I am at my wits end. Dog is 3 years old in march, a lovely little staff bitch, spayed 2 years ago just after her first season. She's very very friendly, bouncy and excitable. Intelligent too.
She has a number of annoying habits most of which I live with but right at the top of my shit list is the door. When anyone approaches the house, even if next door neighbour pulls into their driveway, she bolts to the door at 100 miles an hour, knocking over anything or anyone in her path, barking manically. She will not stop barking whatever I do and it carries on until she is introduced to whoever is at the door. The problem with introducing her is that she jumps up repeatedly to chest height, even if they don't acknowledge her in any way. I've tried sending her to her basket when the door goes, if I do that she barks manically and shreds whatever she can grab on the way to her basket, or failing that, she shreds her basket. I've tried distracting her with treats, she's not interested. I've tried teaching her to speak and to be quiet, she will do that fine when there's no one there, but it goes out the window when there's someone at the door. I've tried putting her on her lead to greet people, she just constantly jumps up no matter how often I pull her back down and tell her to sit.
I can almost live with the barking, even though its near constant as every bird past the window, or car in the drive or knock on the door sets her off and she will carry on for 10-15 minutes if I don't let her to the door. It's happening upwards of 20 times a day. My main concern/annoyance is the bolting to the door. We have an about to be walking baby who is getting knocked over 3-4 times a day (and I don't mean slightly knocked over I mean she gets flattened by 20kg of dog running flat out for the door) it's only a matter of time before baby gets hurt.
I stress, I don't want to rehome this dog, she is very good with the kids, it's just this one thing that she does, and that she's doing it all the bloody time. She is a very well trained dog aside from this issue, sits, stays, lies down, recall good, doesn't pull on the lead, it's all taken endless time and patience to get her to learn stuff as she's so bloody giddy but I really am at my wits end with her.
Short of gagging her and putting her in her crate what can I do? If I put her in another room so she can't bolt for the door she goes mental at being shut away from us (constant whining and scratching at door) which is equally annoying as the barking because she will keep that up for hours. Interestingly she doesn't whine and scratch when we are in the house at all.