Those That Use Dog Doors

[Guest newgreymama]

We installed one yesterday, and have been successful in being able to coax both the hounds in and out of it with treats. I get that it won't be an instant change of behavior, but was wondering how long on average it took for your hounds to come in and out on their own? Just curious! Thanks!

[LBass]

Introducing my first grey to the dog door was actually pretty easy. Piper, bless him, made everything easy. The first one to go out the dog door was, of course, my indoor cat. Anyway, I think Piper was going through on his own on day 2. As subsequent hounds arrived they learned very quickly from the resident experts. Hope your hound gets the hang of it easily.

 

Lucy

Edited March 20, 2013 by LBass

[a_daerr]

A couple days. Truman got it right away. Henry seemed hesitant to go out on his own, almost like he wasn't sure if he was "allowed." But when I stopped opening the door for him, he had no choice. Dog door = best invention ever!

The first one to go out the dog door was, of course, my indoor cat.

 

 

YEP. Us too.

[Guest newgreymama]

thanks! Our boy was in a foster home with a dog door, so he wasn't apprehensive at all once he shoved his nose through the flap. But he still needs to be taken to it when he alerts for outside time. I'm hoping he starts to just use it, and then Cora will just follow him. She seems a tad more shy of the flap, but she'll go through when a cookie is involved. lol

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I don't use a dog door myself, but witnessed a grey learn how to use it within minutes. I was doing a home visit/adoption with the dog. We put her and the resident dog out in the yard for a bit. The resident dog came back through the dog door and we watched as a bright pink muzzle stood outside for a minute before carefully poking its way inside.

[Hubcitypam]

I've had dogs take anywhere from 5 minutes (if another dog went through first) to a month to "get it". If you can tape the flap up with duct tape and throw a party in the yard sometimes that makes it quicker.

 

I had one dog that refused to go through for the longest time. I worried and worried and played doorman. One night I came home from the grocery store and in piled all three dogs from the backyard - including Ms. "I can't use the dog door". I highly suspect she had been using it when I was gone but recruiting a doorman when I was home. Poodle has used a dog door for about 12 but as of late he will walk to the dog door, stand there and look at me, then the door. Repeat. Sometimes I'll get up and open the big door for him. If I ignore him he'll finally hop out on his own. He'll tell you his training me is going fairly well.

[Sambuca]

I don't have a dog door, but a good friends does. When she first got it, it took her 2 lab mixes a month or 2 to be reliable. I brought Bu over, pointed it out to him and he immediately knew what to do. We are afraid to teach Sailor as he sometimes even forgets how to get to her back door from yard and we're worried that if we teach him the dog door, he'll get stuck outside for hours in the bad weather. Good thing hes pretty.

[gracegirl]

We've had a dog door for a year. It took Fenway about a month to learn to use it. Jackson, the airedale, knows how to use it but refuses. He'd rather his servants open and close the door for him. Kid you not.

[Guest newgreymama]

haha! Yeah, they both don't mind going through it, as long as I am holding the flap out a bit-- even just a couple of centimeters. It's like they are afraid of pushing it open on their own. But, today they both at different times have taken it upon themselves to come back inside with no prompting from me. I hope they will do the same for going outside soon-- we aren't out of the house for very long periods of time, but Boaz has seizures and I think sometimes, either from the meds he has to be on to control them or from the seizures themselves, he gets his signals crossed and pees in the house if someone doesn't let him out for the millionth time in a row. (he will sometimes go out and pace and pace and pace like "what the heck did I come out here for?", come ask to be let back in, and then head right to the door again because he realizes that he still has to pee. He's been medically checked, no UTIs or anything, just a little addled, unfortunately )

[fsugrad]

A couple of days or so.....and they were so awful at the beginning I thought they'd never learn, but they did!

