Q: Every time visitors come to our house, we put our dog into a crate so he doesn’t jump on our guests. The problem is he howls when he’s in the crate and people are in the house. He’s great when we leave the house and he’s in the crate, but heaven forbid if he hears us. Is there any way to get him quiet when he’s in his crate and we are in the house? I’m desperate. Family is coming for the holidays and it’s going to be so embarrassing.

A: First thing that comes to mind is that it is time to teach your dog to behave around visitors. You say that you put him in the crate so he doesn’t jump up on people. Teaching him not to jump would be a good place to start. A Gentle Leader (a head halter that goes around the dog’s nose like a horse harness) is a great tool for helping you teach your dog not to jump. While the dog is wearing the head halter you can step on the leash and keep the dog from jumping on people. Ask everyone not to say hello until the dog is calm and has four feet on the floor. Better yet, teach the dog to sit every time he greets someone. Of course, training your dog to a head halter needs to happen prior to the visitors coming. It takes a little getting used to for most dogs.

If your dog doesn’t know how to sit on cue, you can train him to sit before the visitors come. (Trying to teach him as they are walking in the door will be way too much distraction.) Take a treat slowly from his nose and bring it up over his head. As he looks at the treat, usually a dog’s bottom will go down on the ground. This is when you tell him “yes” and give him the treat. Then repeat. If your dog is one that backs up as you bring the treat over his head (my Yorkie does this—yes, I’m still working on it—even trainers struggle with some dogs) work in a corner so as you bring the treat up, and the dog backs up, pretty soon there is no place to go and the bottom usually goes down. If THAT doesn’t work (and no it didn’t work with the Yorkie) then your last hope is to shape the behavior. This means you wait until the dog sits, say “yes,” and toss the dog a treat. Pretty soon the dog will connect the sit with getting a treat then you can give the action a name such a “sit.” (The Yorkie did respond well to this, but now she only knows how to sit in one place—she hasn’t quite gotten the idea that she can sit on cue anywhere. Did I mention she has neurological problems and walks like she’s drunk? So, I use that as my excuse for my lack of training success. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

Now on the practical side, the holidays are just around the corner which doesn’t leave a lot of time for training. You may want to consider where the crate is located. If the crate is off in a room where the dog can’t see people but can hear them, this may be part of the problem. Move the crate into the room where all the action is going on. Give the dog an interactive toy like a stuffed Kong or another type of food toy to keep him busy while in the crate. Visitors can toss treats into the crate whenever the dog is quiet, helping you teach him to not howl when people are around. He’s probably just trying to let you know that he wants to be part of the party!

The holidays are no fun if you are listening to Deck the Howls throughout dinner, so finding a solution to this problem quickly is definitely something I can see as a priority. The other option is to tether the dog near all the action. (Don’t ever leave a dog tethered unattended.) A screw eye in a baseboard and a strong cord to attach to the dog will help the dog feel as if he is nearby without having him into everything. This is something to get the dog used to prior to any guests arriving.

These kinds of behavior problems do not go away over night, so you may have to try to do whatever you can this year to make the holidays enjoyable for everyone, and take time in the New Year to train your dog. There are lots of great classes out there. If you are in Fluvanna check out the training classes at the Fork Union Community Center. http://www.fluvannadogs.com. Happy Howlidays!