How do I calm my dog who jumps and bites guests at the door?

This is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - jumping up is a natural greeting behavior for dogs, and biting and mouthing are how puppies explore the world. You will need to be patient and consistent to teach him what you want him to do. When people come to the house, he needs to be on a leash or in another room behind a baby gate until he calms down. Praise and reward with treats when he keeps all four feet on the floor, or teach him to sit for greetings. Make sure that he has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. Providing lots of things to chew on can also help, especially when you are busy or have company over - try things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, rawhide chews, and puzzle toys like a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If these things don't help, I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person to teach more appropriate greeting behavior. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

This is a very common issue with puppies - they often get overly excited during play, and have trouble controlling themselves :) It's possible that your sister may tend to be louder, more active, or move more suddenly when she plays with the puppy, which often results in the puppy getting more "wound up." If your sister doesn't live with you, this may also be happening because the puppy is excited to see her when she comes over. Make sure that you have lots of different toys available for Sherri - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. Your sister should always use a toy when she is playing with Sherri, so that Sherri has something to bite on. If she starts to get too excited, you can ask her to sit for a treat, or engage her in some other activity that is calmer and less exciting until she settles down. If needed, you can even give her something to chew on, such as a bully stick or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, and put her in her crate for a while to let her calm down. Her ability to stay calm during play should improve as she gets older, just as it does for human children :) In the meantime, you can help her by redirecting her to a calmer activity when needed.

In terms of Bruin's greeting when you walk in the door, the best way to prevent her from nipping at your hands or ankles would be to only acknowledge her on your terms. While everyone is happy and excited to see their dog when they get home, in cases such as these where there is a behavior problem, sometimes our interactions with our pets must be altered. When you walk in the house for the next few days, I would ask that you consider not playing into her excitement. Instead, do not pet her or give her attention until she has calmed and settled down. Once settled, you should reward her with love and attention. If she still nibbles or bites, cease giving attention and walk away. Alternatively, you can have a toy in another hand and give her the toy to play with. If she takes it, reward her profusely with praise and/or treats. Since she is a Border Collie, she will likely pick up on things quite quickly. Training her to not become excited and/or nervous around guests will be a more difficult task. At least for the near future, I would recommend keeping her on leash when guests first enter the house and for the first several minutes they are present. Once off leash, instruct your guests not to acknowledge her if she is overly pushy or nibbling. If she settles down, your guest should reward her similarly as you were. It is all about repetition and consistency with behavior. I hope you and Bruin figure things out.

Many dogs get very excited when visitors come to the door! I would recommend asking guests to call ahead for now when they are coming over, so that you can put Vesta on a leash before they arrive. Use the leash to keep her under control, and use treats to reward her for sitting or other calm behavior. Once she calms down a bit, your visitors can also ask her to sit for treats and petting. It takes lots of time and patience to work on this issue, so be patient with Vesta while she learns! Ideally, I would also recommend finding a good reward-based trainer in your area who can work with you in person to make sure you're making progress - you can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

I would recommend investing in a crate that she can stand up, sit down and turn around and nothing else. I would not put wee wee pads in there and no blankets or toys. If she does not go to the bathroom outside I would put her in the crate when you get home and then 20 minutes later try again. It seems like you need to be very strict about the defecating. Regarding the jumping on people I would recommend having a trainer come to your home to work with you and her to make it so you are able to have people at your home. Than you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds as though Lilly is getting a little overexcited when out in the yard. To deter this behavior it is best to ignore it. When she is jumping and biting, turn away from her. Ignore her until she settles down. Do not yell or give her any attention. In the home work on her SIT command. Teach her to sit nicely before petting her. Have toys available for her outdoors. She may just need to get some of her energy out and likely she will calm down.

Get him acclimated to people so it isn't a big deal when you have company. Make him "work" for everything (food, attention, walks, etc.). This can be as simple as having him sit or wait before being fed, taken out or played with. When company arrives, make him wait to greet. Do not allow him to initiate contact. Use a leash to control him if necessary. A head harness such as the Gentle Leader or Halti can provide a means to control and quickly correct negative behavior. Ignore him when he barks at company. If he jumps up, turn away from him. Be consistent and be firm. Do not yell as this will likely get him more riled up.