just back off a bit

In addition to the Wait cue, knowing Back can be extremely useful in situations where your door may be
open, people coming in or out, the pizza man, you name it. It is also a nice way to keep dogs out of your way when cooking in the kitchen.  Back and Wait can be used together. But for the purposes of this entry, we will focus on "Back."

Prerequisite:
Pup knows his name.
Pup is comfortable on leash.
Patience.
Treats....just kidding.  You don't need them for this.
Leash and collar or harness set-up.
Long line (10-15ft).
Partner (optional, depending on your dog, or your patience).
6' leash, if you're working alone.
Patience.
oh, and more patience.

To begin, put a leash on your pup, walk to the door (you should practice this with every door in your house; yes, even the bathroom door) and place your hand on the handle.  You may find it useful to also lay a rug in front of the door, thereby giving your dog a more clear boundary of where he is to stay back from.

When your dog rushes over to get his nose to the door, take your hand off the doorknob, and say "Back" as you schooch your body between the door and dog.  While doing so, point over the pup's head, to help indicate where you want them instead.
 
As you point and give the Back cue, begin to body block (think hockey goalie--no hands allowed, but dance all you want) and walk into your dog's body space.  You are not trying to kick or push; though some dogs have no sense of body space, and you may find yourself shoving them with your shins. Most will scoot out of the way and away from the door. The moment they are a good 5 or 6 feet away from it, say "Good," in a
happy sounding (but not crazy loud) tone, and return to the door yourself. *you may use a cue such as Sit, Down, Wait or Stay once the dog is a distance from the door, but only if you have first taken the time to teach these to the dog you are working with.  Focus on One cue at a time.




Most puppies will immediately follow you back to the door, at which time, simply repeat the steps above
(and repeat, and repeat, and repeat again) until the puppy no longer comes forward when you are in
front of the door.  This is where knowing 'Wait' can be helpful.  But more on that another time.

Once they will stay back while you touch the door, go ahead and turn the handle: Look at that! The
puppy is right back with his nose against the door again. Take your hand off the knob and repeat the
Back exercise.

In the picture to the right, the Human is facing the wrong way to successfully body block.  You must be facing your dog.  The dog is also waaaay too close to the door.  The carpeting in the photo looks to be a rug, back that dog all the way off the rug; give yourself room for success.

Build it slowly until you have the door wide open, and a puppy who just stares at it (remember to hold that leash, just in case). When you are closing the door as your pup tries to move forward, be careful not to smash his head in the doorway.
Hopefully, you are backing them up far enough so you can get the door closed before they even reach
the door. The idea being, if puppy stays back the door will open. If the puppy comes forward, the door will close.


It is important to note that I have not allowed the pup to go through the open doorway yet.  Sometimes, gaining access to another place, (outside, the other room, etc) may be too much excitement, and we don't want dogs who just wait for us to not be looking, then dash out the door.  Teaching them that just because the door is open, does not mean you will be able to go through it, is a useful skill.

If you have a particularly pushy pup, or a really fast one, it may help to have a partner hold the leash of
the dog while you practice this. You will also want to perfect this with the non-essential doors in your home, such as your bedroom door, or a hallway, before attempting it with an outside access door. I prefer to use a 10 ft long line if I'm using this prop to help.
You can hold a leash yourself, as a safety precaution, so that if your puppy does succeed in dashing
through the door, they are not free to take off, and thus, teach them that dashing gets them freedom. IF
your pup does get through the door, keep calm and say "no" (again, conversational level) and lead them back inside to begin the exercise again.

If you take the time to implement this cue whenever someone comes over. You will not only have a safer
dog, but also, one that won't rush your guests as they arrive.  You can couple this cue with teaching your dog to go lay on a mat, or his bed as well.

Enjoy!