[dante2zoe]

Maverick uses the door without issue when I am not home. He goes outside without a problem when I am home, too. However, he requires permission to re-enter the house when I am home. I have tried everything and ignore him, but he will just stand out there, with rain dripping off his nose, waiting for me to tell him to get his a$$ back in the house. Gawd, I love that dog!

[Hubcitypam]

Maverick uses the door without issue when I am not home. He goes outside without a problem when I am home, too. However, he requires permission to re-enter the house when I am home. I have tried everything and ignore him, but he will just stand out there, with rain dripping off his nose, waiting for me to tell him to get his a$$ back in the house. Gawd, I love that dog!

When Buddy first came he would stand inside the door and wait for me to tell him to go out.

[a_daerr]

When Buddy first came he would stand inside the door and wait for me to tell him to go out.

 

There have been times (in particularly inclement weather) that Truman peed ON the dog door. Almost like he was trying to line it up without actually having to go outside.

[Guest starr511]

Introducing my first grey to the dog door was actually pretty easy. Piper, bless him, made everything easy. The first one to go out the dog door was, of course, my indoor cat. Anyway, I think Piper was going through on his own on day 2. As subsequent hounds arrived they learned very quickly from the resident experts. Hope your hound gets the hang of it easily.

 

Lucy

Your post made me giggle about your indoor cat. I just picture my kitties doing the exact same thing.

[Neighsayer]

If they come back inside to you on their own, can you go outside without them so they have to go out to be with you?

[LBass]

Boaz has seizures and I think sometimes, either from the meds he has to be on to control them or from the seizures themselves, he gets his signals crossed and pees in the house if someone doesn't let him out

 

I installed the dog door because Piper had seizures and I finally figured out that for whatever reason--seizures, meds, whatever--when he had to go, he had to go right then. I used to picture him singing the Detrol commercial jingle: "Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go right now.". He was good as gold about asking to be let out when I was home but when he was on his own, he just couldn't hold it and, well, what else is a guy supposed to do in such a situation but go in the house. Once the dog door was available, he was good as gold even on his own. Piper was such a good good boy

 

How funny and appalling that there are so many indoor cats who use the dog door to escape into the world! I eventually had to set up a way to confine the cat to a large area that did not have access to the dog door.. Now the dog door is opened only when I'm away and the cat is confined to the 2 smaller bedrooms and the cat's guest bathroom. When I'm home, the dog door is closed and the cat has free access to the whole house.

[Guest Isabella]

I would love to put a dog door in when I get my fence up this spring ( IF spring ever really comes ) But I had not even really thought about the cats going out! Dang ! At the moment I have 5 indoor cats ( 2 are waiting for forever homes ) and I know they would be the first to use the door, so it looks like I will continue to be a doorman !

[Guest newgreymama]

Thanks everyone! They are doing pretty good-- not sure they are using it when we are gone, especially Cora, she seems to think she needs an invitation to use it. Boaz is doing well with it though andI suspect he's using it just fine when we are home, I just haven't caught him at it yet.

[Neighsayer]

I picked up two fosters on Sunday. One is terrified of the dog door and runs away from it. The other has come in twice with me doing a happy dance and calling from the other side of the door. He won't go out that way. I'm home for six more days, so I'm hoping that they figure it out by then.

[a_daerr]

Now the dog door is opened only when I'm away and the cat is confined to the 2 smaller bedrooms and the cat's guest bathroom.

 

Phew! I thought I was the only one who dedicated entire rooms to my cats!

[LBass]

You are not alone!

[GeorgeofNE]

We had four English Setters at one point. They loved their dog door--so much that we had to install a second one right next to it because we kept having head on collisions when one was running out as another was running in! No, they didn't have an "in" and an "out" door, but at least there was a better chance they wouldn't hit someone else with two doors.

 

Made it interesting when it came time to sell the house, 'cause my Dad put the second door right through the side of the house since the DOOR was already in use. The buyer asked him to pay to fix it, and he told him to pound sand. They bought the house anyway.