Need a dog behaviourist- Good one

[Walkiestime]

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Hi

Has anyone had a terrier type dog go mad at the door and rip things up.if so can you help! My friend has a terrible time trying to get to the door when someone knocks.

Any ideas of a good behaviourist or advice, URGENT

 

[merlina]

Not a terrier but a corgi x! By all means look for a behaviourist but the following can have some success.

You need a confident dog-savvy friend. Sit in the room and get friend to ring bell. You admit friend all the time ignoring dog (going mental!) and either sit and talk a moment or leave room together. Repeat. We have done this 20 times on the trot. Gradually even a corgi gets fed up. Once the dog is less reactive you can go to next stage, asking dog to sit away from the door and admitting guest only when the dog is relaxed. I guess this is where you'll need the behaviourist to assess the dog and work out a programme for it.

 

[JudyN]

We'd really have to know whereabouts your friend lives as a behaviourist would want to see the dog...

A couple of suggestions from my own experience...

Your friend could get everyone, including herself and family members, to knock the door when they come in. Eventually, particularly if she can deter other people from knocking (if she's expecting them they can text her from outside the house, if not, she could pretend not to be in...), the dog will associate knocking with family members coming in so won't react.

My dog is fine with the doorbell (after working on the above, and giving him a treat whenever it rang), but still doesn't like it if people knock on the door. So your friend could try installing a doorbell instead. Before putting it up outside, she could use it in the house, teaching 'ring = go to bed/crate/another room for a treat'. Then she can get family members to ring it outside, so it predicts both a treat on her bed and someone she knows coming in (or being let in, so it's even more like visitors coming). When this is sound, and she goes straight to her bed and can be shut in, she can install it properly.

How well this would work could depend on just how the dog feels about strangers in the home in general, so it's not meant to replace the advice of a behaviourist who can see exactly what's going on.

 

[Walkiestime]

Hi Thanks,

She lives in West Hunsbury Northampton.