Avoid Door Dashing With These Easy Tips!

During this wonderful time of year, we all have plenty of guests coming in and out of our homes. Teaching your dog to wait at the door is important because it helps to prevent door dashing. The last thing anyone wants is their dog to go missing because they decided to dash out the door! To train your pup, you will need:

1. Training Treats. 

Examples – Zukes, BuddyBiscuits, Orijen Freeze Dried Treats, Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch, and Purebites.

2. A Clicker or use of a command, like “good”

3. Patience.

Once you have these items, you can begin! Start practicing with your dog at a door that does not lead outside, like the bathroom door. Have your dog on a leash and ask him to sit at the door. Give the command, “wait”, and then reach your hand towards the door handle. If he stays in this position, click the clicker or say “good”, and give a treat. It is very important that the reward and command are given at the exact same time immediately after the good behavior.

The goal is to enforce the correct behavior with positive feedback; Treats! Once he has the reaching for the door handle down, try opening the door. If he goes to dash, close it immediately. You are trying to associate him dashing with the door closing. Once he is doing well at the bathroom door, move onto the front door. Eventually, practice waiting at the door with guests coming into your home that are in on the training. If the dog tries to dash, the guest can close the door and go back outside.

Remember, practice makes perfect. Repeat, repeat, repeat; the more you practice, the better your dog will be. Continue practicing with your dog for 5 to 10 minute sessions daily. Your dog may become bored or distracted if you practice too often. Limiting it to small sessions every day helps your dog to stay attentive and interested.

If you are struggling to get your dog to stay on command, there are plenty of dog trainers who can come to your home and help you with this task. You can find business cards for local trainers at all the Cherrybrook locations.