Getting my dog to leave housemates alone?

[southernmama]

Hi all,

My husband & I just moved into a house share, where previously we lived in an apartment alone with our dog.

Our dog is a 5 month old poodle mix, and she L O V E S people -- she wants to say hello to everyone. However, one of our new housemates is afraid of dogs, and doesn't enjoy when our dog approaches him.

How do I get her to leave him alone? We've been calling her away from him, but she still runs up to him when she sees him to say hi. She's incredibly smart, but I'm struggling with exactly how to train her to do this - it's a me problem, basically.

(It is NOT my place to "get him used to dogs" - I want her to respect his space and leave him alone, not just for his sake, but also because she's going to continue to encounter folks who do not enjoy dogs in their space so it's a valuable skill for her to have)

 

[sharonbradford]

@southernmama Trying to prevent a 5 month old puppy from wondering up to people in her home while she is off leash is an insane expectation.

Keep her on a leash while he is around.

 

[southernmama]

@sharonbradford .... I mean, yes.
This is what we have been doing, and doesn't answer my question. I'm not expecting her to do anything right now, I'm asking how to work with her on it over the next few months.

 

[sharonbradford]

@southernmama You can teach the dog to not expect attention from the housemate, but it will not be possible to teach her to never go near him ever if they are in the same room and she is off lead.

Teaching her to ignore him and not expect attention from him will involve you keeping her on a leash, him not giving her any attention whatsoever (positive or negative), and you treating her when she chooses to not go to him. To teach this, there will be times that she will go up to the housemate. He may not want that, and may not want to be used to train a dog if he is scared of her.