Lucky Dog Lessons

by Brandon McMillan

All week, training went just as I’d planned, and in addition to their other accomplishments, at six days in with one day left, these dogs were basically house-trained. Accidents were now just that: accidental. They knew how to hold their business and they knew what the grass was for. They’d been great students all week.

  That last day, I realized there wasn’t enough dog food left, and I had to run to the store for more. But that store didn’t carry their brand. And neither did the next one, or the one after that. It turns out this was a specialized high-end diet, so I called the owners and asked if a substitute would be okay. They were fine with it, so I grabbed a bag of good-quality food and headed back to the house. The dogs chowed down, then went outside to do their business just like they’d been taught. I headed to bed, giving them the run of the house they’d finally earned through their week of dedicated house-training. I slept great, one of those deep sleeps that makes you feel like you’re completely buried in the bed.

  When I woke up, I walked both dogs straight to the door to let them out, but they had no interest in going. I tried to convince them but got a pretty firm No thanks when they backed away. I left the door ajar and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, and that’s when I smelled it. I’ll spare you a description. It didn’t take long to find the danger zone—and of course it was that exquisite Persian rug.

  The scene wasn’t just ugly, it was my worst nightmare. Apparently that new off-the-rack food hadn’t agreed much with Dane 1 and Dane 2. They hadn’t just dropped a nugget or two on this family heirloom, they’d buried it in the evidence of their night of digestive distress. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed every cleaning solution I could find, then started blotting, scrubbing, and rubbing the rug. I was making the slightest bit of progress when I heard the front door open. And there I was, the expert animal trainer, on my hands and knees trying to clean the one and only object I’d been asked to keep out of harm’s way.

  I’d had a few moments in my life where I’ve wished I could completely disappear, but that one topped them all. I’ll never forget it. I’m pretty sure the well-meaning owners of the Great Danes will never forget it, either. If only I hadn’t been so consumed in my own embarrassment, I would have loved to catch a picture of the total astonishment on their faces when they found me. I could have kept it as a reminder that in my line of work, even when it seems like you’re doing everything right, sometimes crap happens, and then there’s nothing to do but break out the rubber gloves and start cleaning up.

  12

  DOOR DASHING

  When I met Lolita at the shelter, she was scared and lonely. Her family had abandoned her, and you could almost see how she was still trying to puzzle that out—why she was in that cage and where the people she’d loved and trusted had gone. She was so starved for attention that the minute I opened her kennel door, she lunged, planting her whole body against my chest, holding on like a little furry gecko, and stretching up to kiss my face. Even after being dumped by her human family, this dog was still eager to bond and willing to trust someone new. Her optimism was one of the best things she had going for her, and I couldn’t help but think who would give you up?

  The shelter staff called me about Lolita because they knew she already had two strikes against her. First, she was a Chihuahua, a breed heavily represented in almost every big shelter in the United States. Second, she was an older dog, and many potential adopters prefer a puppy. People often look at adult dogs with more scrutiny than puppies, wondering if it was behavior problems that brought them to the shelter in the first place.

  Back at the ranch, Lolita quickly proved herself to be a dream to train—focused, cheerful, and eager to please. Her let’s-do-this attitude made everything easy with her. Plus, she was always staring me right in the eyes, as if she was trying to hypnotize me. I have to admit it was kind of working—I kept thinking this dog rocks. I needed to find a perfect home for her—nothing less would do.

  But at the end of a long day in the training yard, Lolita revealed a habit that could seriously narrow her options. I opened the gate, and just like that, she was gone. Don’t worry, I don’t mean gone, like, forever. I mean she took off like a bat outta hell. Thankfully, the area had a perimeter fence and she couldn’t get much farther. Door dashing is a seriously bad habit for any dog, but for a small dog in a rural area well known for its wilder inhabitants—including coyotes, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions—it’s a potentially deadly one. And in the city, passing cars would be an even more imminent threat.

  I put Lolita’s 7 Common Commands training on hold then and there to turn my attention to this dangerous behavior. Fortunately, this was an issue I’d dealt with in many shelter dogs who had passed through the Lucky Dog Ranch, and I was confident I could break Lolita of her risky habit.

  The Problem

  It’s a simple fact that dogs don’t believe in “after you” manners when it comes to an open door—you open it, and many of them just barrel on out. In fact, nine times out of ten when I go to dog owners’ houses (and in my line of work that happens a lot), the person who answers the door has to hold a dog back to let me in. Without that restraint, the dog would be long gone—sometimes just a few yards and sometimes as far as four legs can run. Dog trainers call this behavior door dashing, and it’s one of the main reasons dogs end up lost or, worse, injured or killed. That’s not safe or acceptable.

  You can take your pick of the dangers that are lurking outside: wild animals, other dogs, traffic, drowning hazards, poisons, sharp objects, and the bogeyman all come to mind. But whatever the biggest dangers are near your home, your dog needs to learn to wait for your invitation to walk through an open door—even when you have the leash in your hand.

