Thresholds

When you open a door, does your dog rush through it?

The answer to this is very likely ‘yes’. Best case scenario, this behaviour is just bad manners. Worst case, it’s dangerous. Only recently, I was speaking with a gentleman who was telling me about his dog running out of his front door and into the path of an oncoming car. The outcome of his dog’s moment of impulse was devastating.

With a few simple techniques, we can show your dog what’s expected of it when a door opens. My methods are simple enough for your dog to learn quickly, and for you to successfully repeat and reinforce after I’m gone. This training will, at the very least, teach your dog some good manners. And it could quite possibly save its life.

Threshold training will also improve your dog’s focus, patience and impulse control as it learns that it can earn valuable outcomes by demonstrating good behaviour. Valuable outcomes aren’t always toys, treats and attention. It should also include being given permission to enter another room, or to head out into the garden.

The benefits of impulse control in particular are far-reaching, and they can extend beyond those times when your dog is under your supervision. A dog’s ability to exercise impulse control will affect all of its decision making. Chase this squirrel, or not? Bark and lunge at this stranger, or not? Fight with this unfriendly dog, or not?

A dog that knows how to think for itself, and to show restraint when faced with a choice, is a far more confident and happy dog.

The order of the articles in this series is intentional, and I recommend applying it to your training. I’ve found it to be a reliable approach to building layers of conditioning that will set your dog up to succeed. Dogs are clever, and most love to learn and be challenged. We just need to ensure we’re communicating with them in ways that are easy to understand.

For guidance and support with your training journey, get in touch with me here.