Leaving the House WITHOUT the Basenji

[Ninabeana26]

So lately we've been trying out leaving Dallas uncrated while we take short little trips to the store or other places where we'll only be gone like 30 minutes or so. He's been doing really well in not destroying things so obviously our hope is to one day leave him uncrated all day, as he still is sleeping in his crate at night [prefers it almost as he has gotten used to it being HIS bed].

Anyway, the issue I have is that whenever we get ready to go he darts towards the door & no matter how many times I have tried training him to sit by the door while we walk uot, he just won't do it. He will sit & wait with the door wide open [when we plan on taking him with us] until we say "break" allowing him to come outside with us. However, if he notices his leash/collar aren't on & we're trying to leave without him, no amount of treats have stopped him from trying to dart out the door with us.

Just wondering if anyone had tips on how to train him to sit & watch us walk out the door without making a mad dash behind us!

[Quercus]

You might try giving his something irresistable to chew on/eat while you walk out the door…like a sizeable biscuit (toss it far away from the door right before you walk out)...or a smoked chew bone...again put if far away from the door, and then walk out.

[Robin_n_Jack]

I do something similar to that, Quercus. It is almost like a game. I take a small piece of a treat and make him sit next to the door. Then, when I am ready to go, I toss it across the room and he goes running after it. By the time he finds and eats it, I am gone. Of course, I am in the same stages of leaving him for short periods (no more than 15 minutes- very beginning) and seeing how he does with not tearing the house completely apart.