  Luckily, this practice, which can be a lifesaver, is relatively easy to train. I’m going to give you a reliable technique to help your dog break the habit, plus a few variations for special challenges like strong and willful dogs and dogs who dash out of car doors.

  The Approach

  The secret to this technique, like so many techniques designed to eliminate troubling behaviors, is in beating your dog at her own game. If you turn the tables and take the fun out of door dashing, she’ll stop being entertained and excited about doing it. Once the fun is over, she’ll be ready to give it up and turn her attention to a less dangerous pastime.

  A Step-by-Step Plan for Door Dashers at Home

  First things first. The only tools you’ll need to train this technique:

  •A twenty-foot leash

  •A harness or flat collar

  You can also give treats if you’d like, but it’s not usually necessary. I almost always give treat rewards for behaviors that are taught, but not always for issues that are solved. For example, when a dog is learning a new command from scratch, she needs a positive reward to be motivated to do it. When I’m curbing a bad behavior, I don’t typically reward the dog for not doing things she should not be doing anyway. That’s kind of like rewarding your kid for stopping at red lights when she’s learning to drive. If you think your dog needs a little extra motivation to pay attention during this training, there’s no harm in adding in a few treats. But keep in mind that some dogs are so intelligent they’ll quickly learn to do something bad just to be corrected and earn a treat! It’s one of the oldest tricks in a smart (and food-motivated) dog’s playbook.

  Step 1. Attach the long leash to your dog’s harness or collar and let it drag behind her. The leash will be there just in case you need to step on it if your dog gets ahead of you during this training. Otherwise, it won’t be necessary to use it for a while. Next, walk your dog to the front door.

  Step 2. Open the door just an inch or two, then quickly shut it. Most dogs will focus on that opening, some so much that they’ll try to run through even a couple-inch gap. Having the door come straight back at them will stop most of them in their tracks. Do not hit your dog in the face with the door—just open it and shut it before she gets close enough to get through. Timing and speed are t
he keys to making this work. With the door closed, wait for your dog to settle down—to back away or even sit. As soon as she does, repeat the same sequence: open, shut, wait. Focus on timing and speed. This process needs to be repeated over and over. After you do it a few times, your dog is going to back off and sit or lie down. You want her to be at least two feet away before proceeding to the next step. If she doesn’t retreat that far, guide her back a couple of feet to position her.

  Open the door just an inch or two, then quickly shut it.

  Step 3. Open the door again, but this time open it three inches wide—and again, shut it right away. Your dog is likely to still give it a go, and the extra two feet or so between her and the door will ensure she doesn’t get over the threshold. As soon as the door is closed, wait for your dog to settle down and back away again. Repeat this maneuver, opening the door five inches before quickly closing it, then waiting for your dog to settle.

  With each step, don’t open the door any farther until your dog is content to stay still at the current gap. For example, if you’re opening the door three inches and your dog is still trying to dive toward it, don’t move on to four or six or ten inches until she’s calm and patient at three. Most dogs get the message after the first five to ten times of doing this, so by the time you reach a foot, your dasher should be able to watch the door open and close without moving.

  Continue to open the door a little wider as your dog progresses. Eventually, you’ll be able to open it the whole way and your dog will stay in place. When this happens, praise her good behavior. Be sure to keep praises short and sweet.

  Continue to open the door a little wider as your dog progresses.

  Step 4. Once your dog has become conditioned to stay in place in the face of a wide-open door, then she’s ready for the next phase of this training. It’s time to teach the OKAY command. This is where you’ll teach your dog when it is acceptable to cross the threshold. To do this, open the door and wait a few seconds. If your dog tries to run out, back up to Step 3 and work on conditioning a little longer. When she does stay those few seconds, simply pick up the leash, say OKAY, and walk your dog out the door.

  Use the OKAY command to signal it’s acceptable to walk across the threshold together.

  As always, conditioning is key, so practice this maneuver over and over again until your dog looks to you to pick up the leash, even when the door is standing open.

  Training Tips to Remember

  There are a couple of things to point out here.

  Be Ready to Stop a Bolter. Your goal is to be able to open a door all the way and have your dog stay put. If she decides to run out during this training (and she probably will at some point), you have two options: either close the door before she gets to it or step on the leash. That’s what it’s there for.

  Another good way to stop a bolting dog is to stomp on the floor or quickly give her an emphatic “Ah, ah!” as she’s running out. This stops many dogs in their tracks.

  Save the STAY Command. People often ask if they should use the STAY command while training this technique. This is basically a silent command, so it’s not necessary to add the STAY, but it’s okay to do so if you want to. I choose not to tie this training to a specific command because I want the dogs I train to respect the front door as a place they do not pass unless I say so—with or without a STAY command. If you train this way, your dog will learn that it’s never okay to blow through that door frame without your permission. That way, no matter who opens the door or under what circumstances, your dog will stay safe on her side until you give the OKAY to go. Taking this one step further, I have a general rule that the dogs I train are never allowed to cross that threshold unless they’re on-leash. Period.

