Dog Door

[ccchernev]

We have a wonderful 11 month old French Bulldog. He is, as is typical for the breed, VERY stubborn. We have been trying since he was 4 months old to get him to use the dog door. We tape up the flap, and he goes in and out just fine, but he WILL NOT even try to push the flap himself. We have tried being on each side and tempting him with his favorite treats, but he won't budge. Advice please? He is perfectly potty trained, and it would be perfect if he could go in and out without us having to have the flap up, and letting all the bugs into the house!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

I am working on your question and will get back to you shortly.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

A dog scared of the dog door can be a frustrating ordeal, especially after all the time spent in assembling and mounting it and having high expectations! I surely empathize.

 

Often, more than fearing the doggy door per se, dogs are fearful of the flap touching their shoulders every time they go in and out. This sounds like what's happening in your case.

 

Now, forcing the dog through the flap often only makes matters worse. Dogs don't like to be put into situations they are not comfortable with, and if we force them, they also may lose trust in us. If we use treats, this may work with strongly food motivated dogs, but won't work with dogs who aren't too crazy about food, or in circumstances where the fear of going through the door surpasses the incentive or the dog hasn't grasped the concept that, in order to get out, he must push through the flap.

 

So what's left to try? Following are some tips for a dog scared of the dog door.

 

 

Take Some Baby Steps

 

If your dog is afraid of the flap, but has no problems going in and out of the dog door if the flap is kept open, then you may need to take several baby steps to help your dog out. The process is known as desensitization.https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

 

Have a helper on the other side of the door entice your dog to come out and play with the flap taped up. Your helper may bounce a ball around or talk in silly voices. Over several days, as your dog goes through the open flap, place the flap gently on him as he goes through, starting at his back end and then gradually lowering it earlier and earlier. Once out, make sure your helper rewards him with a game, or to really impress him, a stuffed Kong, or his meal served in a bowl or some tasty treats.

 

Then, progress to holding the flap lower and lower until you are just holding the corner open. At some point, stop holding the flap. Have your family all outside and make your dog feel as if you are having the fun of your lives. If you have other dogs, invite them outside too. When your dog manages to come out, make sure that you make a big deal of it, praising lavishly and giving your dog several treats in a row.

 

Invite a Demo Dog

 

Do you have a friend who has a dog who knows how to use a doggy door? Does this dog get along with your dog and has been a playmate for some time? Excellent, some times, dogs are the best teachers. Have this dog come over and show your dog how to use the doggy door. Many times, dogs are intimidated of doing certain things, but if they see other dogs perform behaviors with confidence, they are more likely to give things a try.

 

Of course, it helps if this doggy guest flies out the door and then eagerly waits for his pal, barking in anticipation. Playing with this guest dog outside and making noises suggesting lots of fun often helps the tentative dog gain enough courage to get out.

 

Because coming out of the doggy door leads to a fun play session with his buddy, the dog will likely feel more inclined to get out again in the future.

 

Use Target Training

 

Target training means your dog learns to touch a target and is rewarded for that. Start with targeting. You can read how to train targeting in the Brain Training Course under this link:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

 

Simply stick a post-it note to the floor. If your dog touches the post-it note with his nose, reward with a treat. If your dog is reluctant, it's OK to smear some soft food on the post-it note such as a bit of canned food, peanut butter or cream cheese (check with your vet if your dog has food allergies or a sensitive tummy).

 

Keep repeating this exercise until your dog understands what to do. Once your dog clearly understands the objective, the next step is to add the verbal cue "target." Simply, say "target" before your dog touches the post-it note with his nose. Next, move the post-it note around. Stick it to a chair, on your leg, to the wall and then to the dog door. The goal is teach him to touch the dog door with his nose and then push it open and eventually get out to get the reward. Make sure that upon pushing the dog door with the nose and then getting out, that you give a jackpot of treats (several small treats given in a row).

 

Craft a Fake Door

 

Sometimes, it helps to recreate something similar to the dog door and flap and practice with that inside. For instance, you can try to mimic a dog door by cutting a box into the shape of frame through which your dog can jump through. Practice having your dog through this frame over and over using high value treats to reward your dog each time he passes through.

 

Next, glue a sheet of paper or some large piece of cloth to the frame to mimic the flap of the door. Glue it high initially. Practice your dog going through this, always rewarding generously. Remove the sheet of paper/felt and then glue it lower and lower until your dog must go through it completely. Then, practice nearby the dog door and then hang it by the door.

 

Alternatively, you can try having your dog jump through a hula hoop and then attach several strings to it to desensitize your dog to feeling something on his shoulders as he passes through.

 

Increase the Level of Motivation

 

Sometimes all that's needed is increasing the dog's level of motivation. If your dog is super attracted to food, make it a habit of having the door flap kept open and play the treasure hunt game. You can find how to train the treasure hunt game here:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

 

Basically, it works like this: get some irresistible treats and show them to your dog. Get him really excited about them. Then have have a helper hold him, while you get out of the door to go "hide" the treats in the yard. Once done, call your dog and have your helper readily release him.

 

Repeat several days with the door flap lifted, until you get an eager, strong response to wanting to go out upon hearing you call him. You want him impatiently fidgeting against the helper holding him. Then one day, have the flap lowered a bit, then the next days more until it's completely down. His impatience and motivation may get him through the hurdle.

