Dog Training—train your dog to stop dashing through open doors

Seeing your dog dash outside as soon as you open the front door is dangerous. It can result in harm to your dog or to others.

You don’t want your dog to dash through open doors to bite people or to run out onto a busy street where he might be killed by a passing motorist.

Likewise, your dog might bowl you over or accidentally knock you down the stairs in his rush to dash through an open door. You can best protect against this by training your dog to sit and stay on command.

Make sure you have bonded with your loving dog

beforehand and that you can easily get his attention. Begin this dog training exercise by teaching him to sit and stay while you open a door.

Have him remain until you tell him “ok” meaning “ok, you can proceed now.”

For stairs, have your dog stay at the bottom or top of the stairs by saying “sit” or “stay.” Gently open the door. Keep an eye on his movement. If he starts to move, close the door gently but quickly and try again. Command again loud enough so he can hear you as you begin to open the door again.

Train him to behave by staying still on command for about 15-20 seconds, then release him and give him a treat and praise.

Begin with an exit door that leads to a fenced yard just in case he unexpectedly succeeds in getting free.

Alternatively, you can put him on a long leash during the training and let him dart through the door as you close the door on his leash, not his tail! Leave him outside for 30 seconds and then progressively longer each time as he begins to learn the error of his ways.

Then open the door and welcome him back inside with a high-pitched voice of concern asking out loud if he is ok, where he has been, etc. You can repeat this as often as necessary until he realizes it is best to stay inside and not go outside until given the ok.

To prevent him from running through the open gate to the street, have him sit right in front of the door—with the gate to the outside remaining closed. Command him to stay and slowly start opening the door. When he is about to get up, close the door. Put him back in the same position and retrain.

Do this dog training exercise until he behaves by staying still while the door is open. Don’t forget to release, praise, and give him a dog treat when he behaves properly.

A good tip you can apply to prevent your dog from dashing through open doors is “always” have him sit and stay before you open any door, including your car door. Remember to release him afterwards; otherwise, your dog will release himself and make it a habit . You will then have to begin his training all over again.

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