Good training book for overprotective Ddog

[sadsacker]

Lovely DDog is literally a dream while at home relaxing, out walking, etc.

UNTIL someone dares to come to the door. It's not just barking, it's teeth baring, jumping up trying to tear a hole in the front door to get through to whoever has had the audacity to ring the doorbell.
We currently have a lot of workmen around the house, coming in and out. It's a nightmare!
While I appreciate she's protecting her home I hate it that she's scaring visitors and she seems so aggressive.
I should add, this has only been an issue recently since we moved into our new home 6 months ago (out in the sticks, few visitors)
To not help matters, she's a Rhodesian ridgeback (although small for her breed) so she seems quite intimidating anyway.

Does anyone have any recommendations for good training books ?

I have tried a local dog trainer but she was worse than useless and we are quite rural so I don't have many to choose from.
On the other hand, I don't work and have plenty of time to put in to try to train her.

[diodon]

This kind of approach should work:
thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/desensitizing-dog-doorbell/

I would change the doorbell or replace with a knocker before you start the training as she sounds very oversensitised to the current one.

Also be ultra-careful about your own emotions as she will be feeding off those i.e. if you don't like workmen in the house (who does!) you will be feeling negative. And remember ridgebacks don't protect the home but their people!

Also if you're feeling upset about her reaction to the doorbell that will make her think there is a threat and you both end up in a behaviour spiral loop.

Good luck, will take some persistance I think

diodon (owned by 1 badly behaved ridgeback)

[sadsacker]

Thanks diodon, that website looks good.

Here she is... butter wouldn't melt

[diodon]

Oh she is beautiful. Look at those puppy eyes. She still looks young, how old is she?

Here's my boy, he's nearly 7. He was a hooligan for the first 2 years but then calmed down.

[sadsacker]

What a handsome chap!

Ours is nearly three, but really quite small for the breed. She has never been any trouble until . The painter has taken to calling her The Beast 😫

"Is the beast put away is it safe for me to go to the loo?"

[TropicPlunder]

Beautiful dogs!
How does she do when the person actually comes in? Mine barks when the door knocks, but when she sees I'm comfortable with the person, she settles ......and gladly accepts some attention from whoever it is! I ask 'strangers' who are coming in, like workmen, to completely ignore her, while I tell her it's ok.
If I know somebody is coming, I put her in the garden so she can see who it is through patio doors, then she doesn't get so wound up. I prefer to let her meet strangers in the garden too, as she has more space and less likely to feel threatened.

[TropicPlunder]

I like what didion says about your own emotions too.....it makes sense to me, I think my dog is certainly perceptive to this....so I bear it in mind when opening my door! If I don't tell her 'it's ok' very calmly, she keeps barking at whoever is at the door

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Would she be OK if a visitor came in without ringing the doorbell first?

The Ring doorbell is, I believe, capable of just sending a notification to your phone rather than making a traditional doorbell sound.

[DeadCertain]

I have a Ridgie too - did have two, but sadly lost my older boy a few months ago. They are exceptionally, exceptionally perceptive and sensitive to the feelings of their human I have found and any anxiety you're now feeling around the doorbell might perhaps be creating further problems - my older boy would go mad at the bell and I'd feel tense knowing people were due etc etc, it ended up being very stressful and anxiety - inducing. Last year we had the house renovated and I actually got a small caravan put on the drive that the dogs could be in during the day with workmen in and out - they in fact really loved the van (were excited to go into it!), settled in there and didn't show any signs of stress even with all the noise and people going past.

Could you perhaps set up a "safe" area that workmen etc don't enter for your dog whilst all the work's going on - make one room out of bounds to them and make it a comfortable haven for your dog?

[Snappymcsnappy]

I don’t think this behaviour is ‘protecting the house’ personally, I think she is acting that way because she is fearful of intruders in her house.

Lovely as I am sure she is, I think she needs a proper registered positive behaviourist because she is a big dog capable of doing serious damage and there is no guarantee that this won’t get more severe without intervention.

I have a ‘reactive’ dog also, although not to people and it does have a nasty habit of getting worse over time if not handled well