My male dog is a maltese terrier age 2 years old. He has recently become extremely aggressive when a stranger comes in the house. Once he has calmed down they give him a treat and he is fine. When they leave he is always aggressive again as they leave. I always have hold of him as I show them to the door
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Dog aggressive to strangers coming in then later leaving house
- Thread starter pickle71
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Being held in itself probably makes him feel quite defensive.
My dog could be like this. When someone came to the door I would put him in a room off the hallway, behind a stairgate so he could see the person who came in. If, say, they'd come to read the meter, I'd leave him there till they left. Otherwise, I'd let him out once they were settled on a chair and let him say hello. If I thought he might react again when they left, I put him in the other room again.
You could train your dog to go to the room when the doorbell goes - when it goes, throw a few treats or a chew in there, so he is distracted while the person comes in. You could work on this by ringing the doorbell yourself before throwing the treat into the room (or get an accomplice - someone he knows so that the doorbell doesn't automatically mean there's a scary stranger). Also make sure he has a comfy bed in there so it feels like a 'safe space' for him rather than just being confined.
My dog could be like this. When someone came to the door I would put him in a room off the hallway, behind a stairgate so he could see the person who came in. If, say, they'd come to read the meter, I'd leave him there till they left. Otherwise, I'd let him out once they were settled on a chair and let him say hello. If I thought he might react again when they left, I put him in the other room again.
You could train your dog to go to the room when the doorbell goes - when it goes, throw a few treats or a chew in there, so he is distracted while the person comes in. You could work on this by ringing the doorbell yourself before throwing the treat into the room (or get an accomplice - someone he knows so that the doorbell doesn't automatically mean there's a scary stranger). Also make sure he has a comfy bed in there so it feels like a 'safe space' for him rather than just being confined.
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I'll add - please don't have them give him a treat. That could make him feel really conflicted because in order to get the treat, he has to go to the scary person. It would be like me putting £100 into something like a snake tank and suggesting you get it out (assuming you are as uncomfortable with snakes as most people, bur if not please substitute your scary critter of choice; you get the picture).
Instead, if he comes into the room, ask your guests to completely ignore him. They can toss treats away from him so he has to move further to get them. That has a double-whammy effect that's very powerful; moving away from the scary person is a rewarding experience in itself, and getting the treat on top of that is even more rewarding.
Instead, if he comes into the room, ask your guests to completely ignore him. They can toss treats away from him so he has to move further to get them. That has a double-whammy effect that's very powerful; moving away from the scary person is a rewarding experience in itself, and getting the treat on top of that is even more rewarding.
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