wear an athletic cup though as it's difficult to ignore a dog of that size and weight that's leaping up. I guess they could try turning their back or just stepping back when they see him in launch position.

Do any of you have a problem with doggy whining at high volume and great piteousness when put behind a gate to keep him or her out of the company? I'm still trying to figure out how to manage the Burns dinner when there will be many people and a couple of children in the house. Although he started in a crate for sleeping, at about 10 months he was reluctant to go in at night, so I let him sleep in his bed and he sleeps there all night. I don't think I could get him in the crate now and he would definitely whine and yip. And if I put him in the bedroom where his sleeping bed, and put a gate across, he will make a huge fuss.

[Top Barks]

My three always perform a "be a bear trick" (sit up and beg) when Cath's hair dresser comes round, it was a trick they could all do and it has stuck. Every time she comes round they do it as she walks in, she doesn't even have to ask now, of course she duly rewards them. She dosn't charge very much and I really only think she does it to have a gossip and see the dogs.
A great example of conditioning me thinks, if you don't want a dog to do something then teach them through repetition an alternative behaviour.

[Jessie_Pup]

Dylan and Jessie perform a little trick for children when we meet them when out on a walk.  Dylan is "Speak" on command and Jessie is a High Five.

They are so focused on doing the trick and getting a treat they don't jump up on the children.

[Top Barks]

Dylan and Jessie perform a little trick for children when we meet them when out on a walk.  Dylan is "Speak" on command and Jessie is a High Five.

They are so focused on doing the trick and getting a treat they don't jump up on the children.

that's the idea

[tritonx]

Good ideas! ::off to teach Fraser to 'be a bear' and/or high five:: I've held off teaching him to beg as I just have a thing about the begging part, but I'm quite happy to teach 'be a bear'. How does the high five work? Does Jessie sit and then raise one paw and then the child hits the paw with his or her hand?

[Jessie_Pup]

Good ideas! ::off to teach Fraser to 'be a bear' and/or high five:: I've held off teaching him to beg as I just have a thing about the begging part, but I'm quite happy to teach 'be a bear'. How does the high five work? Does Jessie sit and then raise one paw and then the child hits the paw with his or her hand?

   

I usually do the trick with Jessie, let the children watch so she is focused on me and not focused on the children and jumping up. Would not like to upset any parents.

[Petepreston]

Is it just me or does everybody hide their failed attempts at training a calm greet behind the "need to socialise"? 

We gave up on this bit of her training because only three people who have come to our house since we got her have made any effort to show her restraint and the right way to behave - and annoyingly they repeatedly have more success with her on their occasional visits than we do. As you lot have said already; nobody can resist a Cocker (or anny puppy, for that matter). Posie will almost ignore another dog out on her walk to greet the human.

However, this morning I tried to keep her calm [this message was just interupted by her climbing over the laptop to get onto my tummy for a hug  ] when I came home after a two hour outing. I let her out of the cage and spoke to her calmly but ddn't stroke her. She seemed fine and went out to pee without making a fuss around me. When she had come back in I gave her a nice big cuddle and made a fuss of her. It seemed to [more  required apparently] work so I'll try the same when mrsP gets home tonight.

They are just so damned irresistable though.

[tritonx]

That is part of the difficulty of training a calm greet as it's instinctive (if you like dogs) to want to pet them when their little rear ends are wriggling and they're all happy face and so pretty with it. I don't have people visiting me often enough to have ignoring take hold. With me he's pretty good, knows to sit though in his excitement does little hops up, but sits again with pointed finger (mine, not his). With visitors who have dogs, they know to expect Fraser to sit and tell him so, but the hapless visitor tends to get bounced at. And then, of course, when there's a crowd, he goes from person to person trying to mooch his way onto the sofa and half onto their laps. He's little monkey and sidles away round the other side of the coffee table when I tell him to go to bed (over by the fireplace) and leans against the guest's leg as if saying, see, your friend wants me to sit here, so