How to Teach Your Dog to Load Up

Teaching your dog to Load Up should feel smooth, simple, and predictable.

The goal is to teach your dog:

When I hear “Load Up,” I confidently hop into the vehicle.

The biggest thing is making the first few repetitions easy and keeping the motion fluid.

1. Open Both Doors

Start by opening both back doors of the vehicle.

This helps make the vehicle feel less enclosed.

Instead of your dog feeling like they’re jumping into a small closed space, they can see straight through the vehicle.

That can make the first few repetitions much easier.

Keep your dog on a leash for best influence.

2. Start About 30 Feet Away

Don’t start standing directly beside the vehicle.

• Begin around 30 feet away.

• Start walking toward the vehicle with your dog.

The goal is to create one fluid motion:

1. Walking toward the vehicle…

2. Approach the open door…

3. Then immediately loading up.

4. Guide your dog with your left hand while using your right hand to apply light leash pressure forward.

5. As your dog jumps in, say: “Load Up.”

Side Note:

You don’t want to stop at the door and give your dog a long time to think about whether they want to jump in.

The forward momentum helps encourage them to continue the movement they were already doing.

3. Reward AFTER They Get Inside

Once your dog gets into the vehicle… make it a big deal.

Reward heavily with whatever your dog values most:

• Treats

• Attention

• Verbal praise

• Affection

etc.

But there’s an important difference: Use the excitement after your dog is already inside.

Don’t stand outside the vehicle getting extremely excited and trying to convince them to jump in.

That can sometimes create more resistance.

Stay calm through the Load Up…

Then, once they’re inside, reward them.

4. Let Them Come Back Out

Don’t make every successful Load Up immediately turn into a long car ride.

Once your dog gets inside and you reward them…

Let them come back out shortly afterward.

Then reset.

This helps prevent your dog from learning: Load Up = I’m trapped in the vehicle for the next hour.

Instead, the command itself becomes something normal.

Slowly Use Less Momentum and Guidance

Over time, you can start using shorter distances, less momentum, and less leash guidance with the Load Up.

But don’t remove all of that help at once.

Run with the philosophy: “What’s the difference?”

What’s the difference between starting 30 feet away and doing a Load Up…

• Then starting 20 feet away?

... not much.

• 20 feet becomes 10 feet.

• 10 feet becomes 5 feet.

• Eventually, the distance doesn’t matter anymore.

• Do the same thing with the leash.

Eventually, you can say: “Load Up.”

And your dog understands exactly what to do without needing momentum or leash guidance.

Each individual change is very small... but the end result is massively different.

That slow buildup allows for the smoothest transition from more guidance to less guidance and eventually creates a much more reliable Load Up command.

Don’t just make massive jumps — consistently take ground.

Key Takeaway

Teaching Load Up is about keeping the first repetitions simple and successful.

Start with:

1. Your dog on a leash.

2. Both doors open.

3. Begin around 30 feet away.

4. Walk toward the vehicle in one fluid motion (don't stop at the door).

5. Guide your dog into the vehicle.

6. Say “Load Up.”

7. Reward heavily once they’re inside.

8. Let them come back out shortly afterward.

9. Repeat the sequence.

10. Slowly use less guidance as they understand the command.

11. Build up.

Don’t make the vehicle feel like a big event — stay calm, confident, and consistent.

Over time, Load Up becomes another normal command your dog understands... that’s where trust comes in.