Had a not so good experience tonight with Chessie.

The Saturday before Easter, I took him with me up to my parents' house for the day. He did really well and warmed up to them and my brother, even curling up on their laps and falling asleep.

Today, my parents, my brother, and a friend of my brother came down to my place to take me out to dinner. Chessie had been sleeping when they arrived. They came in, and he basically panicked, which kind of surprised me since he'd met them before. Granted, it was seven weeks ago. This was also the first time since I got him that I've had visitors.

He first bolted behind the couch to hide. Realizing these people were still in the same room, he then took off into the kitchen, hiding under the table. After a while, I was able to coax him out from under there while everybody else was in the living room. He let me pick him up, and I slowly walked into the living room with him, where he again panicked and bolted back out to the kitchen, hiding behind the refrigerator.

After a while, we went to go to dinner. I had everybody else go outside to wait for me, and I was able to coax Chessie out with some treats. I got him settled in his kennel. He tensed up when we first went into the living room, but he calmed when he saw everybody was gone.

We then got back, and he stayed in his kennel after I opened it, obviously too afraid to come out with everybody there. We went to another room for a while, and when we came back, he again went behind the refrigerator to hide.

After everybody headed back home, I tried coaxing him back out from behind the refrigerator. At one point, he got to the front of the fridge and then decided to go back into hiding. I left some treats out for him, and about 45 minutes later, I looked into the kitchen and saw him cautiously coming out. For the next hour, he started going about his usual routine but was quite jittery, nervously looking around everywhere he went. He's since gone back to his usual self, although he has spent a lot more time than usual curling up on my lap or laying against me on the couch.

Undoubtedly, he was spooked at having new people come into his home, even though I was expecting him to remember my parents and brother. How should I prepare him for the next time I have a visitor(s)?
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Chessie in his favorite spot while I work in the kitchen.

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