Having a dog who dislikes new people can be embarrassing and isolating.

I`ve been there with both Artemis & Ace and I understand first-hand how it can make a lot of things difficult: Having repairs or construction done at home, hiring a dog walker or sitter so we can travel, or even hosting friends and family. Even for homebodies like us, it was often a source of stress.

Through education and personal experience, I`ve learned that meeting more people is not actually the answer. The reality is that your dog doesn`t need to become friendly with the majority of people that enter your home. It`s way more important that your dog become *unbothered* by the presence of visitors.

For this reason, I have my Stranger Danger Rehab clients fill out my Visitor Protocol. It outlines three main types of visitors and what strategies to use for each type. Ace is never going to see this A/C technician again and he was gone within 30 minutes, so it`s just not worth my training energy to have them meet. I simply use physical barriers and enrichment in those situations to help the dog feel comfortable enough to behave normally, like taking a nap.

As a result, I have more bandwidth to do training games with visitors who are more likely to become Ace`s future best friend. In the past couple years, Ace has added three of my family members into his social circle. Now I look forward to their visits instead of being filled with anxiety!

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🐾 OUR FAVORITE DOG SUPPLIES 🐾

Shopping for dog supplies can be overwhelming and costly. There are too many products to choose from and it`s hard to know what will work for your pup. Rest assured that the items on this page were personally selected by loving dog parents (who also happen to be certified dog trainers).

We`ve tried many products over the years and learned which ones aren`t worth the money. You won`t find any of those rejects here - only the ones we`d buy again (and often do). While not every product shown will be right for your dog`s unique needs and preferences, these selections tend to be crowd-favorites among our clients and their dogs.

⚠️ We do NOT receive any financial benefit from you clicking these links or buying these products! We`re not cool enough to have influencer status and just want to help out. A few of the products were sent to us in exchange for feedback, but we decided which products we wanted to test out.

🔗 Click the link in our profile or go to training.theconfidenthound.com/dog-supplies

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