10/30/2026
The Don't-Be-a-Doorway-Hooligan Game
Here's a little training exercise that costs absolutely nothing, takes almost no extra time, and might keep your dog from launching themselves out the front door like they've just been released from prison.
I call it threshold manners, and it's one of my favorite ways to sneak a little impulse control into everyday life. Think about it. Dogs generally love going through doors. Doors lead to walks, backyards, car rides, adventures, and all sorts of exciting things. So why not use something they already want as a reward for doing something useful?
Here's how it works.
Walk up to a door with your dog and wait for them to sit. Don't tell them to sit. Don't repeat yourself. Don't give them a whole speech about making good choices. Just stand there and give them a chance to figure it out.
Once their butt hits the floor, reach for the door handle.
If they pop up, take your hand away and wait for them to sit again.
If they stay seated, turn the handle.
Still sitting? Crack the door open a little.
Butt comes off the floor? Door closes.
The whole exercise is just a series of tiny opportunities for your dog to figure out that keeping their butt planted is what makes the door open. Once you can open the door completely and your dog stays seated, give them a release cue (Free, Okay, Let's Go, whatever you normally use) and let them go through.
And here's one of my favorite parts about this exercise: you don't say a single word.
Seriously. Keep your mouth shut. I know that's difficult for some of us, myself included.
We're not teaching the dog to sit when we tell them to. We're teaching them that approaching a doorway automatically means planting their butt on the floor and waiting for permission. Eventually, you shouldn't have to ask for anything. You walk up to the door, your dog sits, you open it, and they wait until they're released. No reminders, no negotiations, no repeating yourself seventeen times.
Now, here's one rule I really don't want you bending: close enough doesn't count.
If your dog gets up and starts through the doorway a split second before you release them, that's not a successful repetition. Don't shrug and decide you'll fix it next time. Calmly reset and try again. Every time your dog goes through the door without waiting for permission, they've just practiced the exact behavior we're trying to eliminate. And "good enough" has a funny way of becoming "why does my dog never wait at the door?" pretty quickly. Here's where people tend to get impatient. They want to swing the door wide open right away and then get frustrated when their dog launches themselves through it. But for some dogs, simply touching the handle is exciting enough to get them moving. That's fine! That's where you start.
You're not trying to trick your dog into making a mistake. You're giving them a chance to discover how to succeed.
One important note: When you're first practicing this, keep your dog on a leash or use another safe setup that prevents them from actually bolting through the doorway. An interior door is a great place to start, too. We're trying to teach your dog some self-control, not find out how fast you can sprint down the street in your slippers.
A little patience, a little impulse control, and a much lower chance of chasing your dog down the street in your pajamas. All because they learned to park their butt for a few seconds. Not a bad trade.
