Wait

I love polite dogs and that’s why I think training a dog to wait politely is very important. The cue Wait is different from Stay. Wait means I’m about to let you do what you want if you can just sit still for a moment. This is how you begin training Wait:

Stand in front of a door your dog wants to go through. If it’s the front door, he will probably want to go through it to go outside. If you do this exercise in your house, let him see you throw some tasty snacks on the other side so he wants to go get them.

Now, when you both are standing in front of the closed door, give him the cue “Wait” and then start to open the door.

As soon as he lurches forward, close the door. Don’t say the cue again, we only say it once until he gets it right.

Keep your hand on the doorknob and open it again giving him another chance.

As soon as you’re able to open the door and he hesitates before going through it, let him know he’s done the right thing by saying “Okay!” Then, let him through the door.

Start out your pup slowly. Only ask him to hesitate when the door is open 6 inches. As he gets better at this exercise, you will open the door wider and wider until he is sitting very politely in front of a completely open door waiting for you to tell him he can go through.

Once your dog has learned how to wait. Ask him to wait before he jumps out of the car. Ask him to wait before crossing the street. Your goal is that when you say “Wait” your dog will turn and look at you to be released (and also for his reward!)

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Frequently Asked Questions - Wait

What if he doesn't want to go through the door.  What do I do?

It's hard to teach wait if they aren't motivated to go through the door.  But just in case you don't want to practice this at the front door, where they almost always want to go through, toss some treats on the other side of a door inside to increase his interest.  Or, put your spouse or friend on the other side of the door and have them call your dog's name.  Once he is excited to go through the door, you can start the exercise.

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Green Paws Training Options

We teach and practice Wait in our Puppy Manners and Basic Manners group classes. 

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Books and Tools

There are no books or tools to recommend for this behavior.

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