After installing a doggy door, most dogs can adapt to one easily, but others might take a few days to learn to use it. Every dog will react differently to a doggy door, with the most adventurous ones going through it immediately and with more wary ones trying to avoid it. However, most dogs will take a little time to adapt to this new way of going in and out of the house, and will need your support if they’re found backing away from the doggy door.
Some Training Tips
It is not very difficult to train your dog to use the doggy door, but take into account that it might be something new and strange for your dog; the manual that comes with the door will tell you how to make the door more familiar to your dog. Remember that a new doggy door will make some sounds that you might find funny or strange, and they might be scary for your dog.
You can start your dog training by pushing the flap of door open with your hand to show that he can go through it. To make this more effective, it is recommended that a person stands on the other side of the doggy door with a piece of food that the dog likes or the dog’s favorite toy.
Another approach that you can take is use your dog’s playfulness to train it. Throw a toy through the doggy door and urge your dog to bring it back to you by making him go through the door. As your dog goes into the house, the other person should let go of the flap, which may make the dog hesitant to open it on its own. This is normal, and your dog will eventually be more excited than afraid. You can help your dog by pushing it gently after he has caught the toy.
You can also take advantage when your dog needs to eat or rest to make it go inside the house through the door. However, should your dog be a little troublesome in the beginning, do not show any frustration or punish him in any way, because your dog might relate using the doggy door as something bad, and will never use it again. Instead, reward your dog when it uses the door.
If you know of any relative or friend who uses a doggy door for their dog, it’ll be helpful for your dog to see this other dog, and this will speed up the training process. Generally, if a dog watches another dog doing something – that will push him to do the same and you’ll soon have your dog fully trained to use a doggy door.
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