Dog Training Question

17 years ago

I have been training my dog proper door etiquette...IE not to run out the door when it is open, and to wait seated when people come in and sit to be greeted. Now my question is that we have three doors that lead to outside. Two in the back and the front door. The back yard is fenced and is where she goes out to do her business. While I have been training at the front door, I generally just open the back doors and let her run out. Should I also make her wait until I give her permission to go outside through the back doors? I should also mention that when she wants to go out she has been trained to bark at the door to be let out...she only goes to the back doors to go do her business. I'm just wondering if different procedures for different doors is confusing to her. She seems to know the difference as she only barks at the back doors to be let out.

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Comments (4)

ladybugfruit
17 years ago
While I'm always learning in the "training" department, if she knows the difference, then I would think it would be fine. How I've worked with my girls is that, like you, they have to sit like little ladies at the front door and wait to be greeted by our guests. They too bark or tap the door to go out back to potty. However, there is a "training clause" so to speak with my girls. If they are excited to go out back because there is a squirrel to chase, then they have to sit and wait to be released before they can go out. They seem to get it ( even though we can still regress on that one sometimes a little) and know the difference.
That's my 2!
LBF
cindyb_va
17 years ago
Dogs know the difference. One of the things I try to do with my dogs is change up where and when I give commands. You don't have to make your dogs sit before they go in the back yard, but you should make them do it every now and again, just for practice.

I do this when walking my dog. We normally sit before crossing a road; however, sometimes I make him "down", other times I just make him stop. Sometimes I make him sit or down when we are just waking down the sidewalk. When I feed him, I normally make him sit before putting the bowl down, but sometimes I make him stay in the LR until I put the bowl down and then call him to me.

I think changing up the commands just helps reinforce them.
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Shannon01
17 years ago
Never realized that my pup treats each door differently. He only goes to back door to potty. We have french doors and our old shephard used to jump up at doors- our fault, we never trained him. We really stressed with pup. We put a bell on doorknob and if he has to go he sits at door. Really has to go he lets out a yelp. REALLY has to go he nudges the bell.

I do just like cindyb va, change up the training. Front door has to be consistent as we live on busy street. He never is to go out first and if we tell him to wait while we take out trash, he sits and waits.

When he is allowed to go out on his own we say Free Puppy and he knows he has no commands to follow.
mazer415
17 years ago
Dogs should be in a sit and stay AND be calm before being let out anydoor. Letting your dog bolt out the back door is hurting your work at the front door.