My 3 year old lab has completed extensive obedience training and we currently go to weekly group training. In class she is the perfect student with other dogs and people. At home she is also a great dog - but when visitors come to our home - she gets so excited she doesn't listen to commands. Unfortunately, most people tell me they don't mind her excitability, but others hate it! The other problem I have is she has a thing about small dogs, and when we are out walking and a small dog is coming towards us, she freezes, then lunges and barks. If off lead though (e.g. at a dog park, beach), she is different and I think this is because she can approach the dog in her own way, i.e. slowly/side on etc. On a narrow pavement next to the road, this is not always possible. As I'm really hoping for my girl to work with me in therapy sessions, it's important that she is calm when meeting people and also when we're out and about. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Can you please explain what role your dog will take in such therapy classes? Can you also indicate what you have tried when visitors come to your home?
Hi. I as a counsellor and hope to use my dog in animal assisted interventions and play therapy. When visitors come we ask her to sit and wait then give her lots of praise. I then invite people to pat her whilst she's in a sit. However she gets usually super aroused and rushes towards them with her whole body wagging and starts licking and mouthing. So I ask visitors to ignore this behaviour, turn away from the dog and only pat her when she calms down. But then she goes thru the same excited process again.
