By Sally Bradbury
If your dog leaps excitedly at everyone who walks through the door, then there are various things you can do.
You could put your dog behind a stair gate. If necessary, place one above another so he can’t jump or climb over. Then you can choose to reward any behaviour that is in the right direction, for example front feet on the floor. You can either give food rewards or allow the visitor to fuss him through the gate in a way that keeps the front feet on the floor.
You could also have him on a lead and harness and hold him away from the door. Then have the visitor come in and stand still while you reward the behaviour you want. The visitor moves forward but steps back if he starts to jump.
You could have your dog on lead or behind the gate and invite ten friends for a coffee morning. They get coffee and chocolate cake as a reward for helping you train the dog. They would come in the front door and go out the back door at one-minute intervals without acknowledging the dog. The same people coming and going would eventually become boring and then the dog can learn how to earn rewards by not jumping.