Anyone have a dog doorbell?

[cgs]

We have a fenced yard and when Percy goes out and wants to come back in, he just stands at the back door, waiting patiently for it to magically open. He won't bark. We just have to notice him.

I want to get one of those wireless doorbells for dogs, so he can ring it to come in. I got one that wasn't *specifically* for dogs, but it said you could use it for your dog, but the button was too hard for Percy to push with his nose. I mean, his nose is pretty mushy if you press on it, so I need something that doesn't require a lot of pressure. I think a lot of dogs paw at the doorbell button, but Percy always keeps all four feet on the ground. (My husband has tried to teach him to shake, but he really doesn't. Since he doesn't ever sit, he just never lifts a paw.) So it has to be easy to press with his nose. Anyone have one of these? It's a mystery to me why he's learned from our little dog Lulu that it's a great idea to bark out the window at passing dogs, but hasn't learned to bark to come in like she does. 

[Hubcitypam]

Just hang some bells on a cord hung on the doorknob placed where he can nose them.  Some people use sleigh bells.  I used a couple of those jingle bell necklaces we woes in the 90's .Works like a charm.

[cgs]

I do have those inside, but they won't work outside. I need something I'll be able to hear from anywhere in the house. As it is, I wouldn't even hear the inside bells if I weren't nearby, but he's typically wherever I am, so if I'm upstairs, he's with me and when I go downstairs, that's when he'd go out if he wanted to.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Any way you can put it on the ground?

Do you have a wooden porch/deck?  Then he could step on it?

[Time4ANap]

Try one of these with the motion detector placed at a level by the back door where the dogs will trip it as they approach the door. https://www.harborfreight.com/wireless-security-alert-system-62447.html  The receiver can go anywhere in your house.  We used to have one of these on my parent's house because you couldn't see the driveway from inside. it worked well except when there was a storm blowing through, then it picked up too much other stuff as movement. 

[cgs]

Hmm, I think the problem with wireless would be that it would ring anytime one of us humans went in or out. And I'd need one with a very short narrow range or it would get every bird, squirrel and maybe humans in the yard behind us.

I might be able to put a doorbell button on the ground--some people do do that. But I'm not even sure Percy would get the hang of it. He literally doesn't not lift his paws. I mean, he *can*, he just...doesn't. DH can't get him to "shake". With the leash we have (harnesslead--see other thread about harnesses), the way we put it on him is to slip it over his head and then he has to step through a large loop. We have the loop pretty much on the ground and we still have to lift his paws for him. He doesn't just do it the way our little dog will. But I could try. I guess the thing I'm really wondering is how much pressure it takes to press the button. I need one with very little pressure needed for either nose or paw. 90% of the time, Percy goes out and comes back in shortly and we're there and can  hear him come back up on the deck and we let him in. But every now and then, on a nice day, he'll lie down on a towel on the deck and stay out there a while and then I forget about him. He doesn't wine or bark, both of which he's perfectly capable of doing. But those days with that kind of weather are rare here, so we get by ok. It would just be nice to have a doorbell for him. Maybe I'll just ask the various manufacturers how much pressure is needed to push the button.

[Time4ANap]

Google found this  - https://pebblesmart.com/

May be exactly what you are looking for. 

[cgs]

Thanks, yes, I'd seen that one. I think I may just need to order one or two and see how they are. Just seems like Percy's nose is just really mushy and might be hard to press the button. There are others that come with 2 transmitters--it would be handy to have one inside also--and are cheaper. But this one might be best for his nose. I guess I'll read up a bit more on all of them. Do other people's greys bark to come in? Percy will whine when he thinks it's dinner time, he'll bark out the window at other dogs, but it just somehow doesn't occur to him to use his words to come in. 

[Time4ANap]

4 hours ago, cgs said:

Thanks, yes, I'd seen that one. I think I may just need to order one or two and see how they are. Just seems like Percy's nose is just really mushy and might be hard to press the button. There are others that come with 2 transmitters--it would be handy to have one inside also--and are cheaper. But this one might be best for his nose. I guess I'll read up a bit more on all of them. Do other people's greys bark to come in? Percy will whine when he thinks it's dinner time, he'll bark out the window at other dogs, but it just somehow doesn't occur to him to use his words to come in. 

I think they are used to being turned out in a group and let back in as a group, so asking to come in is not normal for them and takes some training.  I can only remember Rocket barking once or twice at the back door when I had walked away and actually forgot he was out there. He finally barked when he felt the waiting time was unacceptable, but I have no idea how long he had been waiting there. 

[cgs]

If I forget about Percy (really only happened once for longer than a few minutes) he'll go back down to the yard and try to entertain himself and then try standing at the door again. But mostly he just stands there, almost with his forehead against the door, eternally optimistic. 

[Hubcitypam]

check door more often when passing by?  Is a dog door an option?  I couldn't live without one.

[cgs]

When he goes out, we're usually right there. But since he's decided to stay out a while and lie down on the deck, I go upstairs to my computer and check out the window periodically, but forgot about him one day. He wasn't outside for hours or anything like that, but was out longer than he wanted to be and he was hot. I can set a timer on my phone to check him, but I think a doorbell is a good option if I can find one he'll use.