Have Paws Will Travel Guide Dog Puppy Raising Club Arapahoe County, Colorado
Info for Raisers	Puppy Pipeline	Ask Abbie	Abbie's Archive	Home

Ask Abbie's Latest Advice

Ask Abbie is written by Jasper, a retired guide who as co-raised four puppies. Puppies may address their questions to abbie@hpwtdogmom.org. Jasper will answer in future editions of the Pipeline.

March/April 2007

Dear Abbie:
Whenever the front door opens, I make a dash for freedom! It's fun to explore the neighborhood, and it's good exercise for my parents, too. They come running out of the house after me and chase me for blocks before they catch up! Trouble is, they always act mad at me. But hey, a dog's gotta be free, right?
—Escape Artist

Dear Escape~
It may be fun to dash out the door, but it's terribly dangerous! What if you got hit by a car, or lost or stolen? You would never become a Guide! You need boundary training to learn never to go through the door without permission. The time to start good habits is when a puppy first arrives, but even a dog who is used to making a break for freedom can learn boundaries. Here's something to practice when you're not going anywhere–so that you can understand the concept before you have to do it for real. Have your parents put you on a leash and help you sit and wait near the door--you know, like you do for your food dish. Then they open the door. If you break to go out, they should make a huge deal of it–"Oh, no! You were supposed to wait"–put you back on the same exact spot and try again. When you have a good concept of waiting, they can go through the door while you wait. If you try to follow them, you'll get the same end-of-the-world correction! Next they go to the end of the leash on the other side of the threshold or boundary, and give you the "okay" command. With enough repetition it will dawn on you that you can only go through the door when you hear the okay. It's like the doggie version of "Simon Says!" Now, you're probably wondering how you will take care of business while you're learning proper door etiquette. All your parents have to do is stop and have you wait on the spot where you've been practicing. They go through the door, and then give you the okay. Simple, right? If you start to follow before you hear the okay, they'll back you up and make you wait until you hear the word. The only way you will become trustworthy around the door is if your parents are 100% consistent on your having to have permission before you go through. You need to practice this at every doorway or gate that opens to an un-fenced area, and everyone in the house needs to do it the same way. Dogs' learning is very situation-specific, so you could have the front door solidly learned and gladly bolt through the back door or gate! One last thing: even when you think you are boundary trained to the door, don't trust yourself entirely. There's always the time when you'll see another dog or a squirrel across the street and bolt through–and that's the time you'll be hit by a car! Boundary training is a useful tool, but it;s not a substitute for caution and awareness on the part of your parents of where you are and what you might do when the door opens