How to introduce your dog to strangers
- When the situation improves, practice this exercise with people that the dog doesn't know by putting him on a leash, seated by your side.
- Then, ask a group of friends to pass next to the dog without looking at him. If the dog can manage this ordeal without urinating, go on to the next exercise.
- Now, ask your friends to pass near your dog, this time, smiling at him.
- Then, the friends pass by the dog, and give him a little treat.
- After that, the friends can pass by the dog, and lightly touch his head.
- Finally, ask them to redo all the above exercises, except that they now briefly stop in front of the dog, instead of simply passing by him.
In order to counter urination caused by excitement, avoid giving the dog too much affection as you arrive. For example, you must not go to him, or look at him in the eyes. For conditioning purposes, ignore him for a few minutes when you arrive (see the section on separation anxiety). Leave the house, and return often. Repeat this procedure when you arrive, until the puppy no longer gets all excited. You can then say "hi". At the least sign of over-excitement, go out again and repeat the conditioning
Principles to Practice
1. How lo eliminate the cause
It is possible that the dog fears humans. When a dog is over-excited, he urinates when you arrive because he feels the need to reassure you. Therefore, ignore him when you arrive at the house.
2. How lo desensitize the dog
Greet the dog with gentle, gradual gestures. For example, start by saving "hi" to him without looking at him; a few minutes later, discreetly pet him. Practice the "departure-entry" routine frequently.
3. How to elicit a predictable, acceptable behavior from a problem situation (counter-conditioning)
When the dog is in a situation where he will surely urinate, give him a command, and congratulate him when he executes it. Make sure the dog understands the command, and that he can do it. For example, "SIT” lends itself well to such a situation.
Note: An excited dog should be taught the command “STAY”.
Marking
Most of the time, this problem emanates from the presence of another male on the grounds. The dog sprays the area where the other dog has left his pheromones, or sprays another area with his own pheromones to identify his territory. For example, your dog is in the living room, and through the window, he sees another dog passing on the stree1. He immediately starts spraying in a comer of your living room. You can avoid this unfortunate situation by preventing the dog from seeing outside by closing the curtains.
Any situation t hat makes the dog nervous is likely to trigger marking behavior, because the dog has a visceral need to identify himself. If your animal is an excessive marker, castration should be considered. Ask your veterinarian. In such a case, castration will contribute to reducing marking inside the house.
The first step towards correcting marking consists in showing the dog the only place reserved for urinating and defecating. There is no better stimulant than the urine of another dog to trigger the marking reflex. You must collect the urine of your dog with a cotton ball, and place it on the selected spot outside. Let the dog sniff and urinate, then reward him immediately. For best results, repeat this manoeuvre many times.
The second step consists in educating the dog not to eliminate inside. Always initiate the conditioning with the urine of your own dog, before introducing that of another dog. To do this, deposit a cotton ball imbibed with urine in a forbidden place, and watch your dog. As soon as he approaches it to sniff it, give the VW "HEY'" + SHORT SPRAY, and take him outside as soon as possible. As soon as the dog approaches the pre-selected outside spot, reward him right away.
