Jumping barking and growling at the door

[matkeson]

Need some help from the experts....Dixie is our recent rescue (3 months). She's 18 months old and has caught on very well to housetraining, crate training, sit, down, and sit-stay. She comes when called and is a real love most of the time. We have five kids - teens to toddlers - so there's a lot of coming and going in our house. Dixie had a very hard time when I would leave - she would body block me and jump at me and start nipping (not hard, not breaking the skin) at my clothes, purse, etc. the minute I picked up the keys. I now make her sit and completely ignore her when I am leaving or arriving. It's much better! BUT....here's the problem I can't seem to handle. When anyone comes in the door (sometimes even our own kids), she races to the door, barks relentlessly, jumps up and may even growl. If the person ignores her and if I'm at the door she calms down. But if they try to pet her, she growls. I'm afraid she's going to bite someone in that initial few seconds. Once they are in the house, and once she sees that I approve, she's fine. Help....

 

[kpowell]

Any way to leash her when you know someone's coming, telling her to sit, and then treating when she sits and doesn't try to get up? Also, get some people to help and practice coming to the door, walking in and crossing their arms and looking at the ceiling until she's completely calm and sitting, and then giving her a treat.

 

[ELubas]

I actually put a "hook" in the entry way to the dining room which is a distance from teh door people come in and would hook my boy there telling him to sit. Until he learned to control himself as least he was hooked by a short leash and could not jump all over folks. Good luck-it is annoying and an inportant habit to break