# Evie hates having vistors



## Evie Girl (Dec 9, 2013)

Hello everyone ! I am new to this website. I am seeking helpful tips and advice on my 11 month old German Shepherd mix  We adopted her when she was 6 months old. Her name is Evie because she was born on Christmas Eve. When we first adopted her she was terriffed of people, being outside and being alone. Since then, she now loves being outside and soaking up the sun. She still is afraid of being left alone, so if we leave her we just put her in her crate and she does very well. She is no longer afraid of people, she now HATES them. I shouldn't say hates people, she just hates new people coming into our home. If I take her to a friends house, puppy day care, etc. she is totally fine ! She loves everyone outside of our home. I understand she is being protective of our home, which is good to a certain extent. It has got so bad we can't even have people over anymore  and if we do, we have to put her in her crate which isn't fun for anyone. We are currently working with an in home trainer but I am not seeing results and it's getting very costly. She is such a fun, loveable dog that we just adore, but i'm starting to feel very helpless that this kind of behavior is fixable. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

Evie's Mom


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

> we have to put her in her crate which isn't fun for anyone.


Why is this not fun for everyone?



> she just hates new people coming into our home.


Maybe the way people look at her and talk to her and invade her space was inappropriate and now the dog acts aggressively to stop people getting near her. 

Also you may not have given the dog a set thing to do when visitors come in and are not in control of the situation so the dog is feeling the uncertainty and acting aggressively.

I feel some dogs have a strong pack structure and just want the people they kn ow around and will stop others getting near. This is ok for the dog but not for you. 



> I understand she is being protective of our home


It may also be the dog acting insecurely. 



> We are currently working with an in home trainer but I am not seeing results and it's getting very costly.


Maybe the trainer doesn't understand the dog or the issue at hand. Better to educate yourself and deal with the dog yourself as you have to live with her.

I would start with teaching the dog to go to a place when people arrive. This can be it's bed or a side room or the crate. Practice this when nobody is around so the dog learns to go to that place when you say it. When she goes go a give her a treat. Do this a few times a day with treats. 

Also desensitize the dog to the noise of someone knocking at the door. Bring her out to the door and knock at the door with her watching you and if she acts nervously stop and wait for her to relax and if calm give a treat. Open the door and again wait for her to be relaxed and treat when calm.

I would bring her in and out the door a load of times so she doesn't see the door area as a place of tension or uncertainty. I also get my dogs to sit facing out the open door and not allowed to pass the door. I'm teaching my dogs I control this area and it is a place of calmness not tension. I find barky dogs have some apprehension and are not calm at the dog. They lack a little confidence encountering new strangers.

When I mind dogs who bark every time I walk around the house I'll be knocking on the walls and triggering them to bark and then telling them to relax. They get better all the time. 

So after the desensitizing and teaching a place command when you have a visitor you instruct the dog to go to the place and make sure they stay there. I will allow the dog to continue barking from that spot. You can't really correct it or add more excitement so you just body block or verbally tell it to stay until the visitor is in and seated. At the start I would still let the dog know I wanted it to stay in that place and as it gets more calm and confident with how I handle the situation I'd just leave it do what it wants like come out and sniff the visitor or get used to there voice or what ever.

Hope this isn't too much of a rant for you. I dealt with a dog like this. It takes time and effort to fix but I believe it can be done. 

I learned a lot of techniques on how to deal with dogs inside the house from Cesar Millans book Cesar's Way. 

Also Tyler Mutos videos has some great tips on leash work. This is really important in letting the dog know you are in control.
Tyler Muto - YouTube

Ask any questions . I didn't even get into the separation anxiety but it is something good to research as well.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Maybe try crating first with a Kong for entertainment if you know someone is coming over. Or, if the visit is a surprise, place or crate the dog before opening the door. Explain to your friends that you are training and they may have to wait at the door an extra couple minutes when they pop over. I usually crate my dog or put her behind the gate to my room and then after the company is settled, if I am comfortable with my dog being around them I let her come out and meet people. There are some people I prefer she just does not meet. They are not my friends and I don't want my dog to be friends with them either - trust issues, etc.


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## Evie Girl (Dec 9, 2013)

Thank you, pyratemom. I will give it a shot. I will start with the Kong and crate first. If I just gate her off and she see's new people she will go nuts !! It's almost like she flips a switch and there is no turning back until the visitor leaves.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Evie Girl said:


> Thank you, pyratemom. I will give it a shot. I will start with the Kong and crate first. If I just gate her off and she see's new people she will go nuts !! It's almost like she flips a switch and there is no turning back until the visitor leaves.


Keeping frozen kongs in the freezer is great for this. A little kibble, a little peanut butter mix. It takes them a little longer to get everything out if frozen. You can also use other mixtures. Kong sells their own brand of stuffing but I have always used my own. Some mix canned dog food with kibble too.


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## Evie Girl (Dec 9, 2013)

Thank you, Madlab for the tips. We will definatley try desensitizing the door and the sounds of knocking. I really like that idea !! In our home she does have a " place " and she is very good with going to it, when told. I'm almost scared to try that when someone comes over. It is like she flips a switch and nothing else matters...she is going to keep barking until they leave ! I'm not sure she would listen, but hey I guess it's worth a shot. I will be purchasing Ceser's book TODAY. We are willing to do anything to fix this.

When our in home trainer comes over, we make sure to always have a visitor stop by so the trainer can see what exactly we are talking about.

Thank you for the advice


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

> I'm almost scared to try that when someone comes over. It is like she flips a switch and nothing else matters...she is going to keep barking until they leave ! I'm not sure she would listen, but hey I guess it's worth a shot.


As she gets to know people does she get any better. Use people who she knows a bit more and ask her to stay in her place.

Another thing to try is to just go for a quick walk with the visitors. 



> She still is afraid of being left alone


Again practice this. Leave and come back a few times and when you leave and when you arrive back act cool. Don't say goodbye and feel bad when leaving and don't be excited when you some back. The dog will start to see you coming and going as normal and not worth getting excited or anxious over.

How is she when you arrive home on an average day? I find the best state of mind for the dog is a calm one. If she jumps on your and you say good girl you are joining in with her excitement and it may be harder to fix issues as she associates excitement with you. So when you walk in, if you are totally calm the dog will see this and be calm itself.

When the dog starts to associate calmness with you then you can easier stop her being excited and barking. It takes time.



> so if we leave her we just put her in her crate and she does very well


This is a good sign. Why not try to put in the crate when visitors are around. Tell the visitors to not look at the dog or speak to it or try to touch it and it will remain much calmer.

My female got better at around 15 months and started to accept people. Looking back i would see a fear period which she went through. Other things that are relavent is the dogs temperament, it's early socialization and how you now interact with the dog and your guests and environment. It is usually a combination of things and it'll probably be a combinations of techniques and training methods to help fix it.

Here's Micheal Ellis on fear periods in young dogs.


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## Deno (Apr 3, 2013)

I would suggest you have her meet all visitors outside about 40' from your door if possible and get acquainted there. Then have them go in first, followed by you and then her. This may or may not be feasible for you. I trained my male Dex to never let a stranger in the house and this is the only way we can have company.


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