KPA Tip of the Day: How to Teach Door Manners

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Teach your dog that an open door is not an open invitation to the outside world.

Put your dog on a leash so that you have control in case if the dog does dart out during training. Start with a door that is boring, like a bedroom door; ultimately the finished behavior will be generalized to all doors—front, back, side, sliding, French, etc.

Begin any training with low distraction to set up your dog for success. Open the door 1 inch. Reward any behavior that is related to ignoring the door—sitting, eye contact with handler, backing away from door, etc. Open the door another inch. Reward for ignoring the door. Repeat until the door is all the way open.

The ultimate reward for the dog is to go through the door with you. During training if your dog shows interest in the door or tries to go through, slowly and carefully close it and start again. Then, quickly work your way back to where the dog was ignoring the door successfully. Repeat the training at all doors leading to the outside. This little bit of training will give you peace of mind, and could save your dog's life!

KPA Tips of the Day are brought to you by Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners. You can find more great tips here.

About the author

Amber Walker, KPA CTP, is the owner and lead trainer of Animal Intuitions, offering in-home training and group lessons in Illinois. She began training with positive reinforcement methods more than 10 years ago, working with animals from dolphins, walrus, and otters to puffins, monkeys, and alligators. She has trained with institutions such as Brookfield Zoo, Alaska Sealife Center, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Amber also volunteers in the marine mammal department at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. There she assists with everything from cleaning and sorting fish to training sessions with belugas and dolphins.