Teaching Four Corgi’s to Sit Quietly and Wait to Be Let Out the Back Door

For this Omaha dog training session we worked with a quartet of Corgi’s (Riley, Bailey, Killian, and new puppy Draco – clockwise from left), sharing tips to stop one from being jealous when another gets attention and how to stay calm and in place before being let out the door.

I started up the session by asking a bunch of questions about the dogs backgrounds and day-to-day routine. This gave me an opportunity to observe the dogs as well as how they interact with humans.

While the dogs went out for walks, they weren’t as productive as they could be. Different ages personalities and interest make it challenging to walk multiple dogs together.

I recommended the guardian start walking the dogs separately unless their energy matched. I also recommended that they let the dogs sniff as much as they want to do since that burns more energy than walking for dogs.

Because corgis are such smart dogs who are bred to work, they need more exercise and mental stimulation and other breeds of dogs. I recommended that the guardians start getting the dogs some mental and physical stimulation every few hours. Because dogs sleep so much, providing mental stimulation and physical exercise in shorter more frequent sessions is more beneficial. I also mentioned that they can exercise the dogs before things to set them up for success.

Since many people have difficulty finding time to sufficiently exercise or stimulate their dogs, I’ve come up with some creative options such as feeding them out of snuffle mats, using treat dispensing toys or puzzles, play games of tug-of-war, fetch and scent games. I’d also like to see Riley and Bailey given a lick matt each on a daily basis. Since these dogs have gotten into some scuffles, building in some positive communal experiences can really help. And because licking releases endorphins, having the dogs do this activity together, with their own lick mats, should go a long ways towards helping them live together in peace and harmony.

One of the times that Bailey has gone after Riley was when he was getting a massage to help with a back injury. I set up my camera to re-create the situation so that I could show the guardians how they could use a little counterconditioning to stop the dog from being jealous when another dog gets attention. If you have a dog that is jealous when another dog gets attention or the dog goes after another dog for getting attention, the free positive dog training video below should help.

It will be important that the guardians practice this exercise frequently and are specific in the criteria they are requesting. When Bailey looks at Riley, that is when they should say the marker word or click and then give her a treat.

As they practice, the dog should feel more comfortable and the humans can start gradually reducing the distance between them. I would recommend that they continue to use the leash as a tether just to make sure that everyone stays safe.

Another issue the guardians had was impacting all of the dogs behavior; a lack of impulse control. When one dog started to bark, the others would chime in.

One of the dog behaviorist tricks that I like to use is to sneak exercises into date today activities and tasks. Because we do these tasks on a regular basis, if we add a little impulse control exercise, we can have profound results.

One of the things the dogs got excited for was being let out into the backyard. I set up my camera to film another video on how to teach a dog to stay calm and in a sit as someone opens the door. You can learn how to train a dog to wait at the door by watching the free positive dog training video below.

Teaching dogs to be calm when they are let out of a door may seem like a small thing, but that’s kind of the point. I would recommend the guardians practiced this secret to teaching a dog to be calm at the door with each dog separately at least once a day.

Once the dogs are able to stay calm and in a sit as the door is completely opened, then the guardians can start bringing the best two dogs together and practicing communally. When two dogs can do this successfully, they can add in a third dog and build up to all four dogs sitting at the door waiting for their release cue.

The great thing about this exercise is that it works for dogs or puppies of any breed. You don’t have to be a professional corgi dog trainer in Omaha to teach your dog to sit and wait for permission to go out an open door. Just patience, a lot of treats and the ability to go at the dog’s pace.

We covered the number of other dog behavior tips in this in-home dog training session. To help the guardians remember them all, I recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.