Interaction with non-family humans
#354378 - 01/27/2012 12:36 PM |
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Hey there,
New to the forum and new GS owner. I have a twelve week old puppy that goes to work with me in a bank. I have studied Michael Ellis videos on training and understand I should not allow Delilah to interact with strangers. My problem is that there are people I work with that she sees daily. Should I not allow my coworkers to visit with Delilah? Any input is appreciated.
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354380 - 01/27/2012 01:02 PM |
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First, let me say I am so jealous you get to bring your dog to work with you
What are your plans for Delilah?
With my dogs, they are pets and we dabble in obedience and agility. They have a circle of people that they interact with (family members, close friends, etc).
I personally do not see anything wrong with your co-workers interacting with her, IF they can follow your instructions on how to properly behave around her so she learns how to properly behave around them!
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354381 - 01/27/2012 01:06 PM |
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I think it depends on your goals for your dog. Are you training for a specific sport,is she going to be trained for a special job or are you looking for an all around companion dog? This answer IMO would dictate how much interaction I would allow my pup.
Either way, I feel that a puppies interaction with others should (at least) be controlled by you allowing her to be interacted with only when she is calm and happy and the timing is not interfering with any training that may be ongoing. Welcome to the Forum!
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354389 - 01/27/2012 02:26 PM |
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Yes, I'm very lucky to have an employer who allows Delilah to be with me at work. I don't have any plans to compete with Delilah in the ring/trials but I would like to see what we can accomplish in obedience possibly focused heeling just as a personal challenge. The problem I'm running into is when I take Delilah out through the bookkeeping department or have to pass through the bank lobby. Many times she sees someone I've allowed her to visit with and she wants to greet them. I then have to redirect her which at times isn't easy. I always ask the person to ignore her which they are very good about doing but I'm not sure if this is the best way to handle these situations or just simply never allow her to greet anyone. Since this is the environment that she will be living in I feel I'm going to have to work through these encounters and it doesn't seem right that I not allow her to enjoy my associates and allow them to enjoy her. It's crucial that she be extremely well behaved since we are in a business setting and make sure that we are not a complication to those around us who don’t particularly like dogs. Thank you for your comments and again any input is greatly appreciated.
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354452 - 01/28/2012 05:45 PM |
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Hi, Lynn. Welcome to the board and congratulations on adding a new puppy to your family!
You're in a unique situation. Not many of us can take our dogs to work, period, let alone at a bank! In the circumstances that you describe, it seems to me it will be important that she learn to be friendly and sociable (but in a calm and relaxed manner) with the people she is going to see every day at work, and that she gets to say hi to her friends only when you to give her permission. (Like you say, there are people who aren't crazy about dogs.)
It's natural, at her age, that it will be a bit challenging to teach her to focus on you and look to you for direction, but it will come with time and a lot of patience and consistency in your training.
I am a big fan of Michael Ellis and have several of his videos. While I understand his philosophy of not allowing his dogs to interact with other people, I believe there is a big difference between what ME does with his dogs and what you indicate you will be doing with yours, and in your case, a big difference between strangers and coworkers. Teaching your pup to be neutral and uninterested in strangers is probably a good idea.
It sounds like your plans at this time are to have a nice, well-mannered companion dog, one that will be well-behaved in public. Incorporating formal obedience exercises into your training will be a big help, but remember, it will take time!
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354487 - 01/29/2012 08:09 AM |
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I agree with Cheri. Many dogs find the interaction with strangers to be a rewarding experience,but not always accepted by every human on the planet. Most people I encounter will unknowingly teach my dog to practice behaviors I do not like.
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354497 - 01/29/2012 12:45 PM |
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I'd probably set up a meet and greet time for coworkers that wanted to interact with your dog (break time maybe, in a specific location) but outside of that ask them to ignore her.
Just explain to them that you want to to be reserved around customers so she doesn't mae them uneasy.
I'd also have a leash/harness that she wears most of the day, but that you take off for the meet and great times. That way she'll start to get a clear picture of free time when it's okay to say hi and "working must ignore everyone" time.
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354504 - 01/29/2012 01:37 PM |
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Hi Lynn. As someone who has a dog at work all the time, the most important little bit of advice I'll give you is be careful and always pay very close attention to how everything affects her. What her reactions are to everything and everyone.
That probably sounds like something pretty basic to being a dog owner, but if someone even trips over her, you're going to be amazed at how insurance companies feel about dogs at work and then workmans comp,,,,it can be ugly.
Other then that, paying attention to how she reacts to people can go a long way in telling you whether it would be better if people pet her or people ignore her. Personally, I don't think there's any real downside to people ignoring her and fostering that indifference in her to strangers, but I've done both with different dogs for different reasons. If she's a dog thats real social and you feel like spending the time teaching her manners with other people, its up to you.
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Re: Interaction with non-family humans
[Re: Lynn Neben ]
#354674 - 02/01/2012 09:44 AM |
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I’m so thrilled with all the advice I received here. I’ve already put into practice several suggestions. I’ve asked everyone (who’s interested) to please ignore Delilah until I’ve given her the command to visit.
Cheryl, you are so right about strangers teaching undesirable behavior. We’ve already run into that and another reason for me to limit her contact with people. We had a somewhat difficult day yesterday when a co-worker brought her children into to see Delilah. She whined most of the day, I think it was because she wanted to play with the kids. I’ve now placed a blanket over her crate so that she can’t been seen as people pass by my office. We were having a lot of “hey Delilah” going on also.
I’m grateful to all of you for your responses. It’s wonderful to know I have a place to go for help with this project. I have just one more question about GSs. Just recently, that is in the last two days when I’ve been working with Delilah, either giving her a command or asked her to do something she’s barked at me. I don’t feel it’s a threatening bark but was wondering if this is a typical behavior in GS. What is she telling me? I’ve only ever worked with (dare I say) Chihuahuas and Labs and never run into this before. Do I ignore that behavior or is there something I should be doing besides saying no.
Thanks again for your help!
Lynn
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