Door Smash: Stop Door Dashing for Good

What you're seeing

Tucker is a Golden Retriever who rushed the door and dashed outside whenever it opened. It was worst when someone was on the other side; the excitement of a visitor was more than he could handle, and he went through anyone in his way. The video shows the difference after a single in-home session: the door opens, a person is standing there, and Tucker waits. The clip is just over a minute, and it is the same door.

Why door manners matter

Door dashing is the behavior most likely to get a dog killed. A dog that bolts through an open door is one car away from a very bad day, and it happens most often with the friendly dogs nobody thought needed training. It is also the behavior that makes visitors unwelcome, because every knock becomes a wrestling match. And it is a symptom of something larger: a dog that owns the doorway believes it decides who comes in and who goes out, and that belief shows up later as guarding, jumping, and reactivity on the leash.

How it was trained

The doorway is one of the clearest examples of Proximity and Resources in the P.R.I.M.E. framework. The owner claims personal space at the door, and Tucker learns that the threshold belongs to the person, not to him. It is not a stay command that has to be repeated forever; it is a change in who owns the door, and once that changes, the waiting takes care of itself. That is why it held after one session and didn't need treats, which would only add more excitement to a dog that already has too much of it at the door.

Get this with your dog

Door manners are taught in the first session of every in-home dog training program lesson, because almost every other problem starts there. Read the some steps in How to Teach Dog Doorway Manners, and get a free phone consultation.