Door Darting

Door Darting

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Our dog training services are delivered in almost any format that meets your needs. We have GROUP CLASSES at our indoor and outdoor facilities on our farm, ONLINE LIVE STREAMING classes, and SELF-PACED VIDEO-BASED training through our Online Dog Training Course. Our PRIVATE TRAININGS can be done in-home, outside, in public dog-friendly locations, at our facility on our farm, online via phone or video conferencing and through email.

This article is part of our E-book, ASK THE TRAINER: Answers to common questions about dog training and behavior issues, including jumping, leash manners, aggression, fearfulness, and more.

Question:

My dog has darted out the front door a few times and it takes me a while to get him back. How can I stop this?

The Trainer Answers:

While you might or might not care if you have a well-trained dog, this is one training issue that is also a major safety issue. Dogs running loose can easily get hit by cars, attacked by other dogs, lost, or injured. While we certainly want your dog to come immediately when called, in this case, what we really want is for the dog not to run off in the first place. Then a reliable recall would not be needed.

First, we need to establish a rule in your household about doorways. In my household, the rule is that exiting through exterior doors is only permitted when I give the “Go!” release. Even if the front door is sitting wide open, dogs should not go through unless they have been released to do so.

Begin by teaching your dog to Wait for permission to Go. If your dog is a serious door darter, I would begin this exercise someplace else like with the food bowl at dinner time. The concept of Wait is that the dog should not proceed forward until hearing the release word, which might be Go, OK, Free, Release, Break, or something else. Starting in a less exciting situation will often be easier for many dogs. Once the concept is understood, then you can transfer it to exterior doors, exiting vehicles, crossing streets, or any other place where you need your dog to control his impulse to go without first making sure it’s safe. Always work with your dog on a leash until it’s very reliable.

In addition to a strong Wait, you need a reliable Come if your dog does get out. Also, look at what your dog does when he gets out. Does he explore the neighborhood, go to visit neighbors, take off running, play a game of “you can’t catch me” or something else? If we can understand what your dog is getting from his escapes, you can work to provide those rewards in cooperation with you so he feels less of a need to do so on his own.