Management & Training - Teach Your Dogs What To Do in Tempting Areas of Your Home

by Bailey Coldwell

I often hear about adolescent dogs who are only given access to very specific areas of the home. Handlers prevent their dogs from ever going into the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. Dogs chew the table leg one time, try to steal socks, or take food from the toddler, so the dog is never around these items again. Which might seem fine, in theory, but then life happens. Doors get left open, playpens don’t latch, socks get left out, and dogs ultimately have the chance to enter these spaces or go after these items. These areas or items are forbidden; the dog becomes overstimulated and then exhibits undesirable behaviors because they weren’t taught what to do. Dogs will often potty, chew items up, or exhibit other unwanted behaviors if handlers don’t teach them what to do instead. 

I have a large(ish) home. Throughout the day and night, my dog has access to both stories of my home, including my children’s bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the kitchen. However, some rewards are worth the risk. And for my very food-motivated dog, there are still boundaries in place. She does not have access to where my cats eat, she cannot reach our human food, and she cannot access her own bag of dog food. Can I train her a “leave it” cue around these areas? Yes, of course. Is there a guarantee that she wouldn’t touch these food items when I am not there? No. Therefore, I have those boundaries in my home. Rules are still important. You just don’t want to have to be micromanaging the dog their entire lives. 

I would rather see handlers prevent young dogs from being in areas when they aren’t there than give them too much freedom. Handlers have the right idea to prevent dogs from having too much freedom at first. But eventually, dogs should be able to access these areas or items in the home without immediately doing something destructive. That said, when the handler isn’t actively teaching the young dog what to do at first, it's still the correct approach to limit too much freedom in those areas or items. 

We want to see that the handler is actively teaching the dog what to do in these areas or around these items. This will help these places or items feel more normal and less exciting by teaching the dog to be neutral. I love to teach dogs an “implied/automatic leave it” for certain items around the home that interest them. The reason I teach this is so that they learn that even if I don’t say “leave it”, it is still expected that they should do so. I do this by having frequent controlled exposure to the item. The item can be anything that tempts the dog—such as a sock, shoes, tissues, or furniture legs. Handlers simply work on being around these items with their dog, while rewarding them for not trying to grab the item. At first, the dog usually needs to be on a leash to prevent them from lunging and grabbing the item. The handler hangs out or walks by the item, just out of reach. This way, if the dog tries to grab the item, they can’t actually get it. Keep moving. Once the dog takes their attention away from the item, the handler marks and rewards. Soon, the dog will learn that even though that item is around, better things happen when they don’t try to take it. These sessions can then start to look more “real life”. For example, the handler with a dog who is interested in socks can fold laundry near the dog while rewarding the dog for not trying to get the sock. Or the handler of the dog who is interested in the couch leg, can be watching a show while rewarding the dog for good behavior. 

A similar approach can be used for a certain room or area of the home where the handler is nervous about having the puppy around. Simply hang out in the room with the dog. Sit on the kid’s bed and toss treats to the dog for any decent behavior. The puppy might need to be on a leash at first so it is easy to reward good behavior, prevent unwanted behavior, and interrupt it. Another example is having the puppy chew on a frozen Kong in the bathroom while the handler takes a shower. Hang out in the kitchen with the dog, rewarding them for chilling out and not begging for food. If at any point the dog does start to do unwanted behaviors, the handler can try to redirect them 1-2 times and then remove them if they continue to offer the behavior. When in new spaces with the puppy, the handler should make sure the puppy has just pottied outside and isn’t in a super playful mood. 

When we were kids, we probably all had a friend who wasn’t allowed in their parents’ bedroom. Did that make my friend and me never want to go in there? Or did my friend and I sneak into the “forbidden” room when no one was there? The mystery and curiosity tended to outweigh the cons. As a kid, I know that curiosity often got the best of me, and we would sneak into these rooms to scavenge through belongings, maybe jump on the bed, take something, or accidentally break a valuable family item. On the other hand, if we were allowed in the parents’ bedroom, the excitement tended to fade. If I was allowed into an adult’s bedroom and could watch a movie in there, check out the valuable family items together, and otherwise be gently taught how to hang out in there, it didn’t seem as adrenaline-provoking or fun. 

Therefore, when I got the opportunity to sneak into these areas, it didn’t really seem as fun or worthwhile. It wasn’t a big deal. Does this mean that kids should have access to a gun cabinet, antique sword collections, or inappropriate content? Of course not. Just like how I don’t allow my dog in spaces where temptations would get the best of her in potentially dangerous situations. I give this example because it is the same concept as with dogs. If handlers never give them the chance to be in a certain area or around a certain item (that could be safe and uneventful), their curiosity and overstimulation will get the best of them. If we allow supervised visits to these places or items, the excitement wears off, and the dog learns there is nothing spectacular about it. 

We want dogs to be able to have neutrality around our home. Sure, tethers, pens, and crates are crucial parts of raising a puppy. But we don’t want to, or have to, micromanage a dog for their entire lives. That sounds exhausting! I hope this helps you and your dog coexist more peacefully.