Totally agree with Geno. I've also noticed that dogs with bigger personalities will tend to try to test any members in new environments. Our dogs are definitely less well-behaved as visitors than in our home. At home, they know what all the rules are, and will abide by them. However, everything goes out the window when they're (they meaning Atka only) in a new environment. He will test to see just how far he can push boundaries, and push he will!
My opinion is that if the rules are laid out consistently, a clear understanding occurs quickly, regardless of what he was allowed to get away with in the past.
In addition, what's worked for us is creating clear physical boundaries as a way to show us respect when eating. Some dogs may need a larger boundary to understand that they can't invade your space during those times. For Atka (who has a BIG personality and is food obsessed and will easily escalate his excitement/obsession level very quickly in direct relation to physical proximity), it wasn't enough that he stay at our feet and not beg or paw us while we eat at the coffee table in front of the TV. I drew an invisible line by the edge of the carpet that he couldn't cross. In the beginning, that meant I had to get up and physically step into his space 100s of times to get him to back away and give me my space. Like you, it took me forever to eat our first few meals. However, with me now, I just give him a look and he knows not to get near.
My husband, however, is a different story. When I'm not home, he allows them to get right underneath him, and even encourages them to clean up after him (he's a messy easter). However, the downside to this is that they can be disrespectful of him and his food and whatever other edible possessions he has on the coffee table, and will reach up to grab it from him. It's tough for them to remain calm about this since he allows them to get so close to the objects of their desire in the first place, so they're like an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Unfortunately, my husband is still working on consistency and understanding what kind of messages he relays to the dogs so that he doesn't have to go from 0-100 in just a matter of seconds (0 meaning eating calmly, 100 meaning jumping up and yelling at Atka b/c he tried to steal food off the table). Jimmy is still trying to grasp the concept of prevention instead of just reaction
The reason I bring this up is because you need everyone in the house to follow the same rules with him. When they don't, he gets conflicting messages, and a clear message of what it is exactly that you want from him while in this household will not be conveyed well. You know your dog better than any of us, so you'll know what kinds of limits you're comfortable with.
When it comes to jumping on people, something that helped us was asking the visitors to ignore him completely when they first come in (no touching or even looking at him), and to not pay any attention to him unless he's calm. If he snuck by and was able to jump on them before I could block him, they were to shove him off and continue ignoring him, but not back away. In addition, we'll try not to let the people in until he's more calm (it will seem like forever to you, but won't be that bad for the people, especially if you tell them he's in training). If the dog is sooooo excited and in a frenzy, it is very difficult to try to get through their heads at that point, and would only be a source of frustration on both parts. If the dog tries to jump on someone, instead of yanking him off and continuing to do that, I actually will quickly get in between him and the person and block him. I never really understood this practice until we got our 2nd dog and saw how she controlled things w/ our 1st dog. It was all about blocking him from getting somewhere, and not pulling him out of the way. Her body language was clearly understood by our 1st dog, and so we learned to speak dog and have been successful at getting him to understand things in that way.
You had asked about the leash length. I had personally used a 6' leash. That meant he was literally right by my side and didn't have much room to meander about. I tell ya, he's got a perfect "heel" position from that, though, and around the house, definitely stays right by my left side, a little behind me, whenever I want him to follow me. He learned very quickly to be mindful of my every move and it worked out great.
With ALL that said, that's great to hear the progress you've made with him thus far! Consistency in whatever you do will only ensure that it gets better
Keep us posted and good luck!
