Help! My dog keeps pulling me through the door!

I think everyone with a big dog can agree that door dashing is a problem. If your dog is rushing out the front door before you, it can be scary. Some homes don’t have a porch area and it can be a little nerve wracking to be pulled right down the steps.

Not to mention, a lot of trainers or behaviorists view this as alpha behavior. You don’t want your dog to think he is the alpha.

No matter why or how your dog is pulling you out the front door, it needs to stop. Keep reading to learn how to prevent this behavior.

Why do dogs run out the door first?

My experience with Ezra running out the door happened when he was a young puppy. He was overly excited and would dash right out the door the moment I opened it, regardless of the weather. Even though he was small, he was strong. I remember being worried he’d pull me out the door and I’d slip on ice.

I never thought it was his way of showing dominance, but a lot of behaviorists suggest that’s the root cause of dog door dashing. In the wild, an alpha of the pack will walk into an unknown area first to ensure the path was safe. They were protecting the pack by going first. It is believed that dogs have kept that trait as they evolved from wolves.

How to prevent your dog from door dashing

This is one of the best skills I have taught Ezra. He sits so politely every time we walk through doorways now. He even waits for me to get his ramp out to enter or exit the car. But in order to learn this skill, it took a lot of practice. It isn’t necessarily hard, but you need to devote the time.

All you need is his normal leash and collar to go outside with and some treats. I taught this skill to Ezra with his kibble. You can use kibble or other valuable treats.

Milestone #1: Put your dog in a heel and then sit your dog

I would begin practicing this from the door your dog goes through the most to enter or exit your house. You should approach the door and heel your dog in a position that’s close to the door without hitting your dog when you open it. You may not get it right the first couple times you practice, and that’s OK. You can rearrange while you train this skill.

This skill starts with a solid Heel. If you don’t know how to heel your dog yet, learn that skill first before attempting to train your dog to sit politely at doorways.

Once you get him into a heel, sit your dog, and focus him on you. Pay him with a treat.

Milestone #2: Walk to the door, open it a smidge, pay your dog

This is where the fun begins! Your going to move towards the door and try to put your hand on the door know to slightly open the door. If you are able to get this far, great! Stay where you are but make sure to praise your dog and treat him.

Remember: the goal is to train your dog to hold the sit position while you open the door and return to him. But he doesn’t know how to do it yet. He will probably pop up out of his sit position, and that’s OK. When he does, return to your dog to focus him again. Heel him and then put him in a sit to start again.

Milestone #3: Slowly open the door, pay your dog as you go

Once you finished paying your dog for letting you open the door slightly, try to open it more. You probably can’t open it all the way yet, but work your way up. Try to open it a third or a quarter of the way open. Each time you are able to open the door with your dog holding a sit position, even if it’s just an inch, reward with a treat and praise.

If he pops up, that’s OK. Return to him, put him back in a heel and sit. Then try again. Keep going until you have the door fully open.

Milestone #4: Stand beside your dog and start to walk

Once the door is fully opened, pay your dog from where you are standing. Then walk back to your dog and focus him on you. Pay him again. This may seem like it’s overkill, but it’s not. You want to reward the small movements.

When you are ready, give him your cue word to start walking. Mine is “let’s go” and I start walking with my left foot first. Your dog should walk alongside you out the door, without pulling ahead. In order to do this, be sure to lure him with food, paying once you step outside the door.

That’s it! Keep practicing every time you go outside. Don’t let up on the treats until he can hold the sit longer and longer. This may take a week to start lengthening the time between the treats, and that’s fine! If it takes you longer, that’s fine too. Just don’t give up!

Suggestions to practice sitting politely at doorways

• Every time you have to walk through a door of any kind, practice it. This means every time you take your dog outside for a walk or bathroom break, bake in enough time to practice both to exit and enter the house.
• Practice at different types of doors so that your dog doesn’t think it’s only necessary at your front door. For example, practice at gates to enter parks, with sliding doors, or car doors.
• This skill also applies to walking up and down stairs while on a leash. Your dog won’t associate this skill with a stair case, so you should practice it too.

Conclusion

If you know how to heel your dog, you can do this skill. It’s fairly straight-forward and easy. All you have to do is:

• Heel your dog and then begin to open the door.
• With every small movement you make, pay your dog with a treat for holding a sit. Start with just putting your hand on the handle.
• The moment he pops up, tell him no and go back to a sit.
• Over time, this will become part of his routine and he will sit politely while you open the door.