One thing I can’t stand from a pet dog is when he barges past me to get through a door. It shows that the pet dog has no respect and that the pet dog thinks he’s in charge.
Although I always walk through a door before my dog, I don’t think this is absolutely needed with all dogs. If the pet dog walks through the door calmly in front of a person and then sits and waits while looking up at its owner to decide where to go next, that is acceptable. The problem is, a lot of dogs barge through doors showing dominance or because they haven’t been given any rules. That puts the pet dog in control and can end up being a big problem.
A few people who I run dogs for said they are working on having their dogs sit and wait whenever they go through a door to go outside. This is a very good idea, and it’s what I make with my own dog. but I got this post idea because when Ace travels to my friends’ or relative’s houses, he seems to forget all policies and tries to barge ahead through doors like it’s a competition.
I am at my mommy and dad’s house ideal now, and they have two dogs, a golden and a springer. When Ace is with them, all three dogs try to barge through doors, literally knocking people and objects out of their way. and my pet dog is probably the worst of the three. maybe he is even causing the problem.
When I’m finished writing this post, I am going to practice entering and exiting the front door with all three dogs. I will start outside and have all three sit on the driveway. then I will open the door and go inside first. once inside but still holding the door, I will release them. but if any pet dog tries to sprint through ahead of everyone else, then that pet dog (probably Ace) will be put back in a sit position. only calm dogs get to come in.
Once we are all inside, we will do the same thing, only heading outside this time. I’ll see how lots of reps it takes to get three calm dogs. If they can’t do it, I will practice with one pet dog at a time first.
For those of you with one problem dog, follow these steps to get him to walk calmly through a door:
1. Make your pet dog sit when you put on his leash.
2. walk to the door, but whenever your pet dog runs ahead, stop and make him sit at your side. I realize this could take up to 15 minutes to walk 10 feet, but it’s worth it. Your pet dog will start to get it. He will learn that he does not get to go outside unless he listens to you.
3. before you go through the door, make your pet dog sit again as you open it. tell your pet dog to stay. walk through the door and then invite your dog. If he runs ahead, make him sit again.
4. continue the same procedure if you have outdoor steps, going even slower on the stairs because this is where lots of dogs like to run ahead.
For all of the above steps, if your pet dog breaks the sit position before you say “OK,” just say, “No! Sit.” and put him back in the sit position. For some dogs, this will take several repetitions. Make sure to train your pet dog to sit until you release him by saying “OK” or “all right.” There is no point in training a pet dog to sit and then pop ideal back up again. They have to be trained to sit until released. start with the pet dog sitting for two seconds and build from there. A trained pet dog must be able to sit for ten minutes or a lot more with no problem. For really hyper dogs, try standing on the leash a foot or two from the dog’s neck so he can’t go anywhere if he does stand.
It helps to use treats as a reward for calm behavior. Excited, verbal praise normally makes things worse because it gets the already hyper pet dog even a lot more riled up! Remember, calm is normally best.
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