A couple of annoying habits!

hi, i have two dogs
a staffy called Buddy
and a king charles called Bella.
they are really lovely dogs. when im on my own with them they are like little soldiers and so well behaved.
however they have a couple of annoying habits i cant get them out of!

1. they jump up people!
as soon as the door bell rings they go wild. they start running to the door and i have to get them back behind the living room door. as soon as i open the living room door they both run and jump at the visitor. the staffy is so heavy as well and obviously a visitor doesnt want this.
ive tried this so far:
1.ive told visitors to sit down at first before i release the dogs (they seem a bit calmer but the visitor cant help but start petting the dog despite me telling them not to!)
2. ive tried just holding the dogs back but this works them up more
3. pet corrector spray - doesnt bother them at this particular time

im sure ive tried more but i cant calm them down quick enough. i often get stressed at certain visitors who start squealing with excitement at the dogs which obviously gets them more excited! however, i understand its my responsibility to control the dogs excitement.

any ideas?


and the second problem is a classic - pulling on the lead!

i walk both dogs on my own (and im rather small!) i can handle both dogs but they do pull! the cavalier is just irritating, but the staffy puts a lot of strain on my hands and arms.
if the staffy sees another dog, thats it! he stops. stares. and if close enough he pulls so much that hes up on his back legs. if he gets close enough he starts crying and then snaps at the other dog.
i try to stay calm, but im getting overwhelmed by having my arms yanked off and then getting worried that i might bump into another dog. off the lead they are both great, but on the lead they are a nightmare!
my partner wont allow me to use a halti lead at all so i have to struggle with the harness and collars on my own.

any ideas for my problems?

please help cus i love my dogs and this causing me a lot of stress

I think getting an approved dog trainer in would be the best idea, there is nothing better than getting someone who really knows how dogs tick, to come over assess the problems and give practical hands on advice.

I'd consider snapping at other dogs quite a serious problem that needs addressed, you wouldn't want another dog to come too close!

I'm sure other people with more experience will come along soon to offer training advice as well

How well socialised are they and at what age ( Q )

As I am so much alone, my two are not socialised and tend to get very excited. Collie obeys but I keep a close eye on wee dog on the rare occasions. Jumping up etc is the norm for wee dog when she sees me first thing and during the day but she will obey.

Does you partner walk them and know the problems (q)

It sounds like basic obedience training is needed here which my two had thankfully

I feel that you have a good understanding of the problems you have.

Visitors are a pain in the bum, they never ever ignore the dog as requested, they feel obliged to reciprocate the excitement and so reward the dogs behaviour.

So it's down to you. You need to teach them that visitors mean something else other than someone to jump on.
Perhaps you could teach them that visitors = going to there bed and getting bits of chicken.

Pulling on the lead is very frustrating but in the dogs mind, pulling = moving forward nearer to where they want to be so this need correcting.
It takes a lot of patients and determination but never move forward when there is tension on the lead.

With the Staff you could also try walking at a fast pace and just constantly keep changing direction, this could teach him to watch where you are going instead of just moving forward.

Give the plenty of mental stimulation and try handfeeding them so they must sit or stand or whatever you want to get each bit of food. this will hopefully get them paying more attention to you and give them something to think about.

Training two dogs together is difficult if you are trying to correct unwanted behaviours so I'd train one at a time but I know this is not always practical.

if they jump up get your visitors and you yourself ignore them and turn away from them, do it as many times as you need til they arent jumping up, them once they're calm at your feet give them a treat. they should learn jumping means they get no attention and if they're nice and calm they will.
we are in the middle of training Bryn not to pull. what we did was just stop moving as soon as he pulls then once he walks back towards you on a loose lead praise him and start again, it began working for us towards the end of our walk lastnight, he was spending most of the time beside me instead of pulling.

thank you for all your replies, and shane i will try that technique that when someone comes over, the routine is they go on their bed and get a treat.
they are really good dogs actually, they respond so well to me and never jump up me or my partner. they just have moments of over excitement which is just too much! individually, they are well behaved, but i think the pair of them together, and excited just sets them off.

could even try the kong stuffed with treats when you have visitors, it should keep them busy and may break the habit