Ep 067 Does Your Dog Dash Out the Door?

When your dog dashes out the door, it can be a real nuisance for the dog owner, and dangerous to the dog.

Discover how to respond when your dog decides to make a prison break and dart out the door.

In this episode, you’ll learn the three ways owners think they are stopping bad behavior but are actually reinforcing it.

Show Highlights

• There are three ways that owners think they are stopping bad behavior but instead are actually reinforcing it.
• Bennie calls this the “Triple Threat”
• Triple Threat consists of what we are communicating in any given context and how we can support our dog to make good decisions.
• The home work this week is very important because it is a way for you to practice on how you react in these situations.
• Going from reactive to proactive when you are feeling the angst in the situation
• Triple Threat:
  • “Hold me back” – common way people stop their dogs is by grabbing their collar or reaching down and picking them up.
  • This is a mixed message – this is mainly touch – which is the tool of praise and in the long run reinforces the behavior.
  • If the leash was on your dog and you grab the leash as the dog is lunging towards the door or at your friends and you correct you dog you are creating tension.
  • The tension on the leash creates tension which is actually reinforcing the behavior because you are still int he moment of the behavior.
  • The leash doesn’t help if you are staying int he situation.
  • Resistance creates persistence = the more resistance you put on your dog in this situation the more persistent your dog will become in the situation.
• What if your dog gets out?:
  • Chasing after your dog and yelling their name creates a game for your dog.
  • Your body language and actions are a huge part of what your dog reads when you are trying to get your dog in the  moment.

Homework

• The Goal: We want our dog to choose to stay inside (in the affirmative).
• Level 1:
  • Make your dog learn to sit on the inside and outside of the door when the door is open and closed with your dog’s leash on.
  • If your dog is holding the sit position and and you can close the door or leave it open 2-3 times in a row you should be praising your dog for holding the sit position.
  • You are praising for sitting with a bigger distraction.
  • When your dog is really good with holding the sit position you are going to start approaching the door without giving the sit command open the door.
  • If your dog quickly lunges you are going to give a quick correction and say “no” and bring your dog into another room to get their attention.
  • Once you have their attention you will re-approach the door and open it. If the dog has the same reaction you have to walk away, get their attention and try it again – Use the 10-1 rule.
  • The goal is for you and your dog to stay calm during this process.
• Level 2:
  • You can approach the door, leave it open and then you stop at the threshold
  • If your dog keeps going through the door you make a correction with the leash and you take your dog back into the house and leave the door wide open.
  • Once your dog focuses on you, you re-approach the situation.
  • Once you stop at the threshold and your dog stops at the threshold then you praise them.
  • Keep in mind the 10-1 rule.
• Level 3:
  • You can approach the door, leave it open and hesitate at the threshold then keep walking through the door.
  • If your dog keeps going through the door you make a correction with the leash and you take your dog back into the house and leave the door wide open.
  • Once your dog focuses on you, you can re-approach the situation.
  • Once you hesitate at the threshold and walk through and your dog stays in the house you praise them.
  • Keep in ind the 10-1 rule.
• Level 4:
  • Your dog will be sitting at the threshold waiting for a command from you in order to go across the threshold.
  • Such as the word “Exit” – this is their release word.
  • There is a progression to this entire training progress
  • Only do this temptation 10 times a day working on it 6 times a week.

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