Running out the front door

Is happening too much,every time we open the door the dog gets excited and has a few times escaped,he never runs off, just stays within 10 metres of the house(luckily i live in a quiet close so there isnt many cars)But trying to get him back is such a pain he just thinks its a game and we end up chasing him and having to corner him,or leave a trail of pizza or crisps to get him bak in lol. How do I get him to sit and wait whilst the door is open?

You'll have to remember to put his lead on before you open the door every time. Make sure he sits, and don't open the door fully until he's sitting calmly. Every time he gets up, close the door & put him back in the sit.

I take it you don't have a front gate?

No but we have another door nxt to the front door that we use as a barrier,have tryed the sitting technique and will keep trying it,is just as soon as someone rings the doorbell he goes absoluty mental and wants to see who it is.

My parents dogs always did the same, sometimes would run off to the field!

I've made a point from day 1 of having bode of letting her wander outside the front of the house whenever I'm out there, tidying the garden, washing the car, or putting rubbish out etc...

The point is, the front door being open is not a big deal to her, there is no challenge as she knows I allow her out the front.


Try to take your dog outside with you, leave the front door wide open if you can, stand having a cig if you smoke, cut the grass, you get it, just spend a few minutes outside, then back in.


Perhaps on a lead at first if your dog tends to run off....

That's the only advise I can give from my own experiences, hope if helps a little!

Agree with Caryll on the lead. Have you tried having people come over and ring the doorbell more frequently so he gets used to it? Also have you worked on the speak and quiet command?

To start with use a lead as mentioned above or make sure you put him in another room before you open the door.

You need to work on impulse control and also a solid stay.

Impulse control is something you can easily incorporate into your daily routine by doing things like making him sit and wait for his food until you tell him to get it, asking for a sit and wait before you leave the house for a walk etc. there are lots of good impulse control exercises in a book called Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt.

A good way to remember to put the lead on is hang it on the back of your door.

Yep im still working on that impulse control, everytime i put his food down i make him sit and wait until iv sat down. Will keep doing this,Will definatly try to get more people round and test using the doorbell also make him sit whilst the door is open before we go out for a walk. I suppose I will just have to keep on training until its drilled into him.

We have Rockys crate in the hall near the front door and he has trained himself to go and sit in there whenever someone comes to the door or we go out of it. He is so good.

This maybe an idea for you to try to get your dog to go in his crate if you have one, or his bed then give a treat if he stays there.

hektikz wrote:Yep im still working on that impulse control, everytime i put his food down i make him sit and wait until iv sat down. Will keep doing this,Will definatly try to get more people round and test using the doorbell also make him sit whilst the door is open before we go out for a walk. I suppose I will just have to keep on training until its drilled into him.

That's good just keep at it.

There are a few impulse control exercises on here - http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/77/Impulse-Control-Training-and-Games-for-Dogs.aspx

Playing tug is another good one; ask for 'drops' or 'outs' throughout the game then wait until he sits and looks at you before offering the toy and starting the game again.