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Old October 26th, 2010, 11:53 AM
PeterAlphaPaws PeterAlphaPaws is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Newmarket, ON Canada
Posts: 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by luckypenny View Post
Sounds good; however, adult-sized friends at the door are much different than child-sized humans dressed in costumes at night time. In addition, friends are aware of the fact you're training your dog. Innocent children at the door, or their parents, are not. I do not recommend this at all for dogs with any sort of fear-based aggression, or any aggressive tendencies for that matter .
If you have an aggressive dog or one who acts aggressively at the door i.e. snarling, growling, lunging or biting; you should seek professional help immediately to eliminate those issues. The mat command is something that I as a professional myself, use on a regular basis to diffuse aggression at the door. However, you may need more instruction and guidance to accomplish this. For aggressive dogs I do not reccomend you test this technique out with children present unless you have a fully trained professional present.
If you are going to try this without a professional I would strongly suggest you use a muzzle. Remember, safety first!

Another point I would like to make is that if you build the mat command into your daily routine then your dog will be so well practiced at what to do when the doorbell rings that it will not make a difference who is on the other side of the door, adult or child in costume. Remember, the dog has no idea who is on the other side of the door when they start reacting, until it is opened.
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