Impulse control can be described as self-control for your dog. Teaching your dog to have self-control can be useful in many situations! Impulse control helps your dog to wait patiently for things that he really wants. It can also help him learn to stay calm when exciting things happen. Impulse control is a wonderful and simple behavior to teach any dog. Discussed below are several simple training techniques to help teach impulse control to your pet.

Exercise 1: Crate and Doorway Rushing

1. When the dog is in the sit or down position, slowly open the door.
2. If the dog gets up to go through the door, close the door and ask him to sit or down.
3. Repeat opening the door; if he gets up, place him back into the sit or down.
4. Initially, you may need to repeat these steps multiple times before the dog will stay in the desired position until the door is open. As you continue the training, the number of times your dog needs to be reminded will decrease.
5. Once the door is open, give your dog his release command, and allow him to come through the door.

Exercise 2: Cookies in a Fist

1. Place low-value treats, such as kibble, in your closed fist, and place your fist in front of your dog’s nose.
2. Your dog is going to try to paw, lick, and nose your fist to get to the treats, but don’t give in! Just ignore his attempts.
3. Now present your fist with the low-value treats in it. If the dog ignores your fist, slowly open your palm to reveal the treats. If your dog rushes your hand, quickly close your fist. When your dog can leave the open hand full of cookies alone, reward with a treat from the opposite hand. When your dog can reliably leave the treats in your open hand, you can move on to the next step.
4. Now with your fist open revealing the treats, slowly take a treat from that hand and reward the dog. If your dog rushes for the treat, quickly close your fist. Once your dog waits patiently for you to deliver the treat, he can receive the reward.