Teaching a Dog to Have Good Door Manners

The holidays bring more guests then usual to the our house. So I thought this was a good time to talk about door manners.

Dogs like their human companions are startled by the sound of a door bell. We all experience a sense of anticipation good or bad of who might be on the other side. Training a dog to have appropriate door manners can curb barking as well as the well intentioned mugging of guests or escaping the house.

SIT

1. Teach your dog that your hand on a door knob is a signal to SIT.

2. Choose a specific spot out of the way of the door for the dog to SIT.

3. Practice having your dog SIT at that spot without any connection to a door bell, a knock or guest.

4. Remember to Reward the SIT.

WAIT

5. With the dog on a leash teach the dog to WAIT in a SIT while you open the door.

6. Practice only opening the door a little at a time until the dog will hold a SIT with the door all the way open.

7. Reward the dog for holding the SIT/WAIT.

Once the dog can do a SIT/WAIT at the door repeat the learning process with a family member and /or a friend ringing the bell or knocking on the door.

Do not allow the person entering the house to greet the dog in the entrance way. Reward the dog for holding the SIT/WAIT. Have greetings in another room but only allow petting if the dog is in a SIT.

Keep a leash at the front door so that you can put the leash on the dog when the doorbell rings until the dog is perfect at holding a SIT/WAIT when someone comes to the door or enters your house.

Do not allow your dog to bark while doing this exercise. If you wish your dog to alert you to the door bell thank your dog for an alert bark and then cue them QUIET or ENOUGH before beginning the SIT/WAIT.