For all the dogs who've touched our hearts

Dog Dashes for the Door? Here’s What to Do

Teaching your dog not to dash through doors is serious business, waiting until asked can literally save their life.

Doors are exciting for dogs!

We don’t give doors much thought, but what do they mean to a dog?

Outside! Walkies! Car rides! Family’s home! It’s no wonder dogs find it hard to behave with calmness when faced with all this wonder and excitement.

If we use training techniques called habituation and positive reinforcement, we can teach this important behaviour without yelling or closing the door in his face.

Habituation

Going to the door isn't interesting

Image credit BioNinja

Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations.

In other words, the more we see, hear or smell something the more we get used to it.

Anticipation of all the great things outside is what causes our dogs to dash through a door. Before we train him to wait, we need to reduce excitement. We do this by getting him used to seeing us move to the door, without it meaning anything to him.

You need

Time: about a week, but work at your dog's pace. Each dog has their own level of excitement and prior learning.

Patience: don't hurry, this is a lifetime investment

A safe place: baby gate or pen

The dog!

Important training note:

Repeat each step until the dog remains relaxed.

Make sure training occurs at different times of the day.

Approach the door from different angles.

Varying this helps the dog to understand what is expected.

Step 1: Walking to the door

Walk to the door and walk away
Walk to the door and touch the door knob then walk away
Walk to the door, open it a little, close it and walk away

IF Yes - my dog is relaxed when I open the door a little, move on to the next steps.

IF No - my dog is still excited when I open the door a little, repeat the above steps.

Step 2: Open the door while the dog is secured

For this step put the dog behind a baby gate or in an exercise pen. We will be opening the door wider and stepping through so it is important to keep the dog safe.

If he is not happy being in a play pen or behind a gate work on that first, you can find instructions HERE. If the dog can’t be safely contained, move to part D, but you may need to do extra work in the positive reinforcement section.

Put the dog behind a baby gate or in an exercise pen
Repeat steps 1 -3 in part A to make sure the dog is still relaxed
Gradually begin to open the door wider and wider closing it after each time (open a little and close, open a little more and close etc.
Begin to step out of the door, gradually removing yourself from sight for just a moment before stepping back in and closing the door

IF Yes - my dog is relaxed when I step out for a moment, move on to the next steps.

IF No - my dog is still excited when I step out for a moment, repeat the above steps.

Dog waiting behind baby gates so he doesn't run out the door

While rescue dog Bear is learning to wait, he is safely contained behind a baby gate

Step 3: Open the door while the dog is free

This section repeats part B but with the dog free in the house. Make sure sufficient time is taken at this step so the dog learns to wait inside while the person walks out the door. If the dog tries to run out the door, go back and repeat previous steps.

Do not do this if there is any concern that the dog will run out the door. Ask someone to hold him on lead while the steps are done. Safety first – always!

With the dog free in the house, walk to the door and away from it
Walk to the door, hold the door knob and walk away
Walk to the door, open it a little, close it and walk away
Walk to the door, open it wider, close it and walk away
Gradually open the door wider and wider, closing it again each time. If the dog remains relaxed, start to step outside as in section B

Remember

Repeat each step until the dog remains relaxed.

Make sure training occurs at different times of the day.

Approach the door from different angles.

Varying this helps the dog to understand what is expected.

IF Yes - my dog is relaxed when I step out for a moment, move on to the next steps.

IF No - my dog is still excited when I step out for a moment, repeat the above steps.

Step 4: Put on walking gear

If your dog is over excited when you put on his walking gear, follow the habituation guidelines below.

Pick up the lead / harness and then put it away
Pick up the lead / harness, move to your dog, then put it away
Pick up the lead / harness, move to your dog, put on the gear, then take it off and put it away.

Repeat each step until the dog is no longer over excited by the equipment.

Randomly mix the steps up.

Some level of eagerness is to be expected.

What we are looking for is the dog’s ability to stand still long enough to put on his gear and listen to simple cues.

IF Yes - my dog is reasonably calm when I put his walking gear on, move on to the next steps.

IF No - my dog is still over excited when I put walking gear on, repeat the above steps until he is calmer.

Positive reinforcement

Waiting at the door is great!

Positive reinforcement is the addition of a desirable consequence following a behaviour, that makes that behaviour stronger, faster or more likely to happen again in the future.

In other words, give the dog things he wants to create behaviour we want.

You need

Time: if the first steps have been done well, this should only take a few training sessions.

Medium value food: dried liver or biscuits in a pocket or in a pot on a table near the door

A dog who is relaxed but happy when you put on his gear and move to the door

A leash or long line - tethered or held for safety

Patience!

