Preventing your dog from dashing out of doors is a crucial aspect of dog ownership, ensuring their safety and maintaining peace with neighbors. Accidental escapes can lead to dangerous situations, including traffic accidents, altercations with other animals, or the dog getting lost. Even if a dog has a negative experience after escaping, they may not associate the danger with the act of door-darting when a new opportunity arises. Allowing a dog to escape reinforces undesirable behaviors like ignoring commands and bolting through doorways, as the freedom of running loose is instantly self-rewarding. Therefore, it’s essential to prevent escapes and teach your dog to wait for permission before exiting.
Preventing Escapes: A Unified Approach
The first and most critical step is to establish a household rule: no one opens a door without ensuring the dog cannot escape. This requires training all family members and educating guests, especially children, about the “Doggie Doorknob Rule.” This rule emphasizes that doorknobs should not be turned unless the dog’s location is known and they are secured. When visitors are leaving, they must be alerted to wait until the dog is safely confined, on a leash, or reliably in a “stay” position.
Foundational Training for Doorway Manners
Consistent daily practice is key to teaching your dog that they must have express permission to go through any door. Basic obedience classes can significantly help in maintaining your dog’s attention amidst distractions. Before focusing on doorway behavior, ensure your dog reliably understands fundamental commands like “Sit” and “Stay.” Dogs don’t inherently know these commands; they must be taught, and your dog needs to have a bond with you to pay attention. Building a strong relationship and establishing yourself as a leader are foundational to effective obedience training.
Introducing Distractions and Practicing in New Environments
Once your dog reliably responds to basic commands in a quiet environment, gradually introduce distractions. This helps them learn to obey you even when other people or stimuli are present. Practice these commands in various locations, starting with different exit doors within your home. It’s also important to ensure your dog has had an opportunity to relieve themselves before training sessions involving waiting at a door, as practicing when they urgently need to go outside is unfair and ineffective.
Maintaining Control: Physical and Mental
If your dog does not yet reliably obey commands, physical control is essential. This means keeping them on a leash, in a crate, or behind a baby gate, away from exit doors. When guests arrive, keeping your dog on a leash and by your side is advisable until they are completely trained. This allows you to effectively give commands like “stay,” “get back,” or “off” (to prevent jumping), and simultaneously prevents them from bolting out the door.
Specific Techniques for Doorway Training
Several methods can be employed to teach your dog not to bolt through doors:
1. Teaching “Stay” with Verbal and Hand Signals
Before approaching the front door, have your dog assume a “Sit” position away from the door and command them to “Stay,” accompanied by a “Stop” hand signal. As you reach for the doorknob, if your dog begins to move, firmly say “No…Stay!” and use the “Stop” signal. If they get up, guide them back to their original spot, repeat the “Sit-Stay” command, and reinforce the “Stop” hand signal. Continue practicing until you can open the door without your dog breaking their stay. Remember that excitement from visitors can tempt them to break their stay, so vigilance is always necessary.
2. “Wait” at Doors and Gates Using Positive Reinforcement
“Wait” is a less formal command than “Stay.” With your dog on a leash, approach the door and say “Wait” as you reach for the doorknob. If your dog moves forward, remove your hand, pause, and try again. If they wait, offer praise and treats. Once they allow you to touch the knob without advancing, open the door a few inches. Reward waiting with praise and treats. If they move forward, gently close the door and restart. Gradually increase the door’s opening width, rewarding them for waiting. When they can wait with the door wide open, give a release command like “OK, go ahead.”
3. Training with Collar Correction
For dogs not motivated by treats, an alternative is to use a training collar and leash. Say “Wait” as you open the door. If the dog attempts to exit, give a leash correction and say “WAIT!” This conditions the dog to associate door opening with waiting, not exiting. Over time and with sufficient practice, the command may become unnecessary, and the dog will wait even if the door is accidentally opened.
4. Training Escape Artists: The Gradual Exposure Method
This method involves repeatedly exposing your dog to the open door for progressively longer durations. Start by placing your dog on a leash and silently opening the door, allowing them to dart out. Close the door and keep them outside for 30 seconds. Then, open the door, welcome them back with enthusiastic fuss, and act as if they’ve had a traumatic experience. Double the time outside with each subsequent exit. Eventually, your dog will hesitate to go out. When they remain inside when the door is opened, celebrate this success. Continue practicing, and when your dog stands and looks out the open door without attempting to leave, give permission. The goal is for your dog to wait inside and seek permission before exiting.
Incorporating a Houseline
Once your dog understands the concept of waiting, introduce a houseline (an 8-10 foot cord) that they drag around the house. This allows you to step on the line if they attempt to bolt when the door is opened. Repeat the previous step with the dog dragging the houseline. The objective is for your dog to wait for permission to exit, even when off-leash (dragging the line).
Simulating Guest Arrivals
Introduce a helper to simulate a guest entering or exiting. Have your helper open the door and walk through. If your dog follows, step on the houseline as you close the door. Instruct your helper to walk away and out of sight to avoid reinforcing the escape. The goal is for your dog to wait for permission to exit, even when someone else passes through the door first.
5. The “Sit” Rule for All Doors
This technique conditions your dog to sit at any open door before passing through. Every time you or your dog goes through a door (including car doors, crate doors, and gates), make them sit first. Open the door but keep them in a sit position. If they stand up, close the door and have them sit again. Repeat until they sit calmly at the open door, then give a release signal like “OKAY.” Consistently apply this rule for every door, every time. If your dog bolts from their crate, make them sit before opening it. This method can be applied universally, from house doors to car doors and training facility entrances.
Consistent Application:
It is vital that your dog automatically sits for any door and waits for your permission to pass through, every single time. As they grasp the concept, increase the challenge by opening the door and walking through yourself, leaving them behind. If they follow, restart the process. This consistent training can save your dog’s life by preventing them from running into dangerous situations. Teaching your dog to wait patiently at doors is essential for their safety, especially in situations involving travel, guests, or unexpected opportunities for escape.
Final Considerations:
If your dog does escape, never scold them upon retrieval. Dogs associate reactions with recent actions; scolding them when caught teaches them not to be caught. Training your dog to wait at doors is an investment in their safety and your peace of mind.
