Front Door Manners: A How-To Guide for Excitable Dogs and the People Who Love Them

Many owners find that the front door is a trigger for their dogs. photo: AdobeStock

Are you a dog owner whose precious pup turns into a barking mess at the jingle of keys? Does Boris suddenly lunge at the door, intent upon protecting you from the unsuspecting mailman? Does Luna go from delightful to disaster any time you pick up her leash and harness? If so, then this article is for you.

Many owners find that the front door is a trigger for their dogs. Let’s talk about what’s happening and how to build better habits through positive reinforcement.

What's going on? Why does my dog care so much about the front door?

Many dogs have developed one or more learned associations through their experiences with the door. Whether these were mostly positive (friends coming to visit!) or mostly negative (stranger danger!), we'll use the same tools to work through these issues. 

Because of the pandemic, acclimating dogs to visitors has been difficult, so many dogs are socially inexperienced and nervous. They reach for ways to communicate, both with us and with the surprise (to them) visitor.

That communication often takes the form of barking, growling, yelping, or jumping. The takeaway from these actions is that our dogs are having a strong emotional response indicative of high arousal, a term referring to raised heart rate, alertness, and preparedness to respond. It's hard for a dog in a state of high arousal to think clearly so part of our work will be to help our dogs learn to rest peacefully at home.

I feel helpless! What can I do?

Fortunately, scientists have already done a lot of the hard part for us. We've learned from canine researchers that the dogs they studied obeyed one command throughout distractions for significantly more time following a positive reinforcement training process. 

Based on this research and using a desensitization plan, we'll teach our dogs that door stuff is a normal part of daily life. Since we’re asking our dogs to work, we'll need appropriate rewards close at hand (yummy training treats, affection, or play are all great choices). If you can afford it, you may want to purchase an automatic dog treat dispenser, which is the tool the researchers used.

I've got my rewards! What's next?

 You'll be teaching your dog to down-stay in a designated location. Use your dog's favorite bed, a small mat or rug, or choose another visual indicator for the area where you'll have your pup wait.

If you'll be using the automatic food dispenser, make sure your dog is comfortable taking food from it before you begin, which you can do by offering their meals from it for a few days. If they don’t know the “down” command, or won't perform it on your mat, you'll also be shaping this behavior. Plan to practice for up to 10 minutes, one to three times a day. 

Pick a place and time with few distractions, not near the front door. You might place your dog's mat in front of where you normally sit to encourage hanging out calmly with you.

To begin, lure them to the spot by placing some treats on the mat. Once they’re standing on the mat, ask your dog to "sit" for a reward, and then either lead them into a “down” position using a treat, or wait until they lie down of their own accord. As this happens, use your command word of choice - we like "place!" - then praise and reward them.

The next step is repetition. Have your dog stand and move by tossing a treat across the room, then recall them to their mat to try "down" again. Give them a break every few times. This process might take several days.

Your goal is to prolong the time your dog will freely lie on the mat. When they can lie on the mat for one minute, add common door distractions with the help of an assistant - knocking, ringing the doorbell, walking in and out, etc. Start small and don't be afraid to go back a few steps if you feel you're struggling. Avoid frustration for you and your pup!

The last challenge is to send your pup to their mat to down-stay while you're not standing next to it. Start one meter away and repeat the process as you gradually move further away from their mat.

Eventually, you'll be putting this training to the test in a real situation. If your dog starts barking at the door, take a deep breath and ask them to go to their mat using your command word ("place!"). If they’re unwilling to head right over, you may add another cue such as luring them with a tasty treat. Don’t forget to encourage and praise them!

This training routine is useful for teaching your dog to politely greet visitors, but it could also be used as a calming precursor to putting on their harness for a walk, your leaving for work, or any other daily life event that sparks a little too much craziness. 

And if this is all new to you, don't worry. A professional dog trainer can help you work out any kinks, either in person or by video, and your dog will be a manners champ before you know it.