Front Door & Other Issues

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Ari_RR
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Re: Front Door & Other Issues

Post by Ari_RR »

I wonder what would happen if you let Bear meet your postman outside, rather than when the dude is at the door?
JudyN
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Re: Front Door & Other Issues

Post by JudyN »

From what you've said about Bear, he is reacting as he does because he is genuinely very anxious and highly stressed. This is never a good thing in my opinion, and there's every chance that it will result in a bite. Ari_RR knows his dog well so knows (I believe) that Ari isn't stressed, he's just doing his thing, and won't hurt anyone. But if in any doubt it is far better to assume that Bear is stressed and could quite possibly bite the postman, something you really don't want to find out the hard way.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Ari_RR
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Re: Front Door & Other Issues

Post by Ari_RR »

That is very true! Ari is much more about show and posturing and having his fun at someone else's expense... plus he really likes when people come over, this is just the way he shows it. Same barking and snarling like a T-Rex when grandma comes over, for example.

If Bear would really take a chunk out of the postman - better not experiment :D you need your mail, and don't need any legal troubles.

On the other hand - is it the postman, or is it the door?

If the postie survives a Bear encounter out on the street - perhaps he will be less inclined to panic when he hears him barking inside... play it safe though.
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Nettle
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Re: Front Door & Other Issues

Post by Nettle »

The thing is - if a postie (or anyone) is nervous, the dog will pick up on it and become anxious also - so the lesson is better "people coming to the door and going away again are no concern of yours - I will deal with it" rather than "this adrenalin-smelling shaking anxious person is really very nice" because to the dog - he isn't.
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YorkshireLass
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Re: Front Door & Other Issues

Post by YorkshireLass »

Well Bear has met the female postie and he likes her, she gives him dog treats. But when he sees her he barks and lunges to get to her because he gets excited. I'd say Bear only now starts on a walk when he's excited, he might be confusing excitement with fear I guess like we do. Bear also lunges at people who don't give him attention, it's like a well you're rude I'm the centre of the universe here and you walked past me! That is much better though now we've trained him to look at us and take cues from us. He also lays down if you stop to talk to people he knows.... unless it's Sheila he loves Sheila and lays on her feet!

Now when my brother comes up and knocks he greets him quite nicely he wants cuddles and soppy love on the floor. It really does depend on the person though. The postie that usually delivers is a smoker and Bear always reacts to the smell of cigarettes. We've picked up a lot of cues from him in the 14 months we've had him and they all were confusing at first but then we tested things out to double and triple check. That said not every delivery person is a smoker.

Is it also possible that Bear cannot cope with the quiet? I mean he was in kennels that are noisy all the time for ages. Here it must seem that the silence is deafening and he starts at every single tiny noise. Is it the noise of the door being knocked? Like I say he sleeps pretty much whenever he can unless he wants a play around. But he seems to get startled by noises while he's asleep. Then other times he lets all hell break loose and continues sleeping. I'm still toying with the idea to have music on during the day.

He could do with a break from the triggers I think. That's what worked with the walks, as he stopped reacting he started to settle down. I think the triggering at home sometimes gets him going again on the walks. Maybe that's it? We try to eliminate the reactions in the house he'll start to get used to it all.
JudyN
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Re: Front Door & Other Issues

Post by JudyN »

YorkshireLass wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:39 am Well Bear has met the female postie and he likes her, she gives him dog treats. But when he sees her he barks and lunges to get to her because he gets excited. I'd say Bear only now starts on a walk when he's excited, he might be confusing excitement with fear I guess like we do. Bear also lunges at people who don't give him attention,
Could it be excitement + frustration? When Jasper was younger if he spotted someone he really liked when on lead he'd try to drag me over at about 30mph and then get so frustrated he would get snarly and redirect onto me... I'm glad he grew out of that with time.
Is it also possible that Bear cannot cope with the quiet? ... Is it the noise of the door being knocked?
It's worth trying music. You can get recordings specifically designed to be relaxing for dogs, though I didn't find they helped Jasper. Another thing to consider is whether Bear can sense the vibrating of the knock on the door (I've wondered if that's part of why J doesn't like it). I found that pulling J's bed away from the wall helped a little when there were storms or fireworks - though getting on the sofa helped more. So possibly getting a doorbell might make a difference. It could also help if you could play the sound and team it with a treat/someone he likes visiting so it already has a strong positive association before the postman gets to ring it.
He could do with a break from the triggers I think. That's what worked with the walks, as he stopped reacting he started to settle down. I think the triggering at home sometimes gets him going again on the walks. Maybe that's it?
Absolutely. Stress hormones can take days to leave the body after a stressful event, leaving you ready primed to flip over something you wouldn't normally worry about (we've all done that at times :wink: ). And then he could come to see the thing he normally would have been fine with as something worth flipping out over the next time it happens too...
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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