Scratching at Door to come in

[Caitlin888]

Hi, I have a poodle cross who is currently 5 months old and he is continuously jumping up and scratching at the door to come in when we put him outside. While most of the time we are happy to have the door open so he can come in and out as he pleases there are times when we need him to be outside. He only claws at the door when we are at home and he can see someone inside (as our outdoor area comes off of our living room, where we spend most of our time). If there is no one inside that he can see he is happy outside, I know this because when I am upstairs and I put him outside because I can't supervise him, he doesnt claw the door. Any tips would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks, 

 

Caitlin 

[Dogsfevr]

He needs to be taught outside is fun and to be independent,you have a breed which can be needy and is very people oriented so puppy needs to learn that it's own company is just as fun 

[RuralPug]

This behaviour is going to be reinforced if you give him attention while he is doing it. Make sure that he has plenty to keep him interested outside.

My suggestion would be that you NEVER let him in while he is scratching at the door but you wait until he is calm and sitting quietly or playing on the lawn before you open the door. Have a DAILY practice session where you put him outside and close the door for a minute or two - opening it again while he is being quiet. I would reward him with a game - indoors or out it doesn't matter. You can extend the tine that you expect him to wait a little bit every time until he stays quietly outside for an hour or so. Then you probably have it down pat and will no longer need the daily training sessions.

It might also help to do some Oscar-winning overacting and walk through where he can see you - when he scratches or jumps up at the door act monstrously offended, toss your head, stiffen, gasp and turn your back on him. That way he will know he is doing something you don't like - if you get the timing right he will quickly pick up that it is the jumping up and scratching that he doesn't like. This would work really well if he is siting quietly and when you walk towards the door as if to open it for him and then he starts jumping up at the door - your fast 'insulted' reaction and swift U-turn every time he does that will result in a puppy that will quickly work out that jumping up and scratching ain't gonna get him inside!

Let us know how you go.

 

[Scrappi&Monty]

Seems like he doesn't like outside, as mentioned above he needs to he taught that outside is fun!

Maybe sprinkle some kibble on the lawn, or get some fun new toys, etc so that he thinks outside is super fun! And that you won't let him in if he is scratching. 

[PANDI-GIRL]

I agree sprinkle some kibble all over the lawn , for his breakfast ,& leave out side for 1 hour max.

Curtain or one way sticky contact sun cover , so he can't see you .

[Caitlin888]

Hi Thanks for the replies. Will sprinkling kibble over the lawn really work? Won't he just go and eat it and then want to come in again? How can I make it more fun for him outside he already has plenty of toys.

[Scrappi&Monty]

1 minute ago, Caitlin888 said:

Hi Thanks for the replies. Will sprinkling kibble over the lawn really work? Won't he just go and eat it and then want to come in again? How can I make it more fun for him outside he already has plenty of toys.

If he likes his kibble, he will think "oh this is cool, outside has fun tasty treats" and he will focus on that while he is eating (if he likes it enough) rather than "oh I'm so lonely and the humans are inside"

Also he will associate that outside has fun tasty things so it's a bit better than before. 

It sounds like he either finds the backyard boring, has been accidentally been rewarded for scratching the door, or he has separation anxiety. So he seems like he is either bored or scared and sad to be alone.

 

My dog had separation anxiety, and we did something similar to this, make the yard a fun and comfortable place to be by making it rewarding to be out there.

 

So maybe try sprinkling his breakfast or dinner on the lawn, and mix in a few higher value treats if you want (tiny bits of hotdog or jerky treats for dogs, cheese etc) 

and have a quick check out the window to see if he's finished, and let him in as soon as he finishes at first. And then sometimes make him wait a little minute without scratching, then increase the time little by little. 

The treats in the yard are just sort of a distraction while he is outside, so he is outside for a while longer, but isn't thinking about being outside and isn't sitting at the door scratching. 

Similarly you could just give him a pig's ear or a bully stick or something and do the same process.

(but I'm obviously not an expert so it may not work for you, but it worked for us  , except we were using it for leaving him alone when we left the house) 

 

or perhaps you could tie a little bell on a ribbon to the door handle and train him to ring that when he wants to come in rather than scratching, it would save your door! 

Although then you would have a dog constantly ringing a bell and once he learned the bell doesn't immediately let him in, he'd start to scratch again... so maybe not a good idea.

 

[persephone]

50 minutes ago, Caitlin888 said:

Hi Thanks for the replies. Will sprinkling kibble over the lawn really work? Won't he just go and eat it and then want to come in again? How can I make it more fun for him outside he already has plenty of toys.

nice big bone !! I mean BIG ..so there is no way he can swallow it  A bone with meat on .  YUM.

if he scratches/whinges for 15 mins..and is finally let in , next time he will scratch for maybe a half hour ..as he KNOWS that eventually he'll be let in. 

Plenty of toys. OK .. give him two or three at a time .. a couple of days later ..a different two or three ..it helps prevent boredom!

put some kibble, plus a couple pieces of smelly salami or cheese ( teeny pieces- fingernail size)  in a smallish  soft drink plastic bottle and let him shake/chase that !!
wrap a few treats in newspaper ..place newspaper in a carton ..let him rip & tear!

When you sprinkle kibble ..have him not watching . use about 15 - 20 pieces ..and place them a long way away from each other ...

Does he have a sand pit? Sand pit is fun, cos you can bury toys/treats in there every so often. 

 

[Scottsmum]

11 hours ago, Caitlin888 said:

Hi Thanks for the replies. Will sprinkling kibble over the lawn really work? Won't he just go and eat it and then want to come in again? How can I make it more fun for him outside he already has plenty of toys.

