The Doorway to Your Success

Little things are really important. The more of my content you consume, the more you'll hear me say it because it's one of the most important pieces of dog training.

So many people want to fix the one, two, or ten issues they have with their dog, but they don't care about the hundred other interactions that they don't see as problematic. Often times, I do.

Some of the protocols I use focus on tiny things that don't seem very important, but they make such a big difference.

How your dog interacts with doorways is one of those tiny details that really matters.

Most dogs rush through doors the second they are open. They jump out of cars, plow through the front door, and bolt out their crate like a race horse. This is a really serious problem.

Why is is it such a big deal? There are a few things. First, it's a safety issue. Maybe you don't have a good hold on the leash yet, or your arms are full, or you need to go turn out that light switch. Having a dog running out of the house before you are ready is at best annoying, and at worst putting you both into a situation that is dangerous. My great Dane used to come to the office with me and we would walk out onto a busy sidewalk. For the safety of everyone around, it was best that I went out first, made sure the coast was clear before letting my 150lb beast walk outside. This may not happen to you at home very often, but there very well could be an Amazon delivery driver dropping something at your door and those hard workers don't need an unknown dog jumping on them.

The second issue, is it is giving up your leadership. Your dog should be following you. Following you physically on walks, but also following your lead in decision making. Dogs can have as much freedom as they earn in my book. I give dogs a lot of structure during training, but I'm fully aware they won't have that much at home and that's just fine. One place they should always be following is at doorways for the reasons above. It also sets the tone for the walk or activity going forward. The walk starts when you say it does. Not when you open the door. Not when you put on the leash. It starts when you say heel and you start walking.

Lastly, that leadership ties into every other interaction you have with a dog. When dogs come to board and train with me, they usually change many of their unwanted behaviors within a few hours. As soon as I start establishing boundaries, most of the unwanted stuff stops without direct correction and these little threshold drills are a big part of that. I assume the dog is thinking something along the lines of, "I can't even walk out a door without permission. I don't think I even want to try jumping on someone."

It's a dichotomy really. The more places you establish boundaries and leadership, the fewer places you need it.

I talk so much about boundaries and being strict that some people might assume I never enjoy being around dogs. Nothing is further from the truth. I love dogs. That's why I got into this business and there is nothing more fun than being around a well behaved dog and giving them all the belly rubs I can. Watch some of my videos and you'll see dogs getting all the love during training. You'll just also see them get all the structure. And that structure keeps the love from causing problems with the dogs behavior and our relationship.

Pay attention to how your dog comes and goes from every threshold. Take a few seconds to make sure your dog is waiting patiently for permission to go through and is focused on you while it waits. 5 seconds at each doorway won't make your walk any longer, but it will make a world of difference it how it goes.