Introducing Your Dog to Someone New

Ready to "introduce" your dog to someone new? Oftentimes we think introducing our dog means getting someone to pet them. But that's not the type of introduction here! And in fact, having someone pet your dog too soon could lead to mistrust and more fear.

Let the goal be neutrality and co-existence.

Additionally, if you have even the smallest concern that your dog is a bite-risk, please muzzle them before doing these. There is no reason not to muzzle a dog if you're unsure!

A few things to consider first:

• Ask yourself: Who is the person coming in the home? Is it a friend coming to stay for several days? Or is it a handyman? Is it someone afraid of dogs? Is it someone who can listen to your directions clearly? Or will they ignore you!

• Also ask yourself: What is going to cause the least amount of stress for you, your family, and your dog in this scenario?

  
  

Never, ever let a guest coming into the home be a “free for all” for your nervous dog. Every moment initially needs to be structured, if you want long-term success! The reason you are learning this is because your dog has shown fearfulness, reactivity or shyness towards new people, so this can take some practice to get right!

Option A – the goal is low stress for everyone

Examples of when: a handyman comes in to fix something, friends come for dinner, your mother-in-law who never listens to you is coming over, or you just don't want to do all the training stuff!

1. Dog stays in the crate the entirety of the person’s stay. There is NOTHING wrong with this! If it’s a several hour stay (like a dinner), give your dog a nice long walk beforehand and maybe a chew during, and they will be fine!

   
   

Option B – the goal is a relationship between the person & dog

Examples of when: you are introducing a petsitter to your dog, you have a family member coming to stay in your home, you are doing an intro to a good friend, etc.

BEFORE:

1. Make sure your dog has reliable leash skills & place training before doing this.

2. Prep the guest beforehand for this!

   1. Instruct your guest to ignore the dog, like the dog isn’t even there.

   2. Tell them you are going to go for a short walk when they arrive, plan to be outside waiting for them so they don't knock on the door first.

      
      

DURING:

1. Walk outside, and when your guest arrives, start walking with your dog right away. Keep your body between your dog & the guest.

2. Take a walk around the block, the goal is a neutral walk! Your guest should ignore your dog, not try to pet or talk to at all. If it's a petsitter or someone who will be handling the dog, hand your leash to them and let them walk the dog!

3. Come back to your home, and put your dog on place. Let them observe this new human for a bit while you chat!

4. Break your dog off place IF they seem relaxed. Allow the dog to approach the human, but instruct the guest to continue ignoring the dog! We are not looking for pets here at all. That is not the goal, that does not make the dog feel comfy. If necessary, we are only looking for this person to handle the dog (if they are a petsitter). If not, the only goal is coexistence!

   
   

   PS - if you want to see how I do a hand-off with a bite-risk dog, head over to my subscription page on Instagram and it will show you how I handle bite-risk Scout!

   
   

Option C – the goal is Neutrality & a Co-existence

Examples of when: you have a friend come over who your dog doesn't know well so you can practice this, you have friends over for dinner, you have a handyman come into the house and feel you're ready to practice this, etc.

BEFORE:

1. Make sure your dog has reliable leash skills & place training before doing this.

2. Prep the guest beforehand for this!

   1. Instruct your guest to ignore the dog, like the dog isn’t even there.

   2. Tell them you are working on training so she will be better behaved with guests!

3. If you have a partner, decide on one person being in charge of the dog during this time, another person is in charge of hosting the guest.

DURING:

1. Have dog in crate when guest arrives and comes inside - preferably crate is out of sight from the person coming in, but within earshot and “smell”-shot. 

2. When guest arrives, have them sit on couch or at table. The guest remaining stationary is going to be the most helpful for your dog.

3. After 5-20 minutes, put leash on dog and bring them out. Start doing leash work with them if they’re amped.

   1. Walk them towards the area where your guest is. Hold them accountable to walk nicely, and do leash work patterns to work them through any feelings. 

   2. Do leash work as long as you need to, until the dog calms. 

4. Once the dog calms, put them on place somewhere where they can watch the guest. LEASH ON and attach the leash to something heavy. 

   1. Make sure the guest continues to ignore the dog. 

5. After 10-60 minutes of place time, put your dog back into their crate to decompress!

6. Congratulate yourself, you have begun the process of teaching your dog that people are NEUTRAL!