Proper Door Greetings

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If you have a dog that is accustomed to charging the door or jumping up on you or your guests, this needs to be addressed before your baby arrives.  Your dog is allowed to be excited, but should understand that they are not allowed to have physical contact with you. 

Create a habit when you first enter your house to say a quick verbal "Hello" to your dog, but then politely ignore them for a few minutes to help diffuse their excitement level.  Once everybody has settled in, then you can have more interaction with your dog and invite them over to be petted.  Every time you enter or exit your home it shouldn't be an emotional roller coaster for your dog.  Being excited verses mauling you out of anxious energy is 2 different things! 

If your dog is not responding to you ignoring them because they are seasoned in their jumping behavior then I would suggest attaching a short tab to your dogs collar.  This tab is about 12 inches long with no loop (so that it can't catch on anything and choke).  When you get home and your dog starts jumping you can grab the tab, say a firm "No" command and then hold the tab up.  You are not choking the dog but instead almost holding the dog up onto you.  This creates a natural resistance for the dog and because of the opposition reflex the dog will now want to get all 4 paws on the ground.  Practice doing a few set ups so that the dog understands jumping is no longer acceptable.  You can repeat going in and out of the house numerous times a day.  Ring the bell, knock on the door and make a big commotion just to get the dog stimulated.  Your correction always stays consistent and firm.  Each time the dog jumps you hold the dog up for a little longer.  When he resist is when you let him down. 

The biggest mistake people make when trying to inhibit jumping is pushing the dog away, yelling the "Down" command (which in theory that command means elbows touching the ground), putting their knee up and turning your back.  There is no learning that takes place while doing that.  Also remember there is no emotion in dog training.  The dog is already over excited to see you so raising your voice just adds more stimulation and can be conflicting for your dog.   

In the future when your dog learns the greeting at the door we will incorporate the “Away” command to help you when you’re entering the door while carrying your baby in the car seat.