Canine Elevator Etiquette- Setting everyone up for success
- Sara-Jane and Steve Gage
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Small spaces + big feelings + a combination of 4 and 2 legged friends can sometimes be a recipe for disaster!
How do you set your dog up for success in small spaces, like riding an elevator?
One of the most frequent and challenging tasks our city dogs have to regularly manage, multiple times a day, is riding in elevators. Elevators are small spaces often cramped with a variety of humans, dogs, and sometimes other challenges like children, carts, intense smells, loud noises, and more. Add in the doors opening and closing multiple times, different personalities getting on and off at each floor, and dogs with different levels of training and expectations, and it can sometimes be a recipe for disaster.
Asking any dog to manage such an environment is a big ask, but for certain dogs, (especially those bred to 'coordinate chaos,' (like herding dogs for example- think Aussies, Corgis, Collies, Shepards, Cattle Dogs, and more- or be easily triggered by others in their space- think guardian breeds like Pyrenees, Burnese Mountain Dogs, German Shepards, and more) this can be extraordinarily triggering, flooding their systems with adrenaline and cortisol long after the elevator ride is over, and causing them to be more easily triggered again in the future.
So how can you set your dog and everyone else up for success, as best you can?
1) Create a plan-
While each building elevator is a little different, it is safe to assume all elevators will be a square-ish shape with 4 corners. I highly recommend training your dog to stand behind you, in a corner of your choosing, allowing you to create a body block and some space for them. By putting them in a corner behind you, you are able to use your body to create space for your dog and to advocate for that space if/ when other dogs and humans get on the elevator. In NO species is it appropriate to come rushing towards their face and space, without being invited. This is also true for our dogs. And while most often other dogs have poor manners due to being overly socialized and not taught boundaries or proper elevator etiquette, it is important to remember that we are only in control of our own dog and that it is our job to advocate for them, proactively, as often as possible, to set them and everyone up for success.
While reactivity can occur for many reasons, one of the most common reasons is our dogs feeling like their space and their boundaries are being disregarded and disrespected.
Imagine if every time a human neighbor entered the elevator, they immediately rushed into your physical space, perhaps sniffing and moving around your body, asking "Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? What's going on? Why do you smell like that?" all while moving about you, in your space, perhaps touching you when you would prefer they not.... how many times would this incident have to occur before you began to emotionally and/or behaviorally react to this behavior? Would you immediately lash out? Shout to give you some space? Or would you bottle up your feelings, shoving them down and pretending it's not that bad.... until something pushes you over the edge one day, causing you to tell them off? Our dogs, like us, are individuals with personal preferences, boundaries, and who deserve the ability to consent or deny engaging with another, based on their comfort level.
2) Proof your dog's skills-
Every single time you ride an elevator is an opportunity to practice. If you live in a busy building, where you are rarely able to ride the elevator alone with your dog to work on the skills, you likely want to begin working on these skills in your home.
Find a corner to practice in, lure your dog behind you, feed and reward while they remain there and engaged with you. When you ride the elevator, practice similarly to help them generalize this skill.* It is important to remember that dogs do not generalize well, so it is our duty to encourage consistent behaviors and expectations across environments and circumstances.
3) Be consistent + Reward Heavily and Frequently, ensuring you
your rate of reinforcement is reflective of the amount of current challenge in any given moment.
My preferred and suggested Elevator Etiquette: When waiting for elevators, I wait somewhere out of the way of the doors, with my dog behind me. This ensures that she will not charge into the elevator without clear verbal permission and if someone hurries off quickly, I will have the opportunity to use body blocking (read more here: Skill Breakdown: Body Blocking in Positive Reinforcement Dog Training ) to create some space for her, preventing them from rushing into her space without consent.
When the doors open, if I am unclear if another dog is in there, or if I am working with a dog with big feelings, I will lead them in with a 'Magnet Hand Touch' (a lure) keeping them engaged with a snack in my palm while we enter and I lure them into place in a corner behind me. I will continue to praise and reward the dog often, particularly if/when others enter the elevator. Keep in mind that it is significantly easier for your dog to ignore something if you also ignore it, so while I say "Hi" to humans entering the elevator, that is generally as far as I allow it to go so I can maintain my focus on my dog, maintain engagement, and set them up for success.
When exiting the elevator/ building/ any threshold, I also use a 'Magnet Hand Touch.' By using this technique, I am keeping the dog engaged with me and am able to physically feel where they are while I navigate where we need to go next.
Whether humans are present or not, I use these skills every single time to help the dog understand that the expected behavior is the same, regardless if other humas or dogs are present. This is exceptionally important because many humans change their expectations when others are present which can be very confusing for our dogs. Even worse, some humans expectations will change and they will not communicate this to their dog, causing the human and dog to be frustrated when the dog is not able to be successful in that moment. If/ when your dog does not comply, ask yourself why. Most often it is due to human error in not communicating, not communicating as clearly as we thought we did, not communicating when they are on the right track, or not proactively setting them up for success. When a situation goes "wrong" take the time afterwards to reflect on how it could have gone differently. (Learn more about that here: When your dog won't comply, ask yourself why? )
How do you set your dog up for success in riding the elevator? What works best for your dog? Let us know in the comments and
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