Once your dog has learned how to do a whiplash turn in an open room, and you have practiced whiplash turn in a doorway step 1 enough that your dog is comfortable moving back and forth over the threshold and orienting to you, you can move on to teaching your dog to do the whiplash turn in the doorway. Eventually the doorway will become the cue for your dog to do a whiplash turn.
How to Teach:
- Before starting this behavior:
- Make sure your dog has been taught how to do a whiplash turn separately from a doorway.
- Also that you have taught value for going back and forth in a doorway using the first step to whiplash in a doorway method to the point where your dog will comfortably move through several different thresholds and orient to you.
- To teach the whiplash turn in the doorway start with you and your dog in the threshold. Place treat down on the ground by your dog’s head, move behind your dog as they eat the treat. As soon as your dog turns to you click and place a treat on the other side of the doorway.
- Repeat these steps going back and forth in the doorway clicking and treating your dog for orienting to you as they go through doorway.
- Once your dog is fluent with step 4, stand with your dog next to you facing the doorway. Walk together through the threshold, your dog will automatically turn to you because of the all the work you did above.
- If your dog doesn’t move through, you can use release word to get them to go through the doorway.
- The end goal is that your dog will see the threshold as the cue to go through and then reorient back to you, but if you need to use the release word to get them to go through the door initially that is o.k.