Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 3/17/2008

Question
My son and his family have a male Yorkshire Terrier named Hunter that I babysit fairly often.  Whenever someone tries to leave his house (or mine if he is here) Hunter charges the door in an attempt to go with that person.  It can be the UPS man or a family member, it makes no difference.  I can make him stay back until I get out the door, but then he charges the door and slams himself against it numerous times to let me know he isn't happy.  He only does the three or four times and then settles down, but we do not know how to discourage this behavior.  Any help you can provide would be most appreciated.

Answer
Dear Chris,

Thanks for writing. Sorry, addressing aggression via this board is not realistic. The solution involves teaching that rascal what you do want him to do - and where you want him to do it. For example, teach go-to-place, practice with increasingly higher levels of distractions.

Before you can teach him, you'll need a reward system and a communication system. Visit http://apdt.com and search for a trainer near you. Good luck and thanks for writing.

Alan J Turner
http://howsbentley.com