Bolting
After a young puppy has been in a crate too long and has had an accident, the last thing you want is the very first thing she will do: bolt from the crate as soon as the door is opened. Pushing, shoving, or bolting behavior is also commonly seen when the door to the house or a car door is opened. The first situation is mostly an inconvenience; the latter two situations are dangerous. A loose shepherd that has bolted due to excitement will often not look where she is going — she could be hit by a passing car or get lost. This is especially true of puppies and untrained adults that do not yet have reliable recall skills.
Fortunately with a little training, you can have a shepherd that will not try to run out the front door, car door, or crate door as soon as she spots an opportunity. Instead, she will remain in a sit-stay until you give her the okay signal.
“Wait” Training
The procedure for training the “Wait” command is relatively simple. First, put a leash on your puppy. Then have her sit and stay (that is, put her in a sit-stay) by the front door. As soon as she's sitting, give the command “Wait.” Open the door a few inches and then shut it. If she breaks her sit-stay, place her back in position. Open and shut the door again. If she retains her position, give your release command, “Okay!” and praise her. Continue working on this step until she doesn't even lurch forward in anticipation when the door opens.
Next, put her in a sit-stay and again give the command “Wait.” Open the door and take a step toward it as if you're headed out. Then step back, shut the door, give your release command, and praise your obedient shepherd.
When boarding your dog at a kennel facility or leaving her with a friend or relative, tell the person that your shepherd is trained to wait. Give him the release command so he can use it when taking your dog out of her kennel. A well-trained shepherd may very well refuse to budge until she's given the release command.
Continue adding steps until you can walk out the door and back in, and then finally step out the door and stand for thirty seconds or more with your shepherd in a sit-stay inside. The same strategy can be used with the car door. Keep the dog on a leash, tell her “Wait,” and open the car door. Start out by waiting for just a second and then releasing her. Next, wait several seconds before you release. Continue working with her until you can swing the door wide open and step away from the car while she remains seated in the car. Your release command should be the only thing that gives her permission to move.
