People always comes to me with some sort of behaviour from their dog that they do not appreciate or wish the dog would stop doing. Instead of reprimanding, correcting, or getting angry at the dog, there is a much more effective approach which doesn’t need to be negative or positive punishment-based modification. Regardless of the training methods you use, the temperament of the dog, the styles of correcting or not, and even the dog’s personality, the universal and easiest way to stop the behavior is to replace it with something else.
When you see the opportunity that your dog is about to “do that thing, that you hate” instead of getting excited and yelling at your dog to stop, try to defer the behaviour “before” it happens. Instead, give the dog something else to do, which changes their response and conditions them to a “different” response altogether.
So, for example, if your dog runs to the door when someone comes in. Make him sit and “place” away from the door, while the person comes in and sits down. By repeating this behaviour each time someone comes in the door, the dog will learn on command to go and “Place” until they are released, and your guests can calmly enter the house.
Through repetition, the dog learns manners and protocol that becomes part of a “new routine” and eliminates the old responses and getting rid of that embarrassing or unwanted action.
Nancy-Lynn Stoller IACP, Professional dog trainer / Canine behaviour consultant.
Awesome K9