A very irritating habit of many puppies is one that charges the door when a guest knocks. Since the puppy is likely to run faster than a person, he thinks it's out of your range and only under your voice control. Now having your puppy completely under voice control is a situation to be striven for. Like Rome, it does not happen overnight. So, how does one cope?



I first used a chain collar; this is supposed to be keyed so it would assault my dog's ears when it was rattled, for I had an adult, persistent door charger, Rex. One day when Rex was charging the door, I was unable too quickly find the sound collar, I simply grabbed a regular chain choker and tossed it, hitting the door at the exact time that my voice hit his ears with a firm NO. The effect was completely same: He settled down. This taught me that one does not need any advanced equipment; the rattle of any choke chain abruptly landing out of the blue is distressing enough to cause your puppy to heed your NO command. Repeated frequently, this mixture of the tossed chain and the NO command caused the dog not to charge the doors anymore. He charged them a less frequently, and he eventually quit all together. I've used the trick. Most dogs can learn this lesson in just two or three sessions.

Do be too concerned about what the person at the door is going to think when you correct your dog. Most people do not think polite thoughts when they are knocked down or jumped on by a puppy that answers the door. They will greatly appreciate your efforts to keep their entry safe. In addition to using the thrown object indoors to help through training, thrown objects are very helpful outdoors, as well. Place a few pebbles into an empty plastic bottle and use it as an outdoor training tactic.

The dog that does not pay attention to your voice command is frightened by the jangle the bottle makes landing nearby and is quickly persuaded that it is not safe to ignore you. A patch of dirt or a handful of pebbles will do in a second. Do not use anything that would harm your dog if it hits him. The idea is to get Rex's attention - not to touch him. The mixture of the thrown object and your command will automatically get your dog's attention and improves obedience. Make sure that you are sneaky about throwing things. You don't want your dog to see you throwing the object because that could make the him scared of you.

To learn more, head to your local library for dog training aids. Ask the librarian at the reference desk for help finding training cassettes, videos, books and even local workshops that may be in your area. She or he could also help you find helpful magazine articles where you might read about the Dog Whisperer, Caesar, from his television shows.