JackieG
Posted : 10/4/2011 8:49:47 AM
4807sjb
Can someone give me some ideas about what I should do to get her to listen when we say "It's ok."
She's not able to focus on you and accept you're verbal "it's ok" because she's likely beyond the threshold of being able to listen if she's fearful the moment someone arrives. I'd try some classical counter conditioning. It's very possible that this isn't protective behavior as much as fearful behavior. You can change the way she feels about people in your home if you help her associate visitors with good things, such as super yummy treats, that only are offered when someone comes to the house. It's best to have a willing helper to play the role of visitor. Patricia McConnell has a booklet called the Cautious Canine. It's ridiculously cheap and has a step by step description of how to accomplish the counter conditioning. It's important to do this the right way or you can actually make the problem worse instead of better, but done correctly, it's a proven safe method of changing how a dog feels about something they are fearful of.
If you google the term classic counter conditioning, you'll find videos and advice on how to use positive rewards to help desensitize her.
I wanted to add that I'm sorry I seemed to ignore your email. It ended up in my junk mail. I did reply when I discovered it last week. GabbyG and Tink do indeed look like twin sisters. :)