Training The Dog Door

[cowanbree]

I have a 7mth old sheltie who I am trying to get to use a dog door with very little success. Being a multi dog household I have trained many dogs to use it but with Chelsea I am a little stumped. If inside and I tell her to go outside she will go out via the dog door but she won’t use it to go outside of her own free will otherwise. She also will under no circumstances come in through it. She stands outside watching her litter brother zoom in and out and seems to have no clue. I don’t believe she is scared of it as she will go out it if I tell her too.

I have tried propping it up and she does use it then, also having food on the other side as well as using a thin lead to guide her through but she just doesn’t seem to get it. Training ideas anyone?

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

If it is a clear perspex door, this is a common problem. I have one and have fostered over 50 dogs in the last 5 years and have had a few that wouldn't use it.

I saw Dr Harry recommend cutting out 2 squares of wrapping paper the same size as the flap and sticking it to both sides. This gives the dog a target.

I always foster small dogs and put them through it quite a few times, takes a few days sometimes but they've all gotten it in the end.

[shoemonster]

Does she love her dinner? maybe you could put her dinner on one side and her on the other

Dinner might be a much bigger incentive than a treat

Show her how the first few times then the next leave her say 15 minutes then take the food away and try it again later?

Just dont take it away and give it to her later without her having to go through the door!

[westielover]

Interesting that you should say she uses it when the doggy door is propped up.

Perhaps she doesn't like the dog door flap coming down and smacking her on the bum as she goes thru it .... it is worthwhile de-sensitising her to that?

I found that a lot of my foster dogs didn't like using the dog door because of that reason. I ended up taking the flap out and replacing it with appropriately sized plastic shower curtains cut into strips - smiliar to those plastic strips at the entrance of the good old fashioned milk bar / fish & chip shop - know what I mean? Never had issues with the dog door after that! laugh:

[MissMolly]

We put one of those clear plastic doggie doors in a couple of months ago, and i thought the girls would use it with no worries, as we had another doggie door that they use, BUT only one of them used it straight away with no worries, i had to each the other two how to use it, i had my daughter stand on one side of the door with treats, (something really yummy) and i stood on the other side and we had another holding the door up, and we would call the girl through a few times with the door up, getting a treat from both of us and then we put the door down and called the dog through, you have to be really excited and prasie heap, NOW i did this with the two who wouldn't use the doggie door, but only one started using it on her own, the other still wouldn't go through when the flap was down, she too would sit outside looking in, or inside looking out, so we decided to stop trying to get her to use the door, and it took almost two weeks before one day she just used it, and boy did we praise her and let her know how pleased we were..

Hope all that makes sense...

[cowanbree]

Thanks everyone, you have given me some ideas to go on with. Chelsea has lived with me all her life, 7mths and her litter brother has been using the dog door for mths so I am finding it a bit frustrating