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Do you worry about your dog escaping every time you open your front door? Do they burst out of the car in busy parking lots before you can get them leashed?

Doors are a safety hazard for dogs who haven鈥檛 been taught doorway manners. Rather than struggling at doorways, teach your dog to wait for permission to pass through. Sometimes you鈥檒l give that permission, and other times you won鈥檛. But either way, your dog should understand the decision is up to you.

The Benefits of Training 鈥榃ait鈥�

Doorway safety is essential with car doors and those that exit your home. A dog who rushes through as soon as the door opens is at risk 鈥� they could run away or be hit by a car. Of course, you can manage the situation to prevent escape. For example, a across the front hall will block your dog鈥檚 access to the front door. But wouldn鈥檛 it be easier to teach your dog to stay inside until you say otherwise?

Teaching your dog to wait at doorways is also convenient. You can bring bags of groceries into the house without your dog knocking you over while they try to make their getaway. Doorways inside your house could benefit from good manners too. It鈥檚 hard to carry a load of laundry through a door with a dog bumping against your legs. And don鈥檛 forget about the crate door. Does your dog push it open as soon as you unlatch it? It鈥檚 far more polite if they wait until you say they can leave. Finally, wait is a great way to teach your dog emotional self-control.

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How 鈥榃ait鈥� Is Different From 鈥楽tay鈥�

You might be wondering how the wait cue is different from 鈥�stay.鈥� Couldn鈥檛 you just ask your dog to stay when you open the door? You could, but technically, if you ask your dog to stay when you go out for an hour-long jog, they should still be in the exact same position when you return. Not many dogs could handle that kind of request. Stay means 鈥渟tay in that exact position until I release you.鈥� Whereas wait means 鈥渉old on a moment.鈥�

Unlike stay, it doesn鈥檛 matter what your dog is doing while they wait. They can sit, stand, or even walk away. Plus, you don鈥檛 always release your dog from a wait. The release word means your dog can pass through the doorway. However, that won鈥檛 always be the case. There are plenty of times you鈥檒l tell your dog to wait but not release them through the door. Therefore, it鈥檚 helpful to train these two distinct behaviors with two different cues.

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How to Train 鈥榃ait鈥�

Although you can eventually have your dog waiting at any kind of door, this is safest to train with an inside door so if your dog gets past you, they aren鈥檛 at any risk of escaping. It鈥檚 also easiest to train with the door opening toward you. Ensure your dog鈥檚 success by making sure there鈥檚 nothing exciting happening on the other side of the door. The following steps will teach your dog to wait:

1. When your dog is settled, open the door a crack. As soon as your dog approaches the door, close it again.
2. Continue to slightly open then close the door until your dog realizes they can鈥檛 go through. They might stand still, look away, back away, or even sit to show they understand. When they do, use a clicker or marker word like 鈥淵es鈥� to mark the moment, then praise your dog and offer a .
3. Now, slowly increase the amount you open the door. Again, close it if your dog moves toward it. If they stay still, click/mark/praise and reward.
4. Once you can open the door completely without your dog moving through, you鈥檙e ready to add a verbal cue like 鈥渨ait鈥� or 鈥渉old on.鈥� You can also add a hand signal such as swinging your open palm in front of your dog鈥檚 nose. Simply give the cues before you open the door.
5. Now you鈥檙e ready to add your own movement. After you鈥檝e opened the door, take a single step into the doorway, then return to your dog and click/mark/praise and reward them for staying on their side.
6. Increase your steps, one at a time, until you can go completely through the doorway into the other room. Again, return to your dog to click/mark/praise and reward.
7. Now add a release word like 鈥淥kay鈥� or 鈥淔ree鈥� on some of your training trials and allow your dog to pass through the doorway. That鈥檚 a life reward, so make it special. Play a game with your dog when they pass through or toss a favorite toy or ball. This will teach your dog that waiting can lead to wonderful things and is therefore worth their while. On the other trials, continue to leave the room then return to your dog before rewarding them. You can even close the door before you open it again and return.
8. Take your training to other doors like the or car. But be aware that each new location is a new challenge and some doors, like those that lead to the yard, have incredible distractions on the other side. So, take a few steps back in the process every time you try a new door. And for doors leading outside, leash your dog as an extra safety precaution.

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Troubleshooting Wait at Doorways

When you begin training, if your dog is having trouble settling down, ask them to sit before you open the door. But you don鈥檛 want your dog to become reliant on that cue. In the end, an open door should be enough to make them hold back. So, drop the sit cue as soon as you can. And if your dog is confused about the release word, encourage them through the door by acting excited or calling their name.

Your dog will make some mistakes. But you don鈥檛 want them to realize they don鈥檛 have to listen. Therefore, anytime your dog ignores your cue and goes through a door, lead them back to the original side of the doorway and repeat your cue, this time being quicker to catch any slip-ups.