My dog is an 8 year old mongrel . She spent her first 6 years hardly ever going out so she's reasonably well behaved at home. She then spent almost a year in a rescue kennel, being restricted to a small area. She doesn't go through or push open any doors which have been pulled to, but this is also the case for the dog flap. She'll go through the flap if it's propped open, but as soon as it's down, she will wait for me to tell her to go through it. As a result I often come down in the morning to a puddle of wee by the back door. The problem is that I cannot think of a way to train her to use the dog flap without actually giving a command either verbally or using hand movements. She won't even go through if I leave a treat on the other side if I'm not there and it's too cold to leave the flap open all winter. Any ideas?
2006-10-08 06:57:30 · 10 answers · asked by Meryl C 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Don't give her a command to use it anymore. When you get up in the morning, open the door(not the doggy door) and let her out to go potty without saying anything. Eventually(since she will want to come back in to see you), she will come in the house on her own(leave her outside as long as it takes or it won't work). When she starts coming in the house on her own, she'll eventually figure out that she can go out of the house on her own too. This is the easiest way to break her of her over-politeness. If you make a big deal of the doggy door, then she'll just get more shy.
2006-10-08 07:10:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know it's a bit chilly now but have you tried taking the flapping bit of for a couple of hours so that she doesn't have to push anything to get out? It is going to take a lot of patience but it will work in the end, she will get the hang of it, my rescue mongrel was terrified of the dog flap, so I did the above and he won't stop going in and out and in and out!! BLESS! Obviously do this during daylight or in the couple of hours before you go to bed.
Good Luck
2006-10-08 14:15:03 · answer #2 · answered by Pawstimes16 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a good way to do make her go through the flap is to place her favorite treat on the other side of the flap make sure that she sees you putting the treat on the other side of the flap. don't tell to go through on command if she goes through the flap without your command then you praise her try doing that for 3-5mins everyday for awhile and then gradually take the treat away. when she starts going through on her own then praise her some more
2006-10-08 14:03:22 · answer #3 · answered by Ambegurl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in the rescue kennel she would have had to wait till someone let her out ,probally not very early.So she couldn't wait so went in her kennel not her fault ,but she got used to doing it that way shes not a young dog so needs to go out when she needs to.My dogs sleep in my bedroom they ask me when they want to go out sometimes well most times 6 am i just get up and let them out ,you say she does the puddle near the back door so the poor old girl knows where to go to,so she nearly got it right.maybe it will need you to be near her a bit more to watch her and when you think she needs to go out open the door forget the flap for the time being it may frighten her you are trying to teach her to many things at once.Don't think i would want to go through a flap if i couldn't go through with out my trusted master with me you have to think like her to understand her.hope things get better.Just remember she is not a pup. good luck.
2006-10-08 14:50:12 · answer #4 · answered by Carol B 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think your dog is getting TO MUCH obedience (this is kind of funny), what you need to do is telling her that it's OK to go out without your permission. The is depend on your dog's wy of thinking and you're way of teaching, this is to hard to explain here, I got to be there and see by myself to help think of a way.
This not really helping, huh? sorry I'm more a praticion then a theory kind of person.
btw, i don't think the "Put some treats on the other side" trick will do, since she will not do anything that she think againts your rules...
hope this help you (somehow...)
Good Luck
2006-10-11 01:39:56 · answer #5 · answered by N-Rue 7 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sounds like your dog has some human in her like mine dogs like people want to be told what to do my dog is the same wont go threw the front door without being told not just the dogie door so what i do is sit on the other side and say its ok come on out i did this a few times in a friendly manner and sooner or later she started coming out before i knew it she did it on her own
2006-10-08 14:09:36 · answer #6 · answered by lisaisfunn1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well i trained mine by sitting on the other side of the door with pieces of chicken i done this for a few days not constantly haha he soon got the hang of it
2006-10-08 14:04:38 · answer #7 · answered by robertboozychic 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dont leave it open, you'll just get mice. The dog seems set in her ways.
2006-10-08 15:19:38 · answer #8 · answered by Princess415 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
put her out side and leave her there for few hours, dish up her dinner leave in normal place she might use flap when she gets hungry
2006-10-08 20:38:51 · answer #9 · answered by teenylollypopuk 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
reward and praise, reward and praise....
2006-10-16 11:22:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