Puppies do what works for them in the moment, with little thought other than to seek instant gratification for their needs or pleasure. Things like jumping, pulling on a leash, and barging out of doorways are all a result of a lack of impulse control. For example, puppies think, “I want dinner, so I jump on my human when they try to put my food dish down. I want to get somewhere faster than my human is walking, so I will drag them.” Another big one is the door opens an inch, and the puppy is gone because they see the world is outside waiting for them. However, teaching a puppy self-control doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple way to instill impulse control is how you release them from their crates.
One of the keys to teaching a puppy to control their urges to jump or barge out the door is by remaining relatively passive and quiet towards them when they are actively engaged in the unwanted behavior. Walking up to a kennel full of puppies, or even one puppy, talking to them and asking them for things they do not yet fully understand or are unable to do, in my experience, only gets puppies more excited. Not only does your voice lead to more excitement, but people also tend to ask the puppy to do something repeatedly, like saying “sit” or “down” over and over. If the puppy has not volunteered to sit the first or second time you have asked, all you are doing is making the command an option that is allowed to be dismissed. Also, your puppy does not know what “stay” means, so please don’t say it!
Instead of flooding a young puppy with words, try being quiet and calm when teaching them impulse control. Also, make it easy on yourself by working on self-control at doorways from their crate door. Puppies barging out of doorways is a big complaint from clients, and the easiest way to avoid it is quite simple: Do not open the door if you think your puppy is going to bolt through it. Aside from the danger of your puppy getting loose and hurt, if there is a person on the other side of the door who will get jumped on, you are allowing the puppy to commit crimes that you are actually trying to prevent. Doorways are exciting places for dogs. We go to the door when someone is either on the other side of it, or we are taking them through it to go places. Try to minimize the excitement by being passive when someone knocks and not being in a rush to open the door.
I start this training at the crate door by approaching the crate quietly and not asking if the puppy wants to come out, which may excite them. Normally, a puppy will assume that if you are walking up to their crate, you are there to free them. I wait for the puppy to offer me solid eye-to-eye contact for about 10 seconds. Next, if the puppy knows what “sit” is, I will ask for it one time and one time only. If they have a case of the wiggles or stare at the crate door, I remain passive and wait. When the puppy finally sits on their own, I will reach toward the crate door, pretending I am going to open it. If the puppy breaks the “sit,” my hand goes away from the crate door. I will wait for the puppy to figure out that in order for my hand to open the door, they have to sit. Slowly start to open the crate door, and be ready to quickly shut it if they stand up to barge out. Reward them with treats or praise for remaining still. Once you are able to open the door entirely and stand up, you can start telling them a release word like “OK” or “free.”
You can start to instill calmness and impulse control at every doorway in the house with this simple exercise. Remember to give them plenty of treats and rewards for getting it right. In no time, your puppy will figure out that calmness gets them more things in life!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
