As the holidayseason approaches it's an excellent time to think about how an anxious dog will react to having visitors in the house. While some dogs are scared of all strangers, others can react badly to certain types of people such as young children, so try and identify what triggers stress in your dog so you can take the right approach.
A dog's reaction to visitors can range all the way from acting shy or going into hiding, to barking at visitors or in extreme cases showing nervous aggression, so it's often best to plan ahead.
While dealing with anxiety in dogs isn't straightforward, not one of us wish to bar our door to the world outside, and it's particularly hard with friends and family in holiday seasons, so these are some useful pointers that should help the visit go smoothly and your dog stay calm.
Prepare for Your Visitors
If you know that visitors are coming, prepare yourself and your dog so the visit goes smoothly with the smallest amount of stress possible for you and your anxious dog.
If your dog is going to react badly to the arrival of your visitors, put your dog in another room before they arrive. Make it a positive experience for your dog by making them comfortable, with a bed and access to water. A toy filled with food could be a great distraction for your dog and a crate can act as a den for a dog giving them some security. Be positive and calm in your interactions with your dog when you put them in the room so it doesn't feel just like they have done wrong and are being punished for it.
Ignore Barking and Whining
If your dog starts barking and whining while your visitors are with you, try to pay no attention to it. If you go to them every time they make a noise it'll give them encouragement to do it more. They should settle down after a bit and when they're quiet is the ideal time to go and check on them.
Don't raise your voice at your dog or scold them for barking or making a fuss as this may not help to decrease their uneasiness, it'll also make your stress levels rise, which your dog will pick up on, giving them even more reason to feel concerned.
Introducing an Anxious Dog to Visitors
If you wish to bring your dog in to meet your visitors, pick your time carefully. Wait until things have calmed down a bit and ensure you can stay in charge of the situation.
Ask your visitors to remain calm, not to look your dog straight in the eye as your dog will see this as a challenge , not to make a large amount of sudden movements or noise and not to approach the dog. In reality it's probably best if they can ignore him to begin with as that takes all the pressure off the dog and permits him to make the 1st move.
Bring your dog in on a lead, particularly if you are worried that your dog might react with nervous aggression. Only when you know your dog is calm should you try taking him off the lead. Keep an close watch on your dog and if he starts to show signs of anxiety, take him back to the room.
The idea is to make having visitors a positive experience for your dog and one handy key is to arm your visitors with some dog treats. Your dog may not wish to take a treat from their hand, but if they drop it close by to the dog, that's a great initial step in making your visitors a rather more enjoyable experience for them.
A dog's reaction to visitors can range all the way from acting shy or going into hiding, to barking at visitors or in extreme cases showing nervous aggression, so it's often best to plan ahead.
While dealing with anxiety in dogs isn't straightforward, not one of us wish to bar our door to the world outside, and it's particularly hard with friends and family in holiday seasons, so these are some useful pointers that should help the visit go smoothly and your dog stay calm.
Prepare for Your Visitors
If you know that visitors are coming, prepare yourself and your dog so the visit goes smoothly with the smallest amount of stress possible for you and your anxious dog.
If your dog is going to react badly to the arrival of your visitors, put your dog in another room before they arrive. Make it a positive experience for your dog by making them comfortable, with a bed and access to water. A toy filled with food could be a great distraction for your dog and a crate can act as a den for a dog giving them some security. Be positive and calm in your interactions with your dog when you put them in the room so it doesn't feel just like they have done wrong and are being punished for it.
Ignore Barking and Whining
If your dog starts barking and whining while your visitors are with you, try to pay no attention to it. If you go to them every time they make a noise it'll give them encouragement to do it more. They should settle down after a bit and when they're quiet is the ideal time to go and check on them.
Don't raise your voice at your dog or scold them for barking or making a fuss as this may not help to decrease their uneasiness, it'll also make your stress levels rise, which your dog will pick up on, giving them even more reason to feel concerned.
Introducing an Anxious Dog to Visitors
If you wish to bring your dog in to meet your visitors, pick your time carefully. Wait until things have calmed down a bit and ensure you can stay in charge of the situation.
Ask your visitors to remain calm, not to look your dog straight in the eye as your dog will see this as a challenge , not to make a large amount of sudden movements or noise and not to approach the dog. In reality it's probably best if they can ignore him to begin with as that takes all the pressure off the dog and permits him to make the 1st move.
Bring your dog in on a lead, particularly if you are worried that your dog might react with nervous aggression. Only when you know your dog is calm should you try taking him off the lead. Keep an close watch on your dog and if he starts to show signs of anxiety, take him back to the room.
The idea is to make having visitors a positive experience for your dog and one handy key is to arm your visitors with some dog treats. Your dog may not wish to take a treat from their hand, but if they drop it close by to the dog, that's a great initial step in making your visitors a rather more enjoyable experience for them.
About the Author:
The Author Venice Marriott learnt about dog anxiety with her own rescue dog and has been finding the most effective ways to reduce anxiety for the last 2 years. Find out more about anxious dogs when you visit her blog.