Visiters ,cockers so happy to see them

[kate1106]

this thread made me laugh!

3 minutes of madness ... you're very lucky! I've managed to get it down to 20 minutes of madness by which time she is so exhausted she goes to sleep!

I have the same problem with training as everyone else, everyone thinks she is so cute and they start squealing and stroking her as she is jumping up and down like she is on a pogo stick! 

I've been watching Its Me or the Dog USA and the trainer Victoria is great. I just need to find an unexcitable friend to help me with door/visitor training!

[BabyB]

One thing that we've found works with our dog is for the visitors to totally ignore Morgan, no eye contact, no telling him to sit etc. just barging straight past him and into the kitchen where we stand around for a couple of minutes chatting until he calms down. It takes strong nerves because initially he was squealing with excitement, jumping up, bringing one toy after another, absolutely desperate to get attention. Once he's calm he then gets a little stroke of his pretty head   and a treat.

I still need a tactic for occasional workmen though, especially the ones who say "Come here boy, good boy" fuss, fuss, fuss and follow it up with "Oo-er you're lively aren't you?"  

Mark (topbarks) suggested this to us too for Henry - I must say that ignoring him works a treat    But training those who come in who still want to fuss him is another matter entirely   

[Helen]

I just make sure Jarvis has a toy in his gob - he tends to jump up less when he's doing the wiggle-bottomed welcome dance of joy 

he's not a barker so we don't have that to contend with 

[KatieJean]

My son who has a border terrier always told me I could not train my dogs. His 1st dog mine are our 8th and 9th!!! Until he took his dog on a shoot. He came back and said all the cockers were the same so were not alone.

[ollie nathan's mum]

I thought Ollie was the only mad cocker from the sound of the doorbell he goes you would think he has never seen another human before. I am sure that people don't believe me when I say "he is quiet and settled when we are on our own"

[Mudmagnets]

My front door faces my living room, so what I tend to do is find a couple of small doggy biscuits and throw a couple of these in the living room and while they are finding them, put a gate up at the living room door, so they can see who is there, they do bark etc., but not go scatty all over peeps. (it works too if I have dubious visitors I don't want - cos they see/hear the dogs and think twice about extending the visit.  

[hanandhen]

I have a lead on a hook on the back of the door, I always put it on and leave it on until he chills out. Or until he has been thrown into the kitchen!

He is very handy for getting rid of chuggers and Jehovah's Witnesses though

[Mudmagnets]

He is very handy for getting rid of chuggers and Jehovah's Witnesses though 
 
Exactly!!

[lindseyp]

He is very handy for getting rid of chuggers and Jehovah's Witnesses though 
 

go on then - someone tell me what a 'chugger' is please     

having 3 in our house, it's a lost cause    one bark from one dog can cause meyhem 
Livie arrives with toy (or anything handy  ) in her mouth - Purdey with her best full on body wiggle & Tinker investigates as to whether it's friend or foe & then reacts accordingly ...... goes off barking if she doesn't want to know - goes mad barking excitedly if she does ...can't win 

[hanandhen]

Charity muggers - 'hello, I am a random stranger at your door, I would like your bank details for this random cause that you may weill have no connection to whatsoever and since I am on commission I will talk at you indefinitely...'

Disclaimer: I work for a charity and strongly encourage donations to good causes, but we don't use chuggers!

[hanandhen]

Charity muggers - 'hello, I am a random stranger at your door, I would like your bank details for this random cause that you may well have no connection to whatsoever and since I am on commission I will talk at you indefinitely...'

Disclaimer: I work for a charity and strongly encourage donations to good causes, but we don't use chuggers!

[lindseyp]

thankyou hanandhen ....obvious when you say 

[julie1]

I have a lead on a hook on the back of the door, I always put it on and leave it on until he chills out. Or until he has been thrown into the kitchen!

He is very handy for getting rid of chuggers and Jehovah's Witnesses though

Do you know you can request Jehovah's witnesses do NOT call, I'd been polite for year till one kind soul told me.   

[scoobysue]

oh i love this my two are mental too and think everyone is here to see them bless them all dont we just love them

[Cockertime Blues]

I'd always been told you should just ignore the dogs, turn your back and not make eye contact.  It doesn't work at all in our house.     It's not just cockers that act like this either, although cockers can get away with it better because they're small.  I can now say with authority that a standard poodle behaves in exactly the same manner.  But since the SP we are currently looking after is the size of a horse and his paws go on your shoulders and he can gaze into your eyes while licking your face, I think something needs to be done.  Visiting our house at the moment is not for the faint-hearted and  I'm sure our neighbours think we've got the worst-mannered dogs in the world.  However an upside of visiting us means a visitor may get a free computer mouse, TV remote or pair of specs courtesy of Mollie.