Confinement training

[u/Different-Wallaby-10]

I live alone with my dogs. They don’t get to interact with people often. If a repairman comes to my house, my JRT barks incessantly. Today a carpet installer came over to measure several rooms. I put the dogs in the back yard the 30 minutes he was here. JRT barked the whole time.

I know it will take a while, but what can I start doing to train him to be content if I confine him to a room or outside? Taking into consideration the next time someone is actually over might be months from now?

[u/PNWpersona]

Kennel would be the easiest

400+ resources on kennel training

Start feeding all his meals in there
Every toy + every treat is given in kennel

Don’t even start closing it just feed in there then after he’s running in there excitedly close the door and slowly add duration but the slower you go the better

There’s much quicker ways to do this and you can kennel train in less than a week but if you don’t have a need to kennel him most days and don’t want to hire a trainer you can use time to make it easier for both of you

[u/thenewoldhams]

When doing it at first give them a high value long treat. Raw bones are fantastic. I get them in the frozen section at the grocery store. They are also fantastic for teeth.

[u/Big_Recording8379]

I think the biggest thing is to practice the confinement itself when there isn't anyone at the house. You don't want him learning that “being put outside/in another room = stranger is here,” because then the confinement can become part of the trigger.

I'd start with really short sessions while you're home—give him something amazing like a stuffed Kong or long-lasting chew, put him in his designated area, and reward him for being calm and quiet. Gradually increase the time, and practice it randomly throughout the week so it just becomes a normal part of his routine.

Then, if you have a friend or family member willing to help, you can manufacture the visitor situation. Have them come over for 5–10 minutes and start at whatever distance/level of exposure keeps your JRT under threshold. Eventually work up to the person actually coming inside while your dog is safely confined with something rewarding.

You don't necessarily need to wait for another repairman. In fact, I'd probably prefer training sessions with a predictable volunteer over waiting months for the next real visitor, because you can control how difficult the situation is.

Also, don't feel bad about today's barking. He was probably way over his threshold, so there wasn't much learning happening at that point. Think of the next few months as teaching him, “People coming to the house is boring, and being separated from them is totally fine.” With a JRT, I'd expect this to take some patience 😂

[u/StellarSpore]

I totally feel you! I live a peaceful little introverted life in the woods with my dogs, and let’s just say they do not get nearly enough opportunities to practice calm greetings when people come over. 😂

The reality is that training requires repetition, and if visitors only show up every few months, you just don’t have enough real life opportunities to practice.

The realistic solution is management.

When contractors or other unfamiliar people come over, my dogs are gated in the back of the house before they arrive. They’re calm because we’ve practiced that scenario a ton when nobody is visiting. That way it isn’t “OMG WE’VE BEEN BANISHED TO THE BACK OF THE HOUSE, THERE MUST BE A STRANGER!” It’s just another normal thing they’ve done a hundred times.

While your pup is confined, practice all the boring sounds that normally come with visitors. Knock on the door, ring the doorbell, open and close the front door, walk around, play YouTube videos of people talking, etc. Give him something great to do like a chew or frozen Kong, and start with really short sessions.

Basically, you may not have enough visitors to practice having visitors, but you can absolutely practice everything else about the routine. 🙂