How To Train A Dog To Shut The Door
This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!
This is quite a popular trick and surprisingly easy to teach. Your dog will learn how to close an open door when asked to do so.
- Have some small amounts of meat or an equally sticky treat to hand, your dog and an open door.
- Ensure that you are standing on the side of the door which will enable your dog to close it if he pushes on it.
- Now simply ask your dog to wait and put a tiny treat on the door near his nose then tell your dog to take the treat. As he touches the door with his nose reinforce the touch (with either your words or clicker) and give your dog a second treat.
- Repeat the previous two stages until your dog is touching the door and looking to you for a treat then remove the treat from the door, simply rewarding for the touch. Introduce the phrase, shut the door, here.
- When your dog is touching the door and encouraging you to hand over his reward start to gently withhold the treat, he will then become frustrated and either touch the door with more enthusiasm or poke it with a paw, either action will eventually shut the door.
Top tip; if your dog looks confused then you may be moving through the stages too quickly, by going back a stage then you will rebuild his confidence to learn.
Dog trainers love this trick because it utilizes a fantastic positive training technique which is targeting with positive reinforcement.
