Preventing your dog from dashing out the door is a critical aspect of responsible dog ownership. An unsupervised escape can lead to serious dangers for your pet, including traffic accidents, fights with other animals, getting lost, or causing harm to others. Even if a dog has a frightening escape experience, they may not connect the negative consequences with the act of door-darting when a new opportunity arises. Allowing a dog to escape reinforces undesirable behaviors like ignoring commands, crossing thresholds first, and running loose, which are self-rewarding due to the excitement of freedom and the chase of small animals. Therefore, it’s essential to proactively train your dog and educate everyone in your household and any visitors to prevent escapes.
Preventing Door Escapes: A Multi-faceted Approach
A consistent approach involving all household members and guests is key to preventing your dog from running out the door.
Educating Household Members and Visitors
- Establish a Household Pact: Ensure all family members and housemates are committed to preventing the dog from escaping. This involves training people and clearly communicating the rules to all visitors.
- Implement the Doggie Doorknob Rule: Teach everyone, especially children, not to turn the doorknob unless they know the dog’s whereabouts and are certain it cannot slip out.
- Visitor Awareness: Remind visitors, as they prepare to leave, to ensure the dog is secured (e.g., in another room, on a leash, or reliably in a “stay” command) before opening the door.
Foundational Training for Dogs
- Consistent Practice: Dedicate time daily to train your dog that they cannot exit doors without your explicit permission. Basic obedience classes can significantly help in maintaining your dog’s attention amidst distractions.
- Mastering Basic Commands: Before focusing on door manners, ensure your dog reliably understands and obeys fundamental commands like “Sit” and “Stay.” Dogs don’t instinctively know these commands; they must be taught. Building a strong bond and establishing yourself as a leader are crucial for your dog to pay attention during training.
- Controlled Training Environment: Begin training sessions without guests or other distractions. Once your dog consistently obeys, gradually introduce distractions and practice commands in various locations, including different exit doors within your home.
- Address Physical Needs: Ensure your dog has relieved themselves before starting training sessions near doors. Training is less effective when the dog has an urgent need to go outside.
- Physical Control When Necessary: If your dog doesn’t reliably obey commands, maintain physical control using a leash, crate, or baby gates to keep them away from exit doors.
- Leash Control for Guests: When guests arrive, keeping your dog on a leash by your side can help you effectively manage their behavior, using commands like “stay,” “get back,” or “off” to prevent jumping and door-darting.
Specific Training Techniques
Several methods can effectively teach your dog to wait patiently at doors.
1. Teaching “Stay” with Verbal Command and Hand Signal
From canine behavior specialist Kathy Graninger:
- Position your dog in a “Sit” far from the door and issue the “Stay!” command, accompanied by a “Stop” hand signal.
- As you approach the door, if your dog begins to move, use the “Stop” signal and a firm “No…Stay!”
- If the dog gets up, gently guide them back to the original spot, re-issue the “Sit-Stay” command, and reinforce the “Stop” hand signal.
- Continue practicing until you can open the door slowly while your dog maintains the “stay” command.
It’s important to teach your dog that attempting to rush the door is not acceptable or rewarding. However, remember that even a well-trained dog may be tempted by the excitement of new people, so always remain vigilant.
2. Teaching “Wait” at Doors and Gates
Using Positive Reinforcement: From “Teach Wait” by September Morn:
- With your dog on a leash, go to the door and say “Wait” as you reach for the doorknob.
- If your dog moves forward, pause your attempt, then try again. If they wait, offer praise and treats.
- Once your dog waits while you touch the knob, open the door slightly. Praise and treat if they wait; if they move forward, close the door gently and restart.
- Gradually open the door wider, continuing to praise and reward your dog for waiting. If they move forward, close the door without a reward and begin again.
- When your dog can wait for several seconds with the door wide open, give a release cue like “OK, go ahead.” [cite:2a]
Using Collar Correction: For dogs less motivated by treats, Karin Anderson suggests:
- Put a training collar and leash on the dog. Say “Wait” as you open the door.
- If the dog attempts to exit, give a leash correction and say “WAIT!” This associates opening the door with waiting, rather than exiting. With consistent practice, the command may eventually become unnecessary. This method can also be useful if a door is accidentally opened. [cite:2b]
3. Training Escape Artists (Meesoon Shirley Chong’s Method)
This method focuses on making the outside less appealing initially.
- Step One: Time Outside: Start with an exit door leading to a secure area. Using a six-foot leash and a secure collar, silently open the door and let your dog go out. Close the door on the leash and leave the dog outside for increasing durations (starting with 30 seconds, then doubling). After each period, welcome your dog back with exaggerated relief and sympathy. The goal is for the dog to perceive being outside alone as an unpleasant experience. Eventually, when you open the door and the dog stays inside, celebrate enthusiastically with praise, treats, and play. When the dog reliably waits at the open door, give permission to exit. The aim is for the dog to be reluctant to go through the door without explicit permission.
- Step Two: Using a Houseline: Let your dog drag a long cord (houseline) around the house while supervised. Then, repeat Step One with the dog dragging the houseline, stepping on it to prevent escape rather than picking it up. The goal is for the dog to wait at the open door, off-leash but still connected by the houseline, for permission to exit.
- Step Three: Introducing a Helper: With your helper, review Step Two. Have the helper open the door and walk through. If your dog follows, the helper should continue walking away, and you should close the door on the houseline. The goal is for your dog to wait for permission to exit, even when someone else walks through the door first.
4. Training Not to Bolt Through Open Doors (Tracy Doyle’s Method)
This technique is effective for both hearing and deaf dogs.
- Consistent “Sit” at Doors: Every time you or your dog goes through any door, have the dog sit first. Open the door but keep the dog in the sit position. If they stand up, close the door and have them sit again. Repeat until the dog sits calmly at the open door, then give an “OKAY” signal to proceed.
- Universal Application: Apply this rule to all doors, including car doors, crates, and gates. Practice consistently every day and every time a door is used.
- Addressing Crate Bolting: If your dog bolts from their crate, have them sit before opening the door. If they start to bolt, close the door firmly to confuse them. Continue until they wait for your “OKAY” to exit.
- Advanced Practice: Once the dog masters the basic sit-at-door command, increase the challenge. Use a long lead, have the dog sit, open the door, and walk through, leaving the dog behind. If they follow, restart the exercise. Practice “sit-stays” and “down-stays” in doorways, opening and closing the door while the dog maintains the stay.
This consistent training can save your dog’s life by ensuring they reliably wait for permission to go through doors, preventing potentially dangerous escapes.
Important Considerations
- Never Scold an Escaped Dog: If your dog does escape, do not scold them upon your return. Dogs associate reactions with immediate actions, and scolding upon capture can inadvertently teach them to avoid being caught.
- Reinforce Positive Behavior: Training should focus on reinforcing the desired behavior of waiting patiently. This proactive approach builds a safer environment for your dog.
- Consistency is Key: All members of the household must consistently apply these rules to ensure the dog understands and complies with the training.
By implementing these training methods and maintaining vigilance, you can significantly reduce the risk of your dog escaping through open doors.
