diff --git a/spec/dock-spec.js b/spec/dock-spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1cebe5379
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/dock-spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+describe('Dock', () => {
+  describe('when a pane in a dock is activated', () => {
+    it('opens the dock', () => {
+      const item = {
+        getDefaultLocation() { return 'left' }
+      }
+
+      atom.workspace.open(item, {activatePane: false})
+      expect(atom.workspace.getLeftDock().isOpen()).toBe(false)
+
+      atom.workspace.getLeftDock().getPanes()[0].activate()
+      expect(atom.workspace.getLeftDock().isOpen()).toBe(true)
+    })
+  })
+})
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/pane-container-spec.coffee b/spec/pane-container-spec.coffee
index 153ef2bda..3f6c17169 100644
--- a/spec/pane-container-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/pane-container-spec.coffee
@@ -150,6 +150,22 @@ describe "PaneContainer", ->
       pane2.activate()
       expect(observed).toEqual [pane1.itemAtIndex(0), pane2.itemAtIndex(0)]
 
+  describe "::onDidActivatePane", ->
+    it "invokes observers when a pane is activated (even if it was already active)", ->
+      container = new PaneContainer(params)
+      container.initialize()
+      container.getRoot().splitRight()
+      [pane1, pane2] = container.getPanes()
+
+      activatedPanes = []
+      container.onDidActivatePane (pane) -> activatedPanes.push(pane)
+
+      pane1.activate()
+      pane1.activate()
+      pane2.activate()
+      pane2.activate()
+      expect(activatedPanes).toEqual([pane1, pane1, pane2, pane2])
+
   describe "::onDidStopChangingActivePaneItem()", ->
     [container, pane1, pane2, observed] = []
 
diff --git a/src/dock.js b/src/dock.js
index c04bbcb50..550525795 100644
--- a/src/dock.js
+++ b/src/dock.js
@@ -48,9 +48,7 @@ module.exports = class Dock {
     }
 
     this.subscriptions = new CompositeDisposable(
-      this.paneContainer.observePanes(pane => {
-        pane.onDidAddItem(this.handleDidAddPaneItem.bind(this))
-      }),
+      this.paneContainer.onDidActivatePane(() => this.activate()),
       this.paneContainer.observePanes(pane => {
         pane.onDidRemoveItem(this.handleDidRemovePaneItem.bind(this))
       })
@@ -201,11 +199,6 @@ module.exports = class Dock {
     })
   }
 
-  handleDidAddPaneItem () {
-    // Show the dock if you drop an item into it.
-    this.setState({open: true})
-  }
-
   handleDidRemovePaneItem () {
     // Hide the dock if you remove the last item.
     if (this.paneContainer.getPaneItems().length === 0) {
diff --git a/src/pane-container.coffee b/src/pane-container.coffee
index 54d1d6cbe..ca768d88a 100644
--- a/src/pane-container.coffee
+++ b/src/pane-container.coffee
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ class PaneContainer extends Model
   onDidChangeActivePane: (fn) ->
     @emitter.on 'did-change-active-pane', fn
 
+  onDidActivatePane: (fn) ->
+    @emitter.on 'did-activate-pane', fn
+
   observeActivePane: (fn) ->
     fn(@getActivePane())
     @onDidChangeActivePane(fn)
@@ -127,6 +130,7 @@ class PaneContainer extends Model
 
       @activePane = activePane
       @emitter.emit 'did-change-active-pane', @activePane
+    @emitter.emit 'did-activate-pane', @activePane
     @activePane
 
   getActivePaneItem: ->
diff --git a/src/workspace.js b/src/workspace.js
index 1c3cf2042..6efce9948 100644
--- a/src/workspace.js
+++ b/src/workspace.js
@@ -752,10 +752,6 @@ module.exports = class Workspace extends Model {
 
     if (options.activatePane !== false) {
       pane.activate()
-      if (!container) {
-        container = this.getPaneContainers().find(container => container.getPanes().includes(pane))
-      }
-      container.activate()
     }
 
     let initialColumn = 0