Easy Tips for Introducing Your Dog to House Guests
Guests are coming over. What should you do with your dog? Follow these easy tips on introducing and socializing your dog to visitors so you can enjoy your party.
Keep Your Dog Leashed
If your dog jumps up on people or becomes overly excited, leash your dog before opening the door. Don’t forget to reward your dog with yummy treats for keeping all four feet on the floor when greeting people.
If your dog becomes overstimulated during greetings on leash, put him in his crate with a food stuffed Kong. Once everyone arrives and settles in, then you can try again.
RELATED: Best Dog Training Leash and Treat Pouch
Keep Greetings Away From the Door
About five minutes before guests are due to arrive, I crate my dogs with a food stuffed toy. Once everyone arrives and settles in with a beverage, I leash my dogs and introduce them to our company. If the dogs become overly excited, we take a few steps back and wait until they calm down. Once calm, we walk back toward guests and continue greeting for a few more minutes.
After everyone has hugged and squeezed each dog, I put our dogs back in their crates. Sobek and Stella are young dogs. Once they master “I’ll say hello and then take a nap in the corner,” they will continue to practice polite greetings.
Enjoy Your Party
Once dogs are back in their crates, chewing on luscious food stuffed toys, I return back to guests and enjoy the party. Before everyone leaves for the night, I leash both dogs again and bring them back to the party, as we say good night. Some pet parents may frown at this idea because they would love their dogs to enjoy the party, but I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. During a party, a well meaning friend slipped my dog a large piece of fried chicken skin. That night and the next few days were terrible. My dog’s tummy was tore up! It’s best to keep everyone safe.
If you would like your dogs to attend your party, I recommend supervised tethering. Leash them to the chair you’re sitting in and provide a wonderful food stuffed toy to enjoy while relaxing with guests. Not only are they enjoying the party, they’re also learning to relax around a large group of people while practicing polite manners.
You may also like: How to Train Your Dog Not to Jump Part 1
