How to Get Your Dog to Stay Calm When You Kiss Your Spouse

Train your dog to stay calm when you show affection for your spouse.

Your dog may react badly when you show affection to your spouse, especially if your spouse is new to your dog's life. If your dog barks, growls, or otherwise acts inappropriately when you kiss your spouse, it is demonstrating signs of jealousy. Make your dog feel included in your relationship with your spouse by including it in fun activities like walks and encourage your spouse to spend time with the dog. Stop unwanted reactions by training your dog to stay calm.

Things You'll Need

• Clicker training device
• Dog treats

Instructions

1. Throw treats to your dog each time you kiss your spouse to keep it quiet before continuing with further training. This causes the dog to associate the kissing with something pleasant, which should start to improve the behavior by counterconditioning the dog to this trigger.

2. Teach the dog to associate the sound of the clicker training device with something good by clicking the device and then giving the dog a treat. Continue this process for 15 minutes each day for a few days.

3. Train your dog to sit with the clicker. Say "sit" and then hold a treat up and over your dog's head to make it to sit down. When the dog sits, click and then give the dog a treat. Repeat this exercise for 15 minutes each day until your dog reacts to the sit command consistently.

4. Train the dog to react to the quiet command. Say "quiet" and then feed the dog a series of treats for longer and longer periods of time. Kiss your spouse to trigger any barking behavior for your dog, say "quiet," and click and give the dog a series of treats if it does not bark or pauses in its barking. Continue to train your dog using a barking trigger, such as kissing your spouse, until the dog reacts to the quiet command without barking.

5. Command the dog to sit and stay quiet with the commands you have taught it. Kiss your spouse. Give the dog a click and a treat if it sits calmly and does not bark. Repeat this daily until your dog no longer reacts when you kiss your spouse.

Tips & Warnings

• Have your spouse spend time with your dog and play with it so the dog gets used to his presence. Give the dog treats for good behavior.

• Include your spouse in any activities your dog considers fun, like going for a walk or snuggling on the couch.

• Have your dog neutered or spayed to help calm its jealousy over your affection for your spouse.

• Refresh the dog's training twice a month; click and treat the dog when it displays good behavior and obeys the sit and quiet commands when you kiss your spouse.

• Take your dog to a veterinarian if its behavior started suddenly as some illnesses cause aggressive behavior in dogs.

References

• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Desensitization and Counterconditioning
• The Humane Society of the United States: Barking: How to Get Your Dog to Quiet Down
• PetPlace: Fear Aggression By Dogs Directed Toward People
• Dog Time: Dog Barking
• PetPlace: Clicker Training Your Dog
• PetPlace: Jealous Dogs: How to Prevent a Green Pooch

Resources

• Everyday Health: Is Your New Partner Right for Your Pet?