Do you often wish that you could use the bathroom in private or ask your dog to leave the kitchen while you are cooking or washing the floor? Teaching your dog to leave a room that you are in is actually fairly simple. This command makes sense to dogs: they don’t ever tell each other to “come here” but they certainly do say “this is my space, get out”.

Initially, teach this in a room with just one doorway and a clear threshold (or you can mark the threshold with tape on the floor). Have your dog drag a leash in case he tries to dart past you. And have a good supply of treats that you can throw on the floor. For most dogs, dry kibble (dog food) will work fine.

Stand in the room with your dog. Now, tell him “Out” or “Go Away” and walk towards him. Always use your legs rather than your hands to ‘herd’ your dog. Keep your dog between you and the exit and walk into his space. Be sure to stand tall and move confidently. If your dog tries to go around you instead of moving out of your way, use the leash to stop this.

As soon as your dog is on the other side of the threshold, tell him “Yes!” and toss him a cookie. If he remains there, continue to throw treats for him. If he tries to step across the threshold, move briskly and confidently into his space, once again backing him up across the threshold. Don’t immediately reward–you don’t want to pay him for making mistakes and fixing them, you want to pay him for continuing to stay “Out”.

Gradually build the amount of time between treats. Now, when you reward, try throwing the treat behind your dog. If he eats it, walks back, and stops at the threshold, reward again. If he starts to cross the threshold, block his way.

In addition to building the time between rewards, you will also want to start increasing your distance from the threshold. Start to walk around the kitchen, put dishes away etc. Periodically praise and/or reward your dog.

Remember to let your dog back into the room using his release word (Free or OK) when you are done. If your dog chooses to wander off and go do something else, that’s fine! He doesn’t need to stay at the threshold, he just isn’t allowed in the room once you have asked him to leave.

This will take a week or two to train, but you’ll be delighted at how convenient it is to be able to ask your dog to leave the room. I use “Out” to keep my dogs out of the dining room when we have company, to kick them out of the kitchen when I’m cleaning, or to send them out of my office when they decide to have a wrestling match under my desk. I’m sure you’ll find lots of uses for it too.