# Dog goes ballistic when people leave!



## scintillady (Dec 13, 2007)

I adopted Ruby, and 8 year old Rottweiller/Lab mix, about 2 months ago. I live alone except when I work out of town and rent a room in an old victorian house. My roommates are hardly ever there, so it is usually just Ruby and I alone in either my house or my rented room. Recently, my daughter and her boyfriend came over for the evening, and Ruby was delighted to see them, like she always is with everyone. When they went to leave, she went ballistic, growling, barking, jumping at the door they just went out of. I had never seen this behavior before, in fact she had never growled or barked since I had her. I took her outside on the leash and when they started to back out of the driveway, she tried to jump on their car the whole time they were backing out. I could hardly hold her back. She never does this when I leave, only when someone else leaves. If I know someone is on their way out the door I have to hold her really tightly, and she still snaps and growls and barks, but as soon as they are gone she calms down. She never barks when anyone comes in, or when anyone goes by the door, just when someone leaves. What could be causing this? It was a complete surprise to me the first time it happened.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

She doesn't want all of that great attention to leave. She will also learn that a car pulling into the driveway means something really good is going to happen and will probably start barking and jumping on the front end.
Now's a good time to teach Settle and Quiet.


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## scintillady (Dec 13, 2007)

Any ideas on how to go about teaching an 8 year old dog "settle" and "quiet"? I taught her to sit and to shake, but she picked it up so quickly, I think she must have known it from before. I am working on "stay" and it is going OK, but slowly, since she is so food obsessed. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Does the dog do any default behaviors, like sit, on her own? If so, I would wait for the dog to offer the default behavior before any "fun" activity. I'd also require eye contact before doing the "fun" behavior. So, eye contact and sit = go outside to pee. Eye contact and sit = meet guest. Eye contact and sit = eat a meal. 

If the dog has a history of reward for the default behavior, she will do the behavior to get a response from you. Therefore, do not cue the behavior, wait for it. Over time she will offer the behavior more and more quickly on her own. 

Be sure to reward the behavior any time you see it. Either by letting her do the "fun" activity, or praising her for volunteering the behavior for no apparent reason. All you're doing here is working on her impulse control, as this does seem like an impulse issue, and this is one way to work on settle. 
Personally, I would have crated the dog if she responds to guests leaving this way, and perhaps left her with a stuffed Kong to avoid the reaction. You do not want to rehearse the behavior, if you can avoid it.


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## scintillady (Dec 13, 2007)

Thanks, Curbside Prophet. I had no idea that she had this reaction to people leaving until it happened that time. I don't have very much company, and I was really surprised at the reaction. I don't have a crate at the present time, as I only got her 2 months ago, and she is a much bigger dog than my poor Susie, who had to be put down at the age of 11. I am trying to find a reasonably priced crate for an 80 pound dog, as I had planned on getting another medium sized dog so that I could use Susie's crate. It just so happened I fell in love with a BIG dog.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I think that you took her out to follow the guests may have reinforced the behavior more; atleast if you do it everytime...you need to teach her to 'relax' or 'settle' so you don't have to encounter this issue when you do have guests! If you can, perhaps getting involved in a training club, or atleast going to dog classes somewhere will help get her more socialized, so that when you do have company, she's not so goofy about it! 

Maybe the next time, before the guests are ready to leave get her back on a lead, and have her sit, or lie next to you. If she starts going nutty, then put her in her crate, or your bedroom, and let her settle down; give her toys and treats in the room. Whatever you do, don't continue following guests out when she starts going nuts!!


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

this has nothing to do w/ not wanting the "guests" to leave, it has to do w/ a self-gratification that she has just driven them away....she may be happy to have them there but somewhere along the line in her past she has learned that when people go and she does this behavior, she has just driven them away.....

a dog i have up for adoption has the same behavior and it started small and has escalated to a more aggressive nature....what i have been doing (and it has worked tremendously) is when the people leave (and she only does it t certain people, not all) i have her in a calm, usually sitting, positon...they "pat" her and walk away....when the door starts to close, if she starts to react, i give a sharp "shhhht, uhh-uhh" and they return and we repeat.....after about 3 times of this she has almost stopped...she no longer feels that she is in control of them leaving....now, mostly, she goes and watches out the window, quietly.....

hope this helps....


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