Look at those dogs clamoring at the gate, so excited to get into the dog park! They jam their noses at the gate, jumping and twirling, overwhelmed at the prospect of going through to the beautiful green grass and mesmerizing smells. You can barely get to the handle to open it and let them pursue the joy on the other side!
Danger on the Other Side
I don’t mean to alarm you, but what if you open the access portal and there’s a monster on the other side? Your dogs streak joyfully through and come into direct contact with an overbearing dog, a bewildered cat, a nest of baby bunnies, or worse? Danger for somebody could be waiting.
Prep “Wait at the Gate” So You Can Use It
Asking dogs to wait at a door or gate before you either go through with them or allow them to go into a new area calls upon a skill set that must be built before you need it, just like teaching any other behavior you might want to be able to use with your dog.
Partnership
The big picture is that your dog must be able to work with you as a partner. This skill is built on a process of teaching him that some things he chooses to do will get him treats or privileges that he desires. On your end, learning to select which behaviors you like and reinforce those with what your dog wants is the way to build your skill. Most importantly, learning which behaviors you don’t want to reinforce and applying those observations is key. Training goes on all day, every day.
“Stay” in Position
The details of a dog being able to wait at a gate include being able to hold a position. You can certainly teach your dog to wait in a variety of positions, but it’s way easier to observe where the process is heading if he’s sitting or lying down. If he’s standing up, we humans are more likely to either miss or ignore a step or two, and “suddenly” the dog is nosing the gate. I prefer to have dogs sit when they’re on leash and lie down when they’re off leash. These early choices allow me to easily notice if a dog is starting to get up, before they approach the gate or door, so I can intervene and prevent errors.
Ending a “Stay”
Part of holding a position – you can call it a “stay” if you like – is ending the behavior. You need a way to tell the dog he can get up and move forward and he has to be able to remain in position until he hears the cue you give for him to do something else. This makes sense, but it’s so easy to make a mistake and so hard to repair the damage unless you practice in controlled conditions! I know. I’ve been there.
Distractions
Another level of the stay/release set of behaviors is the dog being able to perform them in the presence of any distractions that are likely to appear. That word, “distractions,” is rampant in discussions of dog training but I think we need to clarify what it really means.
Distractions are those objects or events, good or bad, that a dog might be motivated to pay attention to, rather than focusing on their handler. Any conditioned expectation can fall into this category, along with unexpected things that draw a dog’s attention. I’m sorry to tell you this, but you are not the only important stimulus in your dog’s world! In fact, you may be pretty low on the totem pole. Ask your dog. This is another of the many ways humility plays a role in our training!
Distractions can be life-threatening dangers. They can be enticing objects – food, toys, or prey. They can be startling appearances of unexpected stimuli, like a sudden loud noise. They can even be events that dogs are conditioned to expect. My dogs love going into a different yard. Regarding waiting at gates, particular times of day and sets of behavior I exhibit let them know it’s likely we’re going to go through that gate into the Back 40, a.k.a., the fun place! This is all learning – training – life experience that lets dogs predict what is going to happen next.
How to Train for Distractions
In my world, a dog doesn’t have to ignore everything that is going on around him and stare at me! On the contrary, I want dogs to divide their attention among all the things that are going on around him. Dogs need to pay attention to what’s going on around them. They need to remain somewhat vigilant to make sure they’re safe – just like we do. I just want to make sure I’m one of the things my dog has on his radar, so he is ready to respond to a well-conditioned cue if I need to give one. Dividing their attention between their handler’s cues and the environment is another learned skill set. It allows dogs to work in an environment full of distractions.
Leash Walking Example
Here’s an example. When I’m walking with a dog on leash, I don’t need him to walk with his head twisted to the side so he can stare at me. I want him to notice and respond to many things. The main reason for a walk is so my dog can have experiences he doesn’t get every day in the house or yard. I don’t expect him to ignore a squirrel that runs down a tree trunk nearby; I just want him to stay near me as he looks at it. We can even stop for a minute and watch that squirrel if he wants to. That’s how he can divide his attention between something that can be termed a “distraction” and me, his handler.
In reality, a dog on a walk is likely to be noticing an uncountable number of different stimuli – smells, sounds, visuals, temperature changes, wind blowing through his hair, and more. I want to make sure he’s learned to do his job of walking next to me and keeping an ear out for a verbal cue that might indicate “come closer to me” or “let’s turn this way.” All these things must be taught and practiced before you can use them out in the world full of distractions.
No Need to Ignore Distractions
A distraction usually means any stimulus that affects a dog that is not what his handler wants him to respond to. That’s a long list! When you’re not around, your dog responds to everything – except you. It’s a tall order to expect a dog to suddenly ignore literally everything in the world that is not you, just because you appeared. It’s a much easier job to teach a dog to add you to the list of things he responds to, when you are around.
Scrabbling squirrels, other dogs, human strangers and friends, a stray tennis ball, and the multitude of aromas that your dog has learned to respond to are naturally strong competitors for your dog’s attention to you. For sure, anything your dog perceives as a threat demands his immediate attention – for his own safety. He has a biological drive to keep himself safe, after all.
Your dog’s skills in doing the things you need him to do must be strong enough for him to make a conscious choice in the face of these distractions. The ability to make a conscious choice rather than impulsively respond in the way he’s previously learned is the key to your dog being able to do what you ask in the face of a distraction. And that’s how distractions can affect your routine for having dogs go through a gate into a new area.
