How to Stop Your Dog From Door Dashing

The only thing better than a dog that takes kindly to door dashing is a dog that stays. You might feel a little frustrated with your dog's knack for breaking away and dashing out the door the moment it cracks open.

Although door dashing seems like fun for them, it can be tiring, and you wonder why they do it. In dog language, door dashing is an invitation to you to play with your furry friend since you always have to run after them to bring them back home. Dogs enjoy the attention they get from having you chase them down the street.

However, dog dashing is dangerous, especially if you don't live in a yard that's fenced. So, before your dog dashes out the door and onto a busy road, you need to teach them how to stay.

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to stop your dog from running out the door.

Step-By-Step Guide on Ending Door Dashing

1. Walk your dog to the door

The first step in teaching your dog to stay still when you open the door is to walk with it to the front door. When practicing, your dog should be on a leash, a dragline, or a tab line. The dragline and tab line are other leash options if your dog gets too excited upon seeing its leash.

Open the door a crack, and if your dog makes a move to dash through, step on its leash. Timing is essential because you don't want your dog going through the door before you get a hold of the leash.

Try opening the door slowly and shut it in the same way. Then open the door an inch or two wider after you closed it the first time. You have to do this repeatedly.

The trick is to ensure your dog doesn't respond when the door is open. If your dog is still excited by the open door, slam it and let your dog relax a bit. Then open the door wider. As you do this, you'll realize that at some point, your dog will pay no attention to the open door. You can praise your dog then.

When you see that your dog no longer pays attention to the open door, you can praise the dog. Keep your praises short and straightforward; you can give it a treat if you want to.

However, before you conclude that your dog fully understands its expectations, repeat the process a few times. If it still doesn't respond to the open door, give the 'OK' command.

At this point, you'll have to let your dog know when it's okay for it to leave the threshold. You should leave the door wide open, and if your dog does not attempt to dash through, you can ask it to go outside.

You can do this by simply taking its leash and saying 'OK' when it has shown no sign of dashing through the door after you've opened the door.

Your dog might understand the command after you try this process the first few times. But you have to ensure that it doesn't forget it.

Be sure to practice with your dog at intervals; it could be daily or on specific days in a week. You should also engage other members of your household in reinforcing this training. 

If you can get your dog to stop dashing through doors, you might have solved the mystery of how to prevent your dog from running through screen doors or running into glass doors.

However, if your dog manages to dash through the door, you might want to do the following things outlined in the next section.

What to Do When Your Dog Dashes Through the Door

You might experience a bit of difficulty when you try to lure your dog back into the house. However, one thing you shouldn't do is chase after it. If you do, your dog will interpret your chasing after it to mean that you want to play, and that'll make your dog run farther and faster.

What you should do is grab its attention and have it chase after you instead. You could do this by fetching a Frisbee or dangling its favorite squeaky toy. When your dog comes, then you can grab its leash.

We advise you not to yell at your dog or take it indoors immediately after you catch it. It'll consider those acts as punishment, and that'll make it harder to reel in next time your dog dashes through the door.

If you don't live in a fenced yard, you can introduce a barrier. However, ensure that there are no holes underground where your dog can wiggle out.

If you're not too keen on building a fence, you can quickly get exercise pens that will stop your dog from dashing out the door.

A third option is to put up a fence in a small part of your yard and install a small gate that closes independently. Physical barriers work wonders when it comes to keeping dogs behind doors.

Keeping your dog engaged is another way to stop your dog from running to the door. If your dog is busy, it is least likely to realize when the door is open.

Aerobics or a game of tug should do the trick of wearing your dog out slightly. Reduced energy levels help keep it in place instead of dashing to the door whenever the doorbell chimes.

It would help if you taught your dog to wait at the door until you give a signal to do otherwise. This training keeps dogs from running out the door whenever the door is slightly open.

If you don't stay alone, ensure that other people are consistent with the training. Because the more people reinforce the command, the better your dog understands it.

Conclusion

It is not an easy task to teach your dog how to stop running to the door. However, the training is rewarding when your dog doesn't cross the threshold without your command. 

Do well to follow through with the step-by-step guide on how to stop your dog from door dashing. And if your dog manages to be faster than you, don't yell; implement the directions given in this article.