What should I do with my puppy when my company comes over?

I am having company over for Valentines day in 1 1/2 hours. I have a 8 week old Boxer puppy that I got just 1 week ago and I am not sure what to do with him when my friends come over, they of course will want to see him but I don't know how he will react and I am not sure what to do if he reacts a certain way, so I have some questions on that. If he is scared/very wary of them, what should I do? Reassure him? Allow that behavior? If he is overly excited and is jumping around and barking, what should I do? Ignore him and praise him when he calms down? I have a Exercise pen and a Crate for him, as well as a baby gate that keeps him in the Kitchen... I know they will want to see him and I want him to be well-socialized but I am not sure how to do it. I will not play music and I will make sure everybody is relatively quiet and calm so he doesn't get scared, but I am not sure how to properly introduce him and what I should do depending on his reaction. Thank you.Just to clarify-I didn't get him from a breeder, I took him in when my friend passed away. I don't know where/who she got him from.It was snowing outside and the ground is muddy, I make them take off their shoes in my mud room before they enter my home (I am a bit OCD...) anyway.I am currently trying to find a good training class to get him into. I just thought that since I have only had him for 1 week and having a bunch of people over, being in a new house, people petting him and talking to him, AND playing loud music might overwhelm him a bit.

If he is scared, you should try to show him that your friends aren't a danger. If he is still scared, just put him in his crate.If he's excited, then play with him

This will be great for his training. Hang a treat bag on the door for your guests and ask them to each get a treat out of the bag and offer it to the puppy when they come in the door. Have the puppy there with you, and have him sit when company comes in (he may be too young). They can give puppy the treat so it helps settle his fears. The more exposure your pup has to people coming into his home, etc., the better adjusted he will be :)add: didn't think about the parvo virus being brought in and this IS a concern. Ask people if they mind taking off their shoes. Even if the pup is crated, the virus could be brought in and will stay in after the people leave. I would ask them to remove their shoes and have some place outside or in the garage to keep them. Keep the shoes out of your house.

WHAT ? DOGS ARE LIKE BABIES .......... PLAY MUSIC TALK LAUGH DO WHAT EVER. LET HIM GET USE TO THAT .... DO NOT CHANGE YOUR LIFE THAT IS HOW TO SOCIALIZE YOUR DOG ...... HAVE FUN WITH YOUR NEW FAMILY MEMBER

Most puppies are social and think that no matter who comes in, they are there to see him. I would let your puppy run around. If he acts scared, I would put him in the kitchen but, I think at his age, he will be fine running around.

I'd be more worried about people walking anything out there into your home on their shoes, to be honest. Your puppy won't have had all his vaccination shots yet, so is currently at risk and the often fatal dog diseases such as Parvo can easily be walked in. If he were mine and at this point you have to have a party going on like this, I'd have him crated, away from where your visitors will be. By all mean carry him in to see them, which is good socialising, but running around where they walk - unless they remove their shores - is not what I'd risk doing. And overall if he's only been with you for a week, this may all be too much for him to deal with much as with a sound temperament, he'll probably be okay,And make sure doors to the outside (front-road) are SHUT too.

Let him meet your friends. You shouldn't have any issues with him being weary or super nervous. In an 8 week old puppy that behavior would be VERY concerning to me. He might be unsure at first but should warm up and become curious just as quickly. If he gets too excited put a leash on him and make him "sit" to calm down before anyone can talk to or pet him. If he starts barking say "no, shh" and when he stops give him a treat. Don't ignore bad behavior unless you want it to continue. Why won't you play music? Why are you going to make everyone be quiet? That's unrealistic and you WANT him to get used to that. That's normal household activities. You shouldn't change your behavior, especially those small things, because he needs to get used to them. If he gets spooked by something he should bounce right back and when he does you do it again and then praise him. If I were you I would look into enrolling myself into a puppy obedience class. :]

This is an excellent opportunity to socialize your puppy. Let your friends meet the puppy, and you can even put out some dog treats that your company can offer to him. Just keep an eye on him and don't let your friends give him table scraps or anything other than what you normally would give him. If it seems too stressful for him, you can always give him a break by putting him in his crate for a little bit, but letting him socialize is a great way for him to become adjusted and relaxed with other people.

I agree with Mamabas. Until your dog has at least its first puppy shot, socialization is not as important as protecting him from disease. He can be vaccinated within the next week, and a week after that is plenty of time to begin socialization to all kinds of people, and other animals.Don't chance it yet.

If he acts timid, tell your company to not look at the dog, no talking to the dog, and no eye contact. This gives him a chance to check out the situation on his own, he will be more relaxed when not being pressured with a lot of immediate attention. If he gets overly excited, then you have to be calm, and confident enough to let him know that jumping on people is unacceptable. You can't calm a dog if your not calm. Dogs will pick up on how you feel. If your energy is calm, and confident, then you gain trust from the dog. The goal is, always calm/submissive behavior from the dog, and as an owner, it is up to you to maintain, and remind the dog to relax. Good social skills from the dog is always the desired outcome. The goal for corrections is to create stability. Dogs know how you feel, so if you get tense, nervous, fearful, frustrated, etc. they won't trust instability, that's why calm, and confident works.