Wait

Teaching your dog to have manners and be able to wait at doors and for food helps them learn impulse control and to look to you for permission. It’s also a good safety measure to make sure your dog doesn’t just run out of the door and into a busy street.

Overview

  • Teach your dog to wait for permission before going through doors, eating, or exiting the crate. These are "unspoken rules" of the house that can eventually be paired with a verbal command.

  • The command "Wait" is useful for getting the dog to stop and wait for permission, especially in situations like grabbing toys or treats.

Examples of unspoken rules:

  • "Leave it" when another dog is eating, playing, or on their bed.

  • Teach dogs to take turns for attention and toys.

  • If food falls, "Leave it" and back away.

  • Don’t approach a dog with a treat or food.

  • Go to your bed when people eat at the table.

Videos

Wait for Food (Placed & Dropped)

Teach your dog how to have impulse control over food.

How to Teach Door Manners

Learn how to help your dog learn to be calm at the door.

Door Manners - Wait Politely

Learn steps to teach your dog to wait politely at the door.

Door Manners

Steps

  1. Stand at the door: Wait for your dog to be calm. Mark and reward if they stay still. If they move, reset.

  2. Increase door interaction: Mark and reward for touching the handle and turning it. Reset if they break calm.

  3. Open door slightly: Mark and reward for staying put. Reset if they move.

  4. Open door fully: Don’t make them wait too long before releasing. Use your release word "OK" when they stay calm.

  5. Engage and release: Add a "Watch" command or kissy noise to get their attention before releasing with "OK."

  6. Add the command "Wait": Once they understand, add "Wait" as you are approaching the door and they are just about to come to a stop.

Add-on

Think of yourself as a "robot" activated only when the dog is calm and waiting. If they break their calm, reset to your starting position. This routine will help them understand that the door opens only when they wait patiently. By day 3, they should grasp this concept. Use your time wisely—don't rush. If needed, pick up smaller dogs when in a hurry.

Food Manners

Steps

This is similar to waiting at the door but they are waiting for permission to get food instead.

  1. Reach for the food dish only when the dog is calm.

  2. Lower it to the ground; if they break calm, return the dish to the counter and reset.

  3. Optionally, place them in a sit if they know it.

  4. Work up to spilling food on the floor and having them wait for permission to approach.

This trains them to wait in case of dropped food or medication.

Week 1 Homework

  1. For this method to really take effect you need to be consistent. Have your dog wait at the door, every time. Also, when you have others over, tell them the same thing so they do not have the chance to fall backwards and go into new habits.

  2. Use meal time to practice waiting for food at least 1x a day. You can use a small portion of their meal to do 3-5 repetitions before moving on to working on something else. Practice with their food bowl and with placing food on the ground by hand.

  3. You don’t need to worry about naming it this week unless your dog is performing it the way you like every time.

Week 2 Homework

  1. If you are happy with the way they wait at the door and for food then you can start naming it this week.

  2. Say “Wait” right before they come to a stop at the door and before you start to lower food on the ground.

  3. When placing food on the ground see if you can start dropping it from a couple inches off the ground. Be ready to block or use a leash.

  4. When waiting at the door make sure to walk through first sometimes, let them go ahead of you sometimes. If you are going through the door but not bringing your dog with you then don’t say “Wait” and just toss them a treat as you close the door for being good and not bolting.

  5. Use Wait whenever you can:
    - At doorways to fun places, like your front door (he can’t cross the threshold without permission, but the dog can move within the room while he waits to go out)
    - At the food dish until you tell him/her to eat (dog waiting causes food to lower and dog not waiting causes it to rise up)
    - At curbs and streets (means stop and don't cross until you say so)
    - At the car (in case you need to load something first)
    - In the car (you want dog to stay in car while you take stuff out or check traffic)
    - At the top or bottom of stairs
    - In the yard (wait in yard while you take out trash, for instance). It’s best not to use stay for this until you’ve practiced a lot

Week 3 Homework

  1. Once your dog is starting to understand what “Wait” means then you can stop using the verbal command at the door if you want as that should be an unspoken rule. Same with dropping food. Feel free to use it if you want!

  2. Start asking them to wait in other situations, it essentially means “stop”. While walking if they show interest in a bush or something ask them to wait and help them stop with leash pressure if they keep walking towards it, once they stop and give you eye contact release them to sniff the bush.

  3. Have them wait while you throw a toy and then release them to get it. Use this while playing Tug and Fetch to build impulse control.