Open Door Policies for Your Pooch: The Art of Spatial Displacement

One way to determine where individual dogs see their place in a pack’s hierarchy is to observe how they move around the house and yard, in relation to other pack members. Lower-ranking dogs show deference by allowing higher-ranking pack members to pass through doorways or tight spaces first. Often, they’ll also vacate a favorite bed or spot on the sofa when a leader approaches, with little or no effort on the leader’s part. This is formally known as “spatial displacement.”

By contrast, many dogs excitedly rush past their people, bumping into them (or worse!) without a care, in their quest to be first out the door or down the stairs. Not only is this an indication that the dog considers themselves a higher-ranking member in their pack, it can be downright dangerous for small children and adults with balance issues. When dogs barrel through exterior doors or gates unsupervised and unleashed, a scary situation can quickly become life threatening in the face of street traffic.

Enforcing spatial displacement addresses the above and teaches a dog to respect personal boundaries and defer to human leadership. Because it’s a native behavior, dogs quickly understand your intention and will follow your lead, provided you’re consistent and calm. There are many ways to communicate leadership through spatial displacement, including:

1) Ask your dog to follow you through all doorways and tight spaces.
If your dog rushes ahead of you, call them back. Once they’re behind you, block the opening with your body for 10 – 20 seconds with your back to the dog, then walk away. No command or verbal reward is necessary, and will likely only distract your dog from the task at hand. My dogs prevent lower-ranking pack members from going through doorways on a daily basis. I’ve never heard one of them say “wait” or “good boy” to the other dogs at the end of the lesson, yet they manage to get their point across quite effectively.

2) Teach your dog to follow you up or down stairways.
Respect for personal space is never more important than on the stairs. Dogs can present a real danger to any person walking on an incline. Their lower center of gravity and additional pair of legs greatly reduce the likelihood of a fall, so they have no sense of the danger posed to taller, two-legged creatures. In order to explain that you want your dog to follow you up and down stairs, indoors or out, use a leash and calmly practice taking one step at a time. Only give your dog enough leash to comfortably walk directly behind you, and use your legs to block their forward progress, as necessary. Whenever your dog challenges you, stop and wait for 5 – 10 seconds before moving forward. As with any training, consistency is key, so the more you ask your dog to follow you on the stairs, the more automatic it becomes.

3) Require your dog to move out of your way.
Common courtesy dictates that when we encounter another being in our path, we should go around, rather than asking them to move. Not so in the canine kingdom. When a pack leader meets a pack member in their path, the leader moves forward regardless, even if that means colliding with the other dog. An actual collision is rare, however, because the lower-ranking pack member will most likely get out of the leader’s way, rather than risk a confrontation. So when human beings go out of their way to avoid disturbing a dog, rather than insist the dog move, in canine terms, the human is declaring their status as a lower-ranking pack member.

When you’re moving around your house and your dog is in your way, shuffle your feet on the ground, look straight ahead (don’t make eye contact with your dog), and keep moving. Your dog will likely move out of your way with little or no fuss. If you bump into them, keep moving forward in this way until they move, or you get where you’re going. Do this consistently over a period of a few weeks, and soon your pooch will be moving out of your way well before you have to ask. Then you’ll have a clear indication that your status in your pack is on the rise!

4) Own all exits.
I make a point of practicing ownership of the door whenever I walk my dogs, and again when I have visitors or deliveries. I continue to practice this behavior forever, because I consider it a matter of life-and-death for my canine companions.

When a human pack leader “owns” a door or gate, dogs don't cross the threshold without an invitation. Learning to master this behavior is as simple as getting between your dog and an open door, commanding their attention by facing them (your back to the door) while making eye contact, and blocking any forward progress. Anyone who’s tried this and not had success knows it can be much easier said than done. That’s because it’s primarily about the energy the person is projecting, rather than a command or gesture. It will be far easier if you already have a relationship based in leadership, but the act of “owning” can also teach your dog to respect your leadership, if they don't already.

If your dog manages to get out at any time, you would be well advised to avoid “punishing” them when you catch up to them. When dogs are punished after being caught in such a scenario, they associate the punishment with a person’s arrival, not with the act of leaving. Dogs live in the moment, so it’s very difficult for them to connect a behavior that occurred even a few minutes earlier with an angry outburst from their person. This is one reason dogs will continue to run when being chased by people who have punished them for getting out in the pas: they fear the person’s arrival. It's far more effective to teach a dog what you WANT rather than focusing on what you don’t want.

If you’re challenged with a canine that won’t wait at the door, a private consultation is an excellent way to understand this exercise and master your technique. In one or two sessions, I can show you exactly how to get your dog to learn to respect your authority, and listen to your instruction.