Barrier Threshold Training

Here is my article on Barrier Threshold Training for Dogs.

Many dogs are injured and killed every year because they escape out an open house door, through a gate, or out a car door.  
Doing barrier threshold training with your dog is easy, and it incorporates structure and basic obedience skills into the dog’s daily routine.  It also confirms your leadership position- the dog will be more attentive of you, plus learn important boundaries. 
This exercise has very little to do with the “dominance theory” of going through a door before the dog, and much more to do with it being a safety protocol all dogs should learn.

VERBAL COMMANDS
WAIT- which tells the dog to remain there until called. 
STAY -  which tells the dog to remain there until we come back to them. 
BREAK- is the release word to let the dog know they are free from the last command.
HERE- is the word I use when I want the dog to come directly to me.
HEEL - is the word I use when I want the dog walking at my left side.

VISUAL CUES (optional) 
- When walking away from a WAIT or STAY position and I want to give the dog a visual cue I would lead off with my right leg, which is the furthest away from him.
-When walking away and I want the dog to come with me (HEEL) I would  lead off with my left leg, which is closest to the dog.  
Doing this consistently the dogs pick up on it pretty quickly.

THE BEGINNING - Basic crate manners teach the start of threshold training.
At the verbal CRATE command the dog should walk calmly in , be quiet in the crate, and wait for a release word from the human before they can come calmly out. I use BREAK as my release word.  
If the crate door opens and the dog tries to come out before the release command, gently close the crate door before they get their head out. You will see an immediate change of attitude, more respect from the dog, and now the dog is more focused on you - and how you want it to behave outside the crate as well.

THE THRESHOLD 
Going somewhere for most dogs is VERY exciting!  
During threshold training we want to keep all our commands and responses calm, this will help the dog remain calm as well. 
WAIT/STAY at thresholds can be done by the dog standing, sitting, or lying down.  Generally speaking- a dog in down position is less likely to break (move) than one in a sit position.  It’s all about how much effort it takes for the dog to move away from that spot.  

I start with the dog on a collar and leash.  Some dogs respond better when wearing a training collar, I have a full article on training collars at my site.
I use food rewards for basic obedience, but not for threshold training.  The dog is usually so excited to be going somewhere I don’t need to make them more motivated- I want them to be calm for this exercise.

At this point the dog knows the basic verbal obedience cues noted above.
A hand signal of your open palm in front of their nose at the same time as the verbal cue can help as well.

You are walking toward the door with the dog on leash on your left side-stop just before the door, give a verbal SIT or DOWN command, give a verbal STAY command with hand signal, then open the door. 
Wait a couple seconds, then release the dog with a verbal BREAK command if they are free to go through on their own , or a verbal HEEL command if they are to go through at your side. 
Use the leash to guide them if needed.  Gradually add duration, and phase out the hand signal if desired.

To further proof threshold training walk towards the door with the dog on leash on your left side, stop just before the door, give a verbal SIT or DOWN command, give a verbal WAIT command with hand signal, and YOU walk through the door.  The dog should NOT move .  When you reach the end of your leash give the dog a verbal BREAK command to release them, and a verbal HEEL to get them back at your side. 
Use the leash to guide them if needed. Gradually add duration, and phase out hand signal if desired.

If the dog breaks command and moves out of position before I release them I give a verbal NOPE and use the leash/spacial pressure to immediately bring them back at least as far as they were originally.
If they have literally gained an inch by breaking before release they are more likely to do it again.
Dogs who are pushy or stubborn may need a more firm correction to get our point across, I train every dog as an individual.
Train for short sessions, but multiple times a day is best.
Always end on a good note, and allow for some playtime afterwards- dogs retain information better if they get playtime after lessons.

I highly encourage adults to work the dog with their children on this as well, because often the door or gate is opened by children. 
This exercise has the additional bonus of encouraging a calm state of mind at thresholds from “everyone” in the family. 

PLACE command practiced by the door is an excellent way to incorporate calm behavior at doorways.  PLACE can be any object once trained-  a doormat, a towel, or dog cot.  The dog will learn to go to their object, lie down, be quiet, and stay there until given a release word. Sessions should be fairly short to start. A tie back can be used at first, always supervised.
I have a very detailed article on training PLACE at my site.

Be more consistent than they are persistent, because your dogs life may well depend on it.

INDOOR THRESHOLDS:
Specific thresholds such as the kitchen, or the new babies room can be trained using this same principal. Some people would call this “Boundary training”   For this I would use a visual cue for the dog, to make it more clear to him.  A basic 2 x 4 board across the entrance to the room will work, once proofed well with this you can go down to a line of masking tape across the doorway. Some clever dogs will push boundaries (cheating) and stand on the line, give a verbal NOPE, and use spacial pressure to back them off the line. After the dog is well conditioned at Boundary Training you can remove the tape.  
To make it more consistent and easier for the dog to succeed, I recommend keeping the dog out of that particular room altogether if possible.

PROOFING BOUNDARY TRAINING  WITH AN E-COLLAR
If the dog has already been properly conditioned to a quality low level remote electronic collar ( I use a Mini Educator), and understands the rules of boundary training, the owner can be watching from outside or using a baby monitor to proof the training.  Give the dog a single medium level stimulation (nick) on the e collar if they attempt to cross the threshold without permission.  This will quickly train the dog not to go through regardless of being supervised.  Always set the dog up to succeed, and don’t tempt fate. As well trained as some dogs are, there is always one who is going to risk it all for that Thanksgiving turkey that just came out of the oven.....

Dog training articles on Fear Aggression, Potty Training, Structured Walks, and more are available at my site below, which is open to the public and free of charge. ❤️🐺❤️
https://www.facebook.com/AllBasicsDogTrainingKimChappell/