How to Stop Your Dog From Running Out the Door
Is your dog one of those that is so excited to get outside that he runs out the door in front of you? Don't worry if so, because I have some good tips on stopping this problem for you. Fortunately it is pretty easy to train your dog to stop running through doorways until you give them an invitation.
- You will want to start this type of training with one of the house's inner doors-not the front door. This will make it a lot easier to control the dog until he learns not to go charging through doors in front of you. Approach a closed door somewhere in your house-bedroom, den, whatever-and I bet that before you can even open it you'll notice your wayward dog trying to get in front of you so he can run through that door before you. . If he's had obedience training he'll already know these two very basic commands, and do what you say. When he gets in the desired position be sure to give him lots of praise. It might take a minute for him to really relax and settle down, so wait a little before beginning to open the door again. Now that he is relaxed a bit, start to open the door. As he sees the door open, he most likely will quickly leave the sit and stay position, and be well on his way to going through that door. Don't get upset when this happens, as it will take some work to correct this behavior problem. Just work on the sitting and waiting until he understands that step well.
- The next step is to try opening the dog just far enough for you to slip through. By only opening the door a little bit, that opening will be less tempting for him to bolt through. The door may tempt him too strongly and perhaps he will try to go through it before your invitation. You will have to keep repeating this stage till he demonstrates he has learned to stop running through the doorway by remaining in the sit and stay position- even after you have passed through the door to the other side.
- Now you can try the training at the front doorway-which is a harder test of his training. Your dog knows that fun and adventure await on the other side of that particular door, so don't be surprised if he is harder to control than at the other doors. Therefore, be ready and put his leash on him before going to the front door and opening it. If your dog is a large dog, try putting the handle of his leash around the doorknob to control any lunges out. Not only will the doorknob trick stop him in his tracks, he'll have some food for thought before trying that again. Go back to the above step in case he tries to run out.
- Make sure you repeat this training daily several times, for perhaps 15 minutes per session. To really reinforce this behavior, every time you come to a door (or curb or a boundary) make sure your dog sits and waits for your command to move forward. Training your dog to stop when he reaches a curb is also important for training boundaries to your dog.
See I told you the training for stopping a dog from running through doorways is a pretty straight forward and simple one. Obviously, if you haven't already obedience trained your pet, you can see that is an important priority in order for you and your dog to have the best time together. For many more articles to help you learn how to solve behavior problems or to learn the basics of obedience training please click here- www.BehaveDoggy.com.
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Oct 19, 2009 | 0 | dog care tips