Running at Top Speed Through the Gate
Dogs don’t always make the best choices. They live in the moment and they like to have fun. Certain behaviors have previously been reinforced at high rates, and those behaviors are high on a dog’s list of options.
My dogs like to go through gates at top speed, streaking out into a new area like race horses. When dogs do things like this, you know these behaviors have been reinforced in the past – that’s why they are strong. Fun is a strong reinforcer for dogs. We can’t always tell what internal reinforcers will come into play when they engage in a behavior. It’s likely that blasting off out of a lying-down position gives my dogs a burst of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine. It probably feels really good, maybe similar to how a nice workout does, and gets them even more excited about what further fun lies ahead.
Because they like doing this, we allow it – but because it’s an available natural reinforcer, they have to do something for me first. After they wait, lying down, they are released to go through the gate. This behavior is too valuable to not use it to reinforce another behavior that keeps my dogs and other animals safe.
It’s similar to what agility competitors teach – be still and ready, and take off like a shot when I tell you to. In this way, agility dogs use their time on the course efficiently, moving quickly from the start, right through to the end of the performance. In my case, I’m just allowing my dogs the opportunity to do what they want to. But I have a responsibility to them and to other creatures to make sure that the area they are running into is clear.
Wait at the Gate: Safety for Everyone
We have a few different fenced yards. Albert and Daisy love to visit different ones. I have them wait at the gate every time so I can ensure there are no unwanted visitors in the yard they’re about to race into. This is important for the safety of the dogs as well as for an unfortunate cat that wandered in or a young squirrel or other wildlife baby on the ground. Al and Daisy are not dogs who want to kill things, but the experience of the two of them screeching toward a terrified baby or a lost cat could be really stressful for the victim and lead to undesirable, impulsive doggie decisions; not something I want.
Other Benefits of “Wait at the Gate”
Another benefit of waiting at the gate is that, on some days, we just don’t have enough time for training, so short sessions at mealtimes and waiting at the gate are pretty much all they get. Training is enriching, so we don’t want them to miss out on performing behaviors and receiving the reinforcement they expect.
One other benefit of training waiting at the gate is that the behaviors just get better and better! Now, if somebody makes an error (gets up before I release), I can get him or her to come back to position and get it right. We’ve built our behavior up to me walking to the gate and back a couple of times, checking to make sure nothing untoward is set up in the yard for them to encounter.
How to Train Wait at the Gate
It’s a simple behavior. But the details matter.
Partnership
Your partnership with your dog is something you must be building at all times. Learn to select the behaviors you like. Learn to give treats after they occur. Develop the techniques you need to give treats. Learn which treats your dog finds reinforcing. Build your ability to use play and privileges as reinforcers. Notice what your dog wants and likes and learn to use those opportunities to reinforce behaviors you like. When you have practiced these things, you can start using praise, silly talk, and momentary play sessions as reinforcement.
Stay and Release
Use positive reinforcement to teach your dog a position. (I like lying down for waiting at the gate.) There are many ways to get the behavior to happen, including capturing it when it occurs naturally, luring it, and shaping it. Reinforcement develops your dog’s ability to respond more quickly. If your dog already knows “down,” you’re ahead of the game. As you’re teaching “down,” teach your dog the release cue. I like “That’s all” or for running at top speed through the gate to a yard, we also use, “Go!”
Duration
Now you have to increase the amount of time your dog can be comfortable holding the “down” position, just a second at a time. This is a mixture of art and science. Use plenty of treats as reinforcers, place them well, and build great timing. Release the dog to get up at different intervals, never asking him to stay in position for longer than he can do comfortably. Allow your dog to learn through his successes.
Distance
It’s a big change for your dog when you are farther away from him, so teach this transition carefully. Begin to take a step or two away from your dog but bounce back to him to give a treat for staying in position. Increase distance but be careful you’re not depriving him of the rate of treats you’ve been providing. Each treat is his reinforcer for staying in position since the last treat, for being calm while you move away from him and return, and for dividing his attention among all the available stimuli including you.
Wait at the Door
Practice not only at gates, but at the back door – it usually has less impact as a stimulus than the front door, where people knock and ring the bell. Help your dog control his impulses by carrying out set-up training sessions every day and also using this procedure every time you let him go outside.
Wait at the Gate
Now, practice at the gate and realize that the gate opening might already be a hugely invigorating stimulus; it is for my dogs! Minimize the action, treat for staying in position, and build methodically. If the dog gets up, adjust your schedule; help him succeed by asking him to do only what he is capable of right now.
Closing the gate is how you can take away your dog’s chance to fail miserably. At this early stage of training, losing complete control of what happens next would be catastrophic. If your dog gets to access the fun by going before you ask him to, The Matching Law becomes a big problem.
This is where your observation skills come in! Don’t wait till he’s up – it’s over by then. Notice when he’s about to get up and close the gate. Close it. Don’t “sort of close it a little.” Close it. Don’t do it angrily. Do it as part of your own and your dog’s learning experience. When you can predict that you can open the gate with the dogs remaining in place, do it; then release them to exit.
Set Your Dog and Yourself Up For Success
Recognize that, if you go through the gate a lot, you may need to put a leash on your dog for a while and walk him through at your side as his procedure for entering the new area. You both need practice and being near the gate may be too much for him at first. Pay attention to what he’s responding to and make it easier for him. Help him learn through success.
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