Bulldogs are known to be one of the friendliest breeds. Few people know they can also be very protective. One of the best ways to keep your bulldog from being overly protective and distrusting of new guests in the house is to properly socialize it. In-home and out-of-home socializing should be treated differently because your dog will see it differently. There are things you can do to properly socialize your bulldog.

Have Guests Over Regularly

From the time you bring your pup home you should regularly have guests over. Instead of taking the puppy everywhere else to meet your friends, you should split it pretty evenly between inviting them over and going to see them in new places with the pup. Your puppy should see 3 new faces a day.

Have Variety in Shapes, Sizes, Gender of Guests

This may seem a little odd, but it’s realistic in a lot of situations. Think about your typical guest. You’ll probably notice some trends. If you’re a female you probably have more females over than males, etc.  It is important to have a variety of different people around your pet.

For Dogs Having Issues

If you start having guests over regularly from the beginning. you shouldn’t have any issue with your pup being afraid of houseguests. If you’re getting a later start or just adopting an older bulldog that’s already showing tendencies, you’ll want to use the tips that follow.

1.      Practice this with a friend: if your dog is protective it likely wants to answer the door with you, as most dogs do. The issue is that it doesn’t want to let people in the house because every stranger is the enemy. You’ll want to practice giving your dog the ‘stay back’ command when you answer the door. Have your dog stay an acceptable length away from the door so guests can comfortably enter the house.

2.      Train your guests to ignore the dog upon entry. The dog will want to sniff them, and the guests should understand that this is normal dog behavior and let it happen. They should not make eye contact, however if the dog tries to jump on them both you and the guest should harmoniously command the dog to get down.

3.      Keep a treat bowl at the door in the guests’ reach (out of the dog’s reach) so they can grab treats when they enter. As long as the dog is behaving and is not showing aggressive behavior, they should be treated.

4.      Guests should be treated like new guests as long as your dog treats them like new guests. This may always happen for people who don’t come over often. Maybe you have a repairman but only see him once every few months. You’ll want your repairman to be familiar with your dog, but your dog will take a moment to reacquaint with the repairman.

5.      People should not stick their hand in the door to reach for anything while standing outside. This will likely be treated as intrusion to your pup because he/she didn’t see an invitation. This is how people get bitten.

6.      Guests should not leave if the dog barks at them while they are outside. This is positive reinforcement for their behavior. If your guest is welcomed into your house, make sure they come in and don’t leave until the dog calms.

If you follow these tips the behavior should get better and you will have an easier time having houseguests. If your dog’s social anxiety doesn’t improve or worsens, you may be able to see a vet about anxiety medication that you can take 30 minutes before the events. These mild medications are known to help dogs with social anxiety better control themselves and not get so upset.

Photo credit: tang*lee/Flickr