Sunday, April 13, 2008

Bazz and the door

Today I was at a training seminar in Omaha, so I decided I had to do some serious dog training tonight. I started with Bazz.
Several years ago, while at a camp at Shirley's, she showed us a great way to teach the dogs not to go out the door without permission. The idea is you make it seem so horrible to be outside without you that the dogs don't charge through an open door. I've done this training with Gita and Danny (at my sister's house and mine) but Quinn and Missy have never done it anywhere.
I hooked Bazz up to a thick nylon leash (it was my GSD's leash and it's a lovely rose color). I opened my side door, that leads out to the driveway, and Bazz dashed out. I let him go, and just closed the screen door on the leash. He had about a foot of leash to stand there on the porch next to the door. I waited 15 seconds, I then let him in and told him how sorry I was, and how scary it must have been and how brave he was. I checked him over as if he was in a horrible accident.
I then took him to the door and opened it again. Again he dashed out. I closed the door. Waited 30 seconds. Let him back inside and went through the whole sad procedure. Back to the door, I opened it. He hesitated, I clicked, he got a treat. I opened the door again, and he dashed out. Now it's one minute, I noticed he could see me through the screen door, so I pushed the inner door to. I let him back inside and went through my routine on what a horrible experience he had.
Back to the door, back outside he went. After two minutes, I let him back inside and went through my routine. When we went back to the door, he didn't dash out, C/T.
I opened the door again, he didn't move --C/T.
I then went back into the kitchen, closed the inner door. We circled around and did it again, he didn't go out. I stepped out, he sat down--C/T. I went back in and closed the door, I opened it again, and again he didn't dash out--C/T.
Tomorrow the front door!

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