 

When All Things Fail...

 

-If you are out of luck trying the above methods, you can try a different make and model. Look specifically for a doggy door that activates and opens upon detecting a special sensor that is in the dog's collar. Problem solved!

Edited June 21, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Jonathan]

Hi Adrienne,

My shih tzu has a similar problem except he was trained to use the door until winter came. He didn't like the cold or the rain so he pooped/peed indoors. This caused my wife to start pushing him out. Now he's used to her pushing him out and won't go out on his own. It's like he needs us to help him out. He'll stand by the door and wait for us to let him out. If I throw a treat, he'll use the door with no problem. How do I get him to use the door by himself again?

[Adrienne]

Hi Jonathan,

Interesting behavior! It almost seems like he has learned to wait for your wife's permission to go outside or he has become too dependent on the push. Something similar happens with dogs who are trained to sit by pushing on their backs rather than letting them perform the behavior on their own. This method of training has been abandoned for various reasons and a main one is because it is challenging and time consuming to get the dog to eventually sit then without the push. 

Here are some ideas that come to mind:

-Just to play it safe, make sure there are no physical issues that may have caused some reluctance to go through the flap. Sometimes dogs may have achy joints or they may develop visual problems and these can interfere with their ability to hop outside the door. 

-Try to troubleshoot whether there may be a fear of the flap. It could be he is a little bit hesitant of going through the flap, but is then fine when past it, so he just needs that "push" or treat incentive to get past that part. So it may help to tape the flap up and see whether the flap may be part of the problem. If that's the case, let me know and we can troubleshoot this issue further. 

-Hide goodies around the yard. We can start placing super smelly treats scattered around the yard (initially right by the doggy door outside). Place these treats around when your dog doesn't see you, it has to be sort of a surprise. Then tape the flap so it stays open. Hopefully your dog will smell the treats and will hop out of the door on his own rather than waiting you to toss one. 

Once out, he should start eating the treats by the door and then he may find some other treats scattered elsewhere. This treasure hunt game should make being in the yard rewarding. Make it a habit for the first week to leave several goodies hidden (or even new toys) around the yard so that your dog looks forward to going out.

Then, we can start gradually lowering the flap and start placing goodies every now and then instead of any times during the day. Making dogs find treats sometimes yes and sometimes no makes the act of searching  for them quite addicting, sort of like playing slot machines in Vegas. The biggest issue though with this method is that we many end with a dog who will want to go out often just for the sake of searching goodies and not strictly to do business. Sometimes, as they head out to search for goodies, they forget about going potty only to pee or poop once inside. So this is an important potential drawback to consider. The good news is that treasure hunt games are fun for dogs and they help keep them mentally stimulated. 

However, we also need to think of the big picture. With fall and then winter close, we may be back to square one with you dog not wanting to go out. If we keep on hiding treasures around the yard every now and then, can that be enough to surpass the unpleasant feeling of the brisker air or cold sensation of snow on the feet? This depends on how aversive that may be perceived and how rewarding the treats are, and over all how these balance themselves. 

There are other things we can try to do to ameliorate the situation such as:

• Trying dog booties
• Letting your dog wear warm dog sweaters
• Shoveling a path to his potty area
• Make playing in the snow and rain fun: play games, toss treats, and feed your dog tasty treats

Just thought to provide a few ideas,

I hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne

[Jonathan]

I believe it has to do with the flap. Our flap has two magnets at the bottom and he doesn't like that it retracts back if he doesn't fully commit to sticking his head through. I tried removing one of the magnets, but he's still hesitant. He pokes at the flap to see if it'll close on him, but I don't want to remove the magnets. It keeps the flap closed and helps with insulation. How do I get him to fully commit! lol

[Adrienne]

So perhaps it started with the not wanting to go out in the cold /rain (many small dogs are this way, they don't like to walk on puddles, wet grass etc and getting their coat wet) and the pushing may have created a negative conditioned emotional response ( -CER) triggering the reluctance to go out on his own. I would stop the pushing, and take baby steps in creating a positive conditioned emotional response (+CER) to going through it. 

Shaping can come handy here, but unless your dog is familiar with a clicker, I would stick to a verbal marker so not to add any other stress to an already delicate situation. Shaping consists of reinforcing successive approximations of the final behavior. The hot and cold game is an example of shaping since you use your verbal marker and give your dog a treat each time he advances toward the cone, looks at it, sniffs it, or interacts with it in some way. You can see this game here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hot-and-cold/

So in the case of the doggy door, we would verbally mark for walking towards it, then sniffing it, then poking at the flap, then inserting his head a little through, then a little more and then you can lure him through with high value treats once he starts moving the flap on their own. Once he seems happy again to go out, we need to stop luring though and we start placing super smelly treats scattered around the yard (initially right by the doggy door outside). Place these treats around when your dog doesn't see you, it has to be sort of a surprise. You need to be very generous here when it comes to treats/foods, so invest in heavy artillery, think in terms  of steak, low -sodium organic hot dogs, tripe treats. Using the door has to be the best thing ever!

We also need to consider that if your your dog wasn't going out due to snow right outside of the door or puddles, it may help building a shelter over the door and conditioning the dog to wearing a jacket and snow boots so that the issue is tackled at the root.