Category: Training

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Pet Door: A Great Dog Enrichment Product

Dogs are intelligent animals that can be befriended easily with a little love and care. They are considered in many households as family members and special attention is paid to their needs and comforts. Although pet dogs are usually very calm and sociable, they can resort to destructive behavior at times. This type of problem behavior may be a sign of the boredom and stress they are suffering from when you are not around them. 1

Pet Door: A Great dog Enrichment Product

Dogs often become frustrated when they cannot go in and out of the house when they want to. They also hate being cooped up inside the house all alone while you are at work. In order to let your dog move freely in and out of the house, you need to get a dog door installed through the wall or the back door. The major advantages of such doors are:

  • Your dog can easily access the courtyard or patio of the house even when you are away from home. This will decrease separation anxiety and the stress of being alone in your dog.
  • You can also feel rest assured that your dog will not mess up the house in your absence. Moreover, you need not feel concerned about the security of the house, as these doors cannot be misused by thieves or other animals.
  • Dog doors also protect your dog from being harmed by bigger dogs in the neighborhood. Now you dog can run through the door as soon as he perceives any threat from the outside world.

Some pets resort to problem behavior when they are left alone in the house for long periods of time. Left with no source of entertainment in the house, they might exhibit their frustration in the form of destructive behavior, such as chewing, scratching, biting, barking and growling. Therefore, pet owners, who do not have enough time to spend with their pets at home, should consider investing in such dog enrichment products that can keep their dogs happy and stress-free even in the owner’s absence.

References:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2221238/give_your_pet_something_to_do_while.html 

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Train you dog to use a dog door in ten minutes or less.

I had to train my lab to use his new dog door after installing a door mount dog door into my exterior door last Sunday. My lab learned how to use his dog door in less than ten minutes. Training him to use his dog door was simple and this is how he learned to use his dog door, step by step.

1.  I let my dog investigate the new dog door that I just installed into my exterior door. I let him sniff the new door both inside and out until he becomes comfortable with the dog door.

2.  The Freedom Pet Pass dog door has a both a pet flap and U shaped bridge. The U shaped bridge seals to the pet flap and seals itself to the frame creating the airtight seal. I wrapped a plastic shopping bag around the bottom of the bridge flap and wrapped the plastic bag around the door handle to suspend the bridge flap in the air. This allows the canvas coated pet flap to swing freely.

3.  I grabbed his favorite squeaky toy which happens to be a football and went outside leaving him inside. I called him then squeezed his toy. He didn’t know what to do other than bark. That is normal. I then lifted the pet flap so he could see me and the toy and he walked right through. I held the pet flap up and did not allow the pet flap to hit his backside as he passed through. I will do that shortly. I praised him for a job well done and repeated this from the inside of my home. I did this two times outside and two times inside.

4.  I repeated step three twice this time allowing the flap to drag across his back so he could feel the pet flap and become comfortable feeling the pet flap drag along his back as he passed through. Again, I praised him every time he passed through the pet flap.

5.  Now he is ready to use the pet door with the U shaped bridge in place. I untied the plastic bag holding the U shaped bridge in place and let the pet door seal. I went outside and basically repeated steps 3 and 4 coaxing him to come through and praising him when he did. The first time he came through I crack open the pet flap help him. After one time in and out he knew what to do.

This method to train my dog to use his new dog door took less than ten minutes and it was fun. Remember to praise your pet and be patient. I hope this helps you train your dog to use their new dog door.

Did you use a different method to train your dog to use their dog door? What did you do different?

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How do I train my dog to use my doggie door?

Training your dog to use a doggie door is simple. The most common method of training a dog to use a doggie door is really just a matter of showing the dog the dog door, then putting yourself on one side of the dog door and your dog on the other and enticing him through by calling him or holding a treat.

Of course, when he does come through, reward him with the treat and spend a few minutes petting and playing with him before repeating the exercise. Many dogs will catch on in just a few minutes. Others will take a day or two. For the slower learners, try coaxing him through the dog door from both inside and outside of the house. If he seem very confused, try propping the door open at first, then lower it when he seems to understand what it’s for. Keep the whole exercise positive, be sure not to push your dog through the dog door or otherwise turn it into an unpleasant experience, and eventually he’ll get the idea.

To read an article I published on wikihow about training your dog to use a dog door click here

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My dog is chewing my walls! I need a dog door!

Recently I adopted a beautiful Labrador retriever mix from an organization called H.A.T.S. His name is Dupree and he is a great puppy, most of the time. Lately my dog has been chewing my walls and I think I need a dog door.

This is my first dog and I have been taking care of him for about five weeks now and I am looking forward to installing my own dog door later this week. This experience has really helped me understand why so many people are buying and installing dog doors. Here are a few of his behaviors I am noticing  pre dog door installation:

  • My dog scratches my new storm door when he wants to go outside.
  • My dog is out of control when I come home if I am gone more than a couple of hours.
  • My dog always finds something to chew other than his chew toys. This dog chews walls!!

It almost seems as if he is very bored and is finding anything possible to do to keep his mind and body stimulated.

I know from research and customer feedback that dog doors help to remedy these problems and provide even more benefits to the pet and pet owner. Now I get to see it first hand once my dog is using his new dog door.

So I have addressed some behaviors I have noticed in Dupree before dog door installation. Here are a few behaviors I have noticed in myself since taking care of Dupree.

  • To be honest, I don’t enjoy getting up every hour or so to let him out either. I didn’t mind at first but after a while it becomes a chore. I don’t want to feel that way and I want us to enjoy living together. I mean, that’s what we are kind of doing. We are living together sharing a living space. I love this dog and I want him to be as happy as he can be and If he wants to go outside all of the time I want to give him that opportunity.
  • It is challenging to schedule my day knowing I need to be near the house every four hours or so to let my dog out. Often times I have to rush home to let my dog out. My girlfriend helps me a great deal, however, sometimes she will be working all day too.
  • When we (my girlfriend and I) do come home after an being gone for a while our dog acts crazy! He is so full of excitement and misbehaves to the point we typically have to kennel him back into the kitchen so we can eat and relax. That doesn’t make sense at all. That is a lose lose for us and Dupree. I want to spend time with him when I am home.
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My dog keeps chewing up my dog door flap!

Mischievous dogs will chew up anything. I know first hand because my yellow lab puppy who we call Dupree chewed up my wall this afternoon while I was out. For dessert he chewed on some wires leading into the gas water heater! Now my dog keeps chewing up my dog door flap

So, how do you stop your dog from chewing on your dog door. Actually, your dog is probably chewing up the pet flap causing it to leak air and allow bugs into the house. Unless you buy an indestructible metal dog door a dog that chews will find a way to chew any type of pet flap out there. Here is the best answer I can give you and it has worked every time for all of our customers. Buy some Habanero Pepper (this can be found in the spice section of most stores) and some Vaseline. Combine the Habenero Pepper and Vaseline and smear it directly to the pet flap including all the areas your dog has tried to chew and others that our vulnerable to chewing. One taste of this and problem solved!

You can try this on anything your dog chews and this will work. Let me know if this helps and if you have any other tips or suggestions on how to stop your dog from chewing on the doggy door.