I have a dog whisper type of question?

Question

alright here is the story. Recently my dog has started to dig at my door at night. We have to have him locked up at night because of christmas 'stuff.' So, no matter where we put him (crate, bedroom) he digs (which makes a lot of noise). Then my sister pointed out the cause could be that we taught him to dig at doors people were behind-as a game. And she is right. And I also admit it is my fault he started digging. So if I know what causes the problem- how in the world can I stop him from it?
note: I can't afford a proffesional trainer right now after christmas.

and if you have no idea then could I email some one to ask them how to stop him?

Answer 1

Wait for him to start digging at a door you're behind. When he does, open it and say NO! Or squirt him with water or make a loud noise or whatever works for your dog. Don't hit him. You could put a choke chain on him while you're training him, and yank it when he starts. When you do open the door, correct him, and do not let him in, and close the door again. You're teaching him that digging will get him punished, not let in. And if you happen to want to go through the door he's digging at, open it and correct him, and then shut the door behind you and ignore him.

Answer 2

ok frist off that was dumb (i wasn't trying to be mean). second please don't pay attion to the dog whisper UNLESS you have a lot of experiance with dogs i haven't seen his show much i don't get that channel but from what i've seen and heard he does some really dangerous and dumb things with his dogs that could get you or your dog hurt.

Ok so i would try when ever he digs at the door tell him no. do that a copuple of time nomore than three and each time you tell him no make it sound like your getting mad at him which you probly will be so that part will be easy. once he sees that you get "mad" when does that hopfully he'll the idea and stop. If that doesn't work you could take a squrit bottle and squrit him with it every time he digs at the door. and then stop squriting him and makeing a big deal AS SOON AS HE stops diging. the hopefuly he think "oh if i dig at the door then mommy will yell at me and i'll get wet" so he won't do it anymore. You could also try to put something like window screans or something like that on your doors ( you can just duct tape them on). i would try the frist things for a while like three days or a week depending on if he get the idea or not. anyway you can put the pieces of screen on the doors so that when he digs if will feel weird and he stop. I wouldn't use any screens that have really big holes in them beacuse he could get his nails stuck in them and break or rip out a nail. but hope fully he'll get the idea and you won't have to go that far. I hope this helps and if you need any more help feel to e-mail me my e-mail is ocs_sparkling_princess_at yahoo.com. I'm not a pro. dog trainer or at least not yet. i'm going to go to a school type thing so i can become certifed next summer. and i've been traing and working with dogs almost my whole life.

Answer 3

You asked a "dog whisperer" type question so I will give you a "dog whisperer" type answer =)

Okay so the way you can solve this problem is really quite simple. Since you taught the dog to "dig" at doors he has learned that digging at the doors is okay and it pleasing to his owner and will get him attention which is simply what he is after. So what you need to do is set him up, simply do what you would normaly do when say you go to bed and shut the door, when he begins this behavior open the door and simply, but firmly poke him with your hand and make a noise of your preference, like a deep, but low no or anything else you would like, then make him lay down or sit then shut the door again and repeat the process several times until he simply gives up. You will have to practice this every day until it completly goes away.

As for when he is in the kennel do the exact same thing except try to use your words more then your touch so you dont have to repeativly open the door and correct him, but start out doing that and every time make him lay down in the kennel and eventually he will get the point as long as you are consistant with this method.

Dont expect an over night change, this may take time and you will have to be paitent with it to get the results you want. Most importantly before you begin all of this I would recommend walking your dog for about 30 minutes to tire him out. This will make it easier for you to get him to surrender and teach the mind what it is you want. Also if you don't already you need to start taking your dog on 45 minute walks every single day. This will help to keep him balanced and its what every dog needs. Just make sure you walk him and he doesnt walk you! In order to keep your dog balanced and to help control this behavior you need to always remember: Excercise, Disipline, then Affection!

If you have any other questions or need more help please email me! [e-mail]

Hope this helped!

Answer 4

Do you notice what one of the first things Cesar does with every dog? He establishes his dominance over the dog. He almost always takes the dog for a long walk as one of the first steps of establishing his leadership. He keeps complete control on the dog. This makes it clear to the dog that he is the master or leader of the pack.

You dog will never obey and stop the digging behavior until you convince it you are now the leader of the pack. Your dog thinks he is the boss and wants his way. When he knows and understands you are the leader he will obey when you admonish him about his digging.

The other techniques suggested will only work when you dog knows you are the leader and you are doing those as a form of punishment.

A dog is not a natural leader and is much happier when they know what their place is in the pack.

Remember, your dog wants to please the leader of the pack, but you must be the leader or he can't please you.

While establishing your position as leader your will have to correct and maybe punish your dog. Never be abusive. Be stern and do not back down during this time. Your dog willl resist and, this can sometimes last for a lengthy time. Be patient, stick to it, and you will become the leader.

Answer 5

Fine mess you have yourself in, my dear. But at least you can admit you were wrong and it is not the poor dog's fault.

I am not a professional dog trainer. BUT what I would do if I could not afford a pro is this: Set it up so you know he is going to do it. When he starts digging I would open the door and say, "NO!" and at the same time spray him with a bottle filled with plain tap water. Do not add anything to it. Do not hit him. REMEMBER this is your fault............Just keep doing the above and hope he stops digging. It shouldn't take too long. Most dogs hate the water bottle. If my dogs see me go near our bottle they look at each other like, "what in the hell did we do now?"

Go set him up and try it..............He will think you are nuts. Just be glad he can't talk.

Answer 6

Okay if you taught your dog as a game to dig at doors then he knows its okay to do this behavior and he will get to go outside whenever he does it. So naturally he is going to dig at the door at where ever he is at to get out. So what you need to do is to not play this game ever again and discourage the behavior. scold him when he is digging and treat and praise him when he doesnt. That is about all i can think of. Also give him a kong or something to keep his mind off of getting out of the room/crate or whatever. I hope this helps you out. good luck and Happy Holidays!

Answer 7

This might seem feral but its worked for me. I used to have a tenterfield terrier , like all good terriers he would dig himself to Emperor Nasi goreng in China. I was told by our dog trainer to put his poos into a shallow grave where he's been digging , this detered him from the area quite well. When you are inside I'de recomend you give him a kong to keep occupied. These are inexpensive , easy to get from pet shops, K-mart etc and vary per size of dog breeds.

Answer 8

Sit near him in the crate and correct him when he digs- noise, squirt gun, whatever. Make sure you're not talking to him when you put him away at night- dogs don't understand "Goodnight sweetie, you be good now!" As much as we'd like to believe that, all they hear is you talking, and they'll start trying to get out of the crate and go to you.

They also make a product called scat mats, which emit a low and humane jolt when touched. You can try buying one and putting it at the edge of the crate or door, so it startles him if he digs at it.

And in the future, remember to never teach him games that may someday annoy you! :-)

Answer 9

I would suggest locking him in a bedroom with a person to sleep with. You could also try to kind of think at him what is going on (in like pictures) but it may be hard for him to understand that at the most loving time of the year he is restricted.

I have an email for you, well a URL: http://www.dawnsanimalconnection.addr.com/abtdawn.htm

This is the woman I talk to when I have problems communicating with my cats and she is remarkable. She works over the phone with great results.

Peace!

Answer 10

well u can start by every time the dog scratches at the door making the "shh" noise that cesar makes! and continue that every time he scratches. remeber calm and assertive! lol =) hope this helps! u can also goto www.cesarmillaninc.com and ask cesar! good luck!