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Hello everyone! I have a beautiful 155 pound male GSD. He is 18 months old. He is mostly well-trained. He will sit, stay, come (most of the time), shake, etc.... He is fairly well-behaved on a leash. He doesn't pull. He does get really excited if we pass another dog. He wants to play! But he'll calm down with a stern "leave it" command.
He's never aggressive.
Here's my problem: He goes freakin' nuts when someone comes to the door. Obviously, I want him to bark. But I need him to stop when I say stop. If I try to open the door, he charges. He's never given me any reason to think he would bite anyone. But you can imagine how intimidating a 155 pound barking and charging German Shepherd is to the poor folks at my door. I want to be able to open the door and let people in without him forcing his way in front of me. And I would like to be able to accept a pizza delivery or a package without having to drag my dog into the bedroom.
I have never had this problem with any of my dogs. However I watch the dog whisperer a lot on tv and he has trained dogs not to do that. maybe you could check out his website, I believe he also has a magazine.
Hi! This kind of behavior, along with similar behaviors of barking wildly at things seen from a window, is very 'self-rewarding' for dogs....you can work on this with him - but it will take a couple of friends - preferably people who are not well-known by your dog - and TIME (and your ever present patience ).
One friend is outside ringing your bell (or knocking on the door) - the other is inside with you, attempting to answer the door, while you are holding your dog on lead.
As soon as the door bell rings, you ask your leashed dog for a sit/stay AWAY from the door - and have something SUPER tasty to offer him as a reward as soon as he complies. Continue treating and saying 'good' as he maintains emotional control. While you are doing this - have your friend (husband, cousin, brother, mother, etc.) start to open the door. If you dog breaks his sit/stay, or begins an outburst, have the friend close the door. Wait until your dog has quieted down, and have the friend outside, ring the bell again.....you will have to rinse and repeat this - multiple times the first time - and multiple times over the course of several days....but to curb this unwanted behavior, you have to help your dog understand what is 'right' behavior, so that when you are alone and the doorbell rings, he is easily placed in a sit/stay while you answer the door - because he knows REWARDS/TREATS are coming his way for being 'right'.
If you have trouble the first time or two, getting him to sit, just take his lead and walk away from the front door with him. As he calms, turn and come back toward the door, stopping short of him accessing it. Ask for the sit/stay and try again....
This will take patience and time....
As he gets more reliable at maintaining his emotional control at the sound of 'knocking' - you can work on his doing this while your guests actually come inside...
When you call for pizza, this is a known visitor - so you can have your dog on lead BEFORE they arrive - and either tether him to a sofa leg, or wrap his leash around a small section of 2 x 4 that you place on the opposite side of a closed door nearby - allowing you to work on this when you are alone....
The other option is to do this with his access restricted by a baby gate. You only allow him access to whomever has knocked on the door, when he is calmly standing on the other side of the gate. Not all of us have the luxury of gating our entryway off - so this might not be an option for you.
And remember - he's had 18 months to form this habit - it won't be undone overnight
Thanks, Rottnboys! This is literally the only behavioral problem we have with him. He is a great dog otherwise. I guess it's just going to take a lot of patience and training.
plbc...I love "The Dog Whisperer". I just can't seem to stay as calm as he does. As soon as Jack starts going nuts, I get stressed. And I'm sure Jack picks up on my stress.
The Dog Whisperer is not the best trainer to follow as he uses harsh methods. That English woman, who's name I forgot, is better. That said, Rottnboys post is spot-on.
Her name is Victoria Stillwell and her show is "It's Me or the Dog" on animal planet. I've seen her do the exact training Rottnboys is talking about. She always uses chicken or hot dog as treats.
She also has a book also called "It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet," I have it and it's very helpful.
The Dog Whisperer is not the best trainer to follow as he uses harsh methods. That English woman, who's name I forgot, is better. That said, Rottnboys post is spot-on.
Seems to me they kind of do different things. Ceasar works with a lot of really dangerous dogs. Those are the kinds of dogs that would be euthanized if they couldn't be rehabilitated. Victoria Stillwell is awesome. But I'm not sure her methods would work on a truly vicious dog.
Thankfully, my GSD isn't vicious. He's a gentle giant. But he is stubborn as hell! And I'm starting to think he might be smarter than I am.
Ceasar makes dogs dangerous, the methods he uses puts people at risk. The dogs he works with can be helped, the owners just are not knowledgeable enough to get a real trainer. Even CM says that he is not a trainer. Also, I don't know any GSD standard that says they should be 155lbs.
Training your dog a reliable down on a mat will get rid of your problems. As rottenboys explained.
Also, I don't know any GSD standard that says they should be 155lbs.
Huh? I never suggested that any" GSD standard" said that they should be 155lbs. I said MY GSD is 155lbs. It isn't anything we did or did not do. He's just a huge dog.
My Yorkshire Terrier is the same way. He goes nuts when I have the TV on and some game show sounds a noise like the door bell or audience noise. When I have folks over, I have treats in hand for my guest to give to my dog so they won't get nipped. He's nipped and about pulled off one lady's skirt.
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