"Wait! I gotta open the door!"

Do you talk to your animals like I do? I tell Rusty about my day. And sometimes I think he actually understands me.

But he doesn't speak human. And generally, I can kinda make out "dog" and his expressions, but you know - I'm not a mind reader!

And Rusty doesn't understand when I have groceries, a purse, cell phone, dog leash and keys in hand. And here's the importance of the command "Wait." He sits and waits for you to do whatever you're doing until you say he can move.

So it's a little different than STAY. Stay means stay. Wait means, don't move but you're going to move soon - pay attention to me.

WAIT

What you'll need:

Door that swings towards you
6 foot leash
The dog

Step 1: Look at the door - you're going to have to make a rough judgment at how far it swings out. You don't want the door hitting you or the dog.

Step 2. Walk up to the door giving ample room for you to open the door and put Rusty in a SIT on your left hand side.

Step 3. With your left hand, swing it in front of Rusty's face (basically, do the robot with your left arm) and say, "Wait."

Step 4. Rusty's eyes will follow your hand movement, so as soon as your done with the hand signal, turn your body to face your sitting dog and back towards the door making sure that Rusty is NOT moving.

Step 5: If he moves, repeat from the beginning until he doesn't move.

Step 6: Open the door, you can either face the door or the dog - just make sure Rusty doesn't move. (Remember, what if you had groceries in your arms? A baby? Open can of pop?) Make sure he understands that yes, in a minute he can move, but not now!

Step 7: If Rusty moves, repeat from the beginning until he does NOT move.

Step 8: Go through the door, either backwards or forwards (this is the most tempting part because it looks like you're leaving him!!!).

Step 9: If Rusty moves, start from the beginning.

Step 10: After you make it through the door, then you can say, "Thank you! Rusty, let's go!" and Rusty is free to follow you.

So, that's WAIT.

Pretty easy? Kind of? It works well for getting in the car, "Wait! The door's not open!" or going to someone else's house, "Wait! The screen door's NOT open!" or just unlocking your own door to your house.

Remember - dogs don't generalize, so practice wherever you possibly can!

Happy Hump Day!