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Teaching Wait at Gates and Doors – Video and Discussion
I love to teach my dogs to wait automatically at doors and gates. For us, it’s a default or contextual cue. In other words, when they see an open door or gate, they don’t rush through but rather, they wait behind the threshold until two things happen. ????
???? Watch the video and tell me, what’s the key to unlocking their freedom to run? What are my two criteria?
Side note: Aussie Joy is my only dog of these three. We were farm sitting and the two other dogs belong to the property owner who is also a pro trainer – she had already taught them to wait – I was simply using it in the same way. Sweet!
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4 Replies
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@Catherine what a great video! Thank you for sharing!!! It’s also such a bonus that all 3 knew the Wait cue, even if they weren’t all yours!
I think: 1. Seeing the open gate and 2. Waiting for you to individually say their name are the two criteria, but I could be wrong. I watched the video a few times and didn’t actually hear you say “Wait”, but my Internet connection at home is being a bit weird.
So, my question to you is: How do you train your dogs to see the open door as the cue itself for Wait? I really like this and would like to know more.
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You are right, Paula – the antecedent of the open gate is the contextual cue for the behavior that will pay. It is non-verbal. Although with these dogs, I think I did say “Wait” before starting the video because Bindi and Katia know the verbal. Of course, there are OTHER cues too, like me being at the gate and keeping my hand on the gate! Dogs pick up on those details for sure. I have TWO requirements for access out the gate – three, if you count the auto-wait. (If they don’t auto-wait, the gate auto-magically SHUTS!)… you got one of them, hearing me say their name as the release… but there’s one more that is going to be really hard to tell from the video… but I will give you a clue: It has to do with their orientation.
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Is it the eye contact before you release? I love this video. Staying at doorways are so important!! These pups are so adorable! I love that her name is Joy. She literally looks like “joy”:)
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@PawsUp ????YES???? You’ve got it! I train the dogs to wait at the door/gate by default. I start with the dog leashed to prevent accidental “wins” at getting outside. I don’t say ANYTHING during this process. I keep my leash totally loose unless I need to stop them. It’s something I teach in puppy class and pet parents LOVE IT because they can bring in the groceries without the puppy escaping the house. Here are my steps, @Bernerlabreclectus
- I begin by fanning the door/gate open and shut a few inches until the dog takes a step back. I hand feed a treat for backing up.
- Then, I open the door/gate about a foot wide. I keep a hand on the door/gate and if they move forward, it closes. If they back up, it opens and I toss a treat behind them.
- Soon, they look up at me when the door/gate is open and THEN I say their name and usually a forward moving cue like “Let’s Go”. That’s the only time they are able to go through the open space.
- After gaining some proficiency at this, I add some distractions (delivery people, doorbell, etc.) and we work through that, always rewarding by tossing food behind them.
- At some point, I also add a verbal cue “Wait” which makes it really easy to transition to other gates and doors when we are traveling.
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