Getting out of the car safely
It is not hard to train your furry friend to jump out of the car in a safe, calm way! 👍
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The goal is to make sure your dog sits calm and doesn’t barge through the door the moment it opens. They should jump out and immediately approach you, their favorite human, instead of running off into the unknown.
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How to teach you dog that?
1️⃣ On arrival at a park, approach the car door, touch the handle, but don’t open it right away: wait until your dog gets bored of spinning in circles in excitement and sits.
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2️⃣ As soon as your pup sits, start slowly opening the door — this will make him/her jump back up: close the door again. Wait until your dog sits, and repeat this open-close exercise until your pup decides that it’s not worth trying anymore and keeps sitting. Calmly praise your four-legged friend, give them a treat and let them jump out of the car.
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3️⃣ The moment your dog’s paws touch the ground — click the clicker or use the marker of good behavior (“yes”). The dog will turn to look at you — give them a treat for that. After that you can take out a toy and play with your pup for a bit. The reason you do this is to explain to your dog that it is better to stay next to you instead of running away, because it is much better and more interesting.
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Eventually, you can minimize praising and markers of correct behavior — your dog will make eye-contact with you voluntarily.
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Repeat this training method for around a week and your dog will remember how to jump out of the car in a safe way. Start in the simplest surroundings with no distractions and slowly complicate your dog’s task by repeating this exercise in a slightly busier area as soon as your dog aces the previous step.