  Take Baby Steps. Don’t move on to adding another inch until your dog has mastered the one you’re on. Some dogs will appear to be content with a door that’s open eight inches—then suddenly bolt out when it opens to nine. If that happens, simply take your training back a few inches. This is all part of the process of conditioning—one inch at a time. If your dog is having a stubborn moment, take things slow and don’t give up. If you show her you are calm and prepared to stick it out, she’ll eventually accept that at face value.

  Remember: Training is what makes your dog good. Conditioning is what makes her great. Keep at it if you want to be worry-free when you open that door.

  Variations

  In my experience, deep down most dogs are door dashers, and with so many different kinds of personalities and breeds exhibiting the behavior, chances are there’s no single technique that’s going to cure them all. So I’ll give you a few alternatives and variations to help convince even the most determined, rogue, and difficult students. Most of these methods focus on creating additional physical blocks to help convince your dog that her best option is to do what you want and stop racing through the door.

  Create an Auto-Stop. For larger, more powerful dogs with strong wills to match, sometimes the most effective way to get this training under way is to make a clear statement that going through the door is just not an option. To do this, hook your dog up to that long leash before beginning training. When you open the door and your dog starts to charge through, immediately step on the leash to stop her in her tracks. She will not have gained enough speed at that point for the sudden stop to hurt her, but it will reset her idea that the door is available for her to dive through at will. Repeat this technique a few times in ten- to fifteen-minute sessions and your dog will get the idea and start paying attention as you teach the primary technique above. If your dog is stronger than you can handle, tie the leash off to something solid to use it as an anchor leash and as a fail-safe for the first few practice runs of this method.

  Add a Visual Block. A closing door should be all the block most dogs need, but if the door you’re training at opens the wrong way for my technique or if your dog seems to need a little extra evidence that dashing through it isn’t advisable, get a big piece of cardboard or poster board and have it ready at the door. When your dog starts charging toward the threshold, slide this prop—which serves as a big stop sign—in front of her at the door frame. It will take your dog by surprise, it will annoy her, and it will stop her long enough for her to reconsider the wisdom of dashing through that door the next time. Be sure your dog’s long leash is hooked on when you do this.

  Use a big piece of cardboard or poster board to add extra evidence that dashing through the door isn’t advisable.

  Make It a Tactile Experience. When I meet a dog whose mind is clearly focused on go, go, GO and nothing else, I add another element to this training to help disrupt the thought process. This simple trick has helped a few of my toughest customers see the error of their ways. Take a couple of three-foot-long sheets of aluminum foil, crumpled a little bit so they’ll be noisy when they get stepped on, and lay them on the floor right in front of the door before your session. A few dogs will start getting leery as soon as they see the foil, but most won’t think much about it until they step on it. At that point, most dogs really do not like the metallic feeling beneath their feet. When you combine that unpleasantness with the closing door, suddenly you’ve got their attention. Now you can train away.

  Special for Car Dashers. To break your dog of the bad habit of diving out of the car the second the door opens, you can use this variation of the door-dashing technique. Do not attempt this training on a busy street, or on any street for that matter. Practice it in a garage, driveway, or empty parking lot, where your dog will be safe if she successfully evades you even one time while you’re mastering the technique. Just as above, be sure your dog has a long leash clipped on.

  For this method, start with your dog in her customary spot in the car, and open the nearest window enough so she’ll be able to hear you talking but won’t be tempted to poke her head out. Stand outside the door and open it just an inch or so (just like in the front door technique). As soon as your dog makes a move to jump, quickly shut the door. Repeat this se
veral times until your dog doesn’t take the bait of the slightly open door and sits still instead.

  Once your dog resists the temptation to jump toward a slightly open door, it’s time to move on. Open the door a few inches farther and hold it for three to four seconds, continuing to quickly close it if your dog makes a move to jump. Again, repeat this as many times as it takes for your dog to stay put and not respond as the door opens and shuts.

  When your dog reliably sits still with the door partway open, it’s time to take the next big step in this process. Open the door the whole way and immediately step in front of your dog, effectively blocking her from exiting with your body. If she tries to jump out, go back to the last training step. But if she stays put, repeat this several times until she seems comfortable with the door open and you standing in front of her. Each time she successfully stays in her seat with the door open, give her a quick praise and reward.

  Your next move will be to take one big step back with the door open, repeating as necessary until it’s clear your dog isn’t going to jump. At that point, take another big step. Remember to return to your dog to praise her when she masters a new distance milestone. Gradually, you can use this technique to work your way back to a few feet away—and farther—from your dog.

  At that point, it’s time to give her the OKAY command, take her leash, and guide her out of your vehicle, just like in Step 4 above.

  One Lucky Dog

  Courtesy of Litton Syndications, Inc.

  Lolita needed a lot of love and affection, and I had a family in mind who could use some of the same—a newly divorced dad who was raising three young boys. The family was coming to the end of a difficult time, and they were looking to add a second dog to their household to help them forge their way ahead. To help the boys feel invested in their new pet, I taught them some training techniques they could practice with Lolita—and with their less-trained but loving dog, Rascal.