Helping Your Dog "Behave" When Guests Are Over

There are two main options I use when it comes to preventing unwanted behaviors when guests are over. One is to manage and use a crate with a high value chew and the other is to use a reward and ask your dog to do behaviors. You can also rotate between the two.

Crating can be a bit frustrating for your dog if they’re social. For this to work, you’ll need a high value chew type item that your dog rarely gets. This will help outcompete what’s going on outside of the crate. This ultimately means no “work” for you. You’re able to entertain your guests and not have to worry if something may happen when your dog is briefly out of sight.

When crating, consider a frozen stuffed kong. Have a couple of those prepared ahead of time so they’re nice and frozen. Having your dog out and in all of the action can be a bit of work. If you have a young dog, you’ll want to be rewarding them a lot. Staying proactive and rewarding your dog for staying near you or staying on their bed can work very well. This prevents your dog from chasing kids or trying to grab food from plates.

For this to work, have treats that are valuable enough where your dog is choosing them over the things going on in the environment. (Meat or cheese may be needed.) Next, reward often enough that your dog finds it worth it. Early on you’ll end up rewarding on average every 10-15 seconds. Within a few minutes you’ll be able to start stretching that to 20-30 seconds and so on. And if anything exciting randomly happens, you’ll want to reward your dog more frequently.

When you first start this process you’ll find that it’s a bit of work. This is why it’s nice to rotate between the training and the management. With practice, future gatherings will be easier and smoother.