Step 5: Wait while the door is opened

Put the lead on and walk the dog to the door
Feed the dog in front of the closed door
Open and close the door – feed the dog
Open the door some more, close and feed the dog.
Gradually open the door wider before closing it and feeding the dog
Open the door a small bit and leave it open while feeding the dog
Gradually leave the door open for longer periods of time feeding the dog in front of the open door

Once the dog can remain calmly inside while the door is held open for at least 10 seconds, move on to the next step.

IF Yes - my dog is reasonably calm and will remain inside with the door open for 10 seconds, move on to the next steps.

IF No - my dog is still over excited and / or tries to run out the door before I ask him to, repeat the previous steps.

Step 6: Wait while I step outside

Open the door and take one step out. Stop and feed the dog for remaining inside.
Step back and close the door.
Repeat, gradually increasing the time you can remain outside and the number of steps you can take away from the dog.

If the dog initially starts to follow you out the door, lean back and feed inside AS you are stepping out. Repeat this until the dog understands that your movement is not the cue to leave the house.

IF Yes - my dog is reasonably calm and will remain inside with the door open for 10 seconds, move on to the next steps.

IF No - my dog is still over excited and / or tries to run out the door before I ask him to, repeat the previous steps.

Bear is learning to wait while the door is opened, safely leashed and supervised by Sally

Step 7: Adding a cue

Once the steps above are completed, it is time to leave the house. By this stage the dog should be reasonably calm when having his lead put on and when people go to the door.

Now that the behaviour is stable, we can add a cue to tell the dog it is time to leave the house. Choose something that is easy for the dog to understand.

If you already have a follow me cue such as “come on” or “let’s go” use that. Support the dog in learning the cue in this new context by slapping your leg and encouraging him to follow you.

If necessary, you can say the verbal cue and lure him out with a piece of food rewarding him on the doorstep outside the house.

Open the door, pause and feed the dog inside the house.
Step out, pause, feed the dog for waiting inside the house (this prevents the action of stepping out becoming the cue)
Give the verbal cue “Let’s go!”, slap your leg and encourage the dog to walk outside.
Go for a short walk, a drive or have a training session in the front yard.

At this stage keep the time outside low key, don’t be too exciting or give the dog something really fun to do as this will increase the anticipation again.

All of the steps can be repeated and it is a good idea to continue to reinforce the dog for waiting inside while you step out on a regular basis.

Mix in regular walks with quiet walks and car trips to nowhere. If the dog always does something wonderfully exciting when he leaves the house, the excitement will return.

Teaching some of the steps to Merlin

Step 8: Keeping it strong

Maintaining

It is a good idea to continue to reinforce the dog for waiting until asked, for the remainder of his life.

You can however, use other types of reinforcers: try giving a scratch in his favourite (eye squinty) spot, smile and tell him how wonderful he is, pull out his favourite toy and let him carry it. Interchange all these reinforcers to keep the “wait” nice and strong.

If at any time he begins door dashing again, you need to do some retraining.

Strengthening

Add some variables to the training environment. Each time you add something new, be sure to work back through the steps until your dog is again relaxed.

Have different people work with the dog at the door
Have different people in the house, making noise while you work with the dog
Have someone come to outside the door (ask them not to fuss over the dog)
Put groceries, bags or other things of interest outside the door

Remember at all times to keep the dog safe. If you are introducing something new into the training environment, work at the easier steps and tether your dog for safety.

Step 9: Trouble shooting

Here are some quick things you can do to help with those unexpected events while you are training.

Visitors

Handling the initial excitement is key to helping a dog manage people arriving at his home. The dog is excited, you are excited, the visitors are excited! Remove the dog and allow things to settle before letting him say hello

Take a handful of food and run with your dog to another room, a play pen, or outside. Scatter the food for the dog to snuffle up while you usher in your visitors.
Have a food puzzle ready in the fridge or freezer and give it to him in a separate room or outside, while you settle your visitors.
If he likes to hold a toy in his mouth, have one by the door and give it to him as visitors arrive. This can often help to calm a mouthy dog like a retriever.
Put your dog on lead and either tether him or hold him as people arrive, scatter food on the ground for him to eat if he is not too excited.

Going for a walk

Here’s a tip to prevent door dashing before training is completed.

Once the dog is on lead:

Take a handful of food and scatter it on the ground inside the door
As the dog is eating, open the door, step out and turn to face him. You should be blocking his exit
Say his name and feed him to his mouth inside the house
Move aside and call him out for his walk