Lots of good advice above.  Big, safe bones (sometimes called "recreational bones" are good, as Perse said  The over acting could help too - just be careful it doesnt turn into that counting as a reaction in the dogs eyes. We did things like hide "high value" treats in the yard - cheese, chicken, tennis balls.  We also used to hide food in cereal and other boxes - layered up a big like pass the parcel - treats, box, more treats, more box...  

 

Rotate your toys - one or two a day - make them special - Have inside toys and outside toys.  We had a snake toy which was too big for playing with in the house = "really special outside toy".  Balls were also very rarely thrown inside either (only occasionally ;) )

 

A good comfy, safe warm bed outside, where they can see what's going on helps too. Possibly a radio for company?.  We also would spend time out there - even now my dog has passed I occasionally sit on the step and have a coffee ;)  We also spent a lot of time going from 5 minutes out up to hours out - literally in 5 minute increments daily.  Sometimes staying on a time limit for a few days or taking a step back when we needed to. Some day's we'd just pop him out for 10 minutes so he didn't think every stint was long. 

 

Big walks before going out and training sessions - even quick short ones where he has to work his brain (sit, drop, stay, come, shake in various combinations even) could help. 

 

 A few good things to search here and online could be dog enrichment, "Nothing in life is free" (Or NILF) and maybe even Separation Anxiety (so you can see where this could ultimately go and the warning signs - not saying your dog does or doesn't have it - just to watch and preempt it if you think it's heading that way). The good thing is you can be creative and make this as cheap as you need to too - sprinkling his dry portion of breakfast on the lawn will not cost you any extra.  

All these things take time and training.  You can't hide a ball or bit of cheese and just get your dog to understand. But eventually he'll race out there expecting a treasure hunt or new toy - or favourite toy or a pass the parcel to play with.  I'm far from an expert but it does sound like you simply have a dog who's training you to let them in, so good on you for nipping that in the bud and training him to stay out before it turns into something more sinister or ingrained. 

[persephone]

On 5/7/2017 at 7:57 PM, Caitlin888 said:

While most of the time we are happy to have the door open so he can come in and out as he pleases

I think this may be important . Remember , at this stage  especially , YOU make the rules ;) he is the pup, HE doesn't decide if a door is open or closed It's your door ! 
I only let dogs free range when they earn the privilege ... the extra learning/communication involved in having puppy see YOU as the way to get thru that door is SO worth it in the long run , really !

 

 

 

[JRG]

50 minutes ago, persephone said:

I think this may be important . Remember , at this stage  especially , YOU make the rules ;) he is the pup, HE doesn't decide if a door is open or closed It's your door ! 
I only let dogs free range when they earn the privilege ... the extra learning/communication involved in having puppy see YOU as the way to get thru that door is SO worth it in the long run , really !

 

 

 

I have a pup the same age and she would LOVE it if I left the door open but I don't, so she sits calmly on the step waiting for me to appear then gets bored with that so goes off to play by herself.  She cannot see into the house because the glass is frosted. Here is your answer make it so that your dog cannot see in so he does not know that you are waiting to fulfil his every wish! Yes, make outside the most interesting place to be, but also try to prevent him from thinking that there may be more exciting alternatives inside.  My girl would  kill to get in  but she is learning patience and to amuse herself if I am not around - an essential lesson for every pup.

[PANDI-GIRL]

I know my Toy poodle 8 month old , PANDI  would love going in & out the door at her pleasure 

Sometimes she thinks or wishes , I am waiting to fulfil her every wish , but that is futile wishing    

[Caitlin888]

Unfortunately, there is no way of us blocking the view from outside to inside.

[JRG]

What is the door made of?

[Dogsfevr]

Besides some toys what do you do outside that makes the backyard fun ??

Also what toys many buy are boring ,heavy,hard & no fun .

 

We don't bribe ours with food to be outside ,outside is a requirement ,fun outside is toilet training ,playing with toys .

If your are being your dogs soul fun then you are the toy .

We own a breed that is very like minded in being a people dog but that doesn't mean they need us every minute of the day ,they are treated like a dog first  & foremost ,there happy confident dogs that cope well .

Is the puppy a petshop puppy??

[RuralPug]

The OP said in the first post that puppy is quite content outside on his own as long as he can't see any family members inside. He is content with his own company when the family is out, or when they are upstairs where he can't see them from outside. Like most 5 month old puppies, where the people are is the fun place!

I would consider that normal and not a case of separation anxiety. He just hasn't yet been trained to know that humans sometimes need time out for weird human reasons (like washing the floor) and he needs to learn to wait for an invitation to return. Since most of the time he can come and go of his own accord he most likely thinks that you have shut him out by accident and is trying to get your attention to put things "right".

You must teach him that sometimes it is also right for him to be shut outside while his people are inside, and that no amount of jumping up and scratching is going to work for getting back inside. Puppies learn by demonstration and repetition - I suggested earlier daily practice for very short times gradually getting longer and not opening the door until he has stopped jumping up and scratching.

All the enrichment suggestions are wonderful - all puppies need enrichment but it won't magically solve a puppy's belief that he belongs with his humans 24/7 and his need to alert them that the door has somehow shut behind him!   You need to teach him that sometimes his people need their space and that if the door is shut that you that WILL come and open it and let him back in, when you are ready. He will be quite comfortable with this, once it is learnt.

Most of the regulars here are well aware of this, it is mainly for the general public reading this that I am spelling out the obvious stuff. I've learnt that sometimes suggesting a training plan or action can backfire if you don't explain the reasoning behind it! Getting the wrong end of the stick so often happens.
.

[Caitlin888]

Just a quick reply to all your comments:

 

JRG- It is a row of glass doors that come of the living room. 

 

Showdog- We generally play fetch outside with him or we give him something new such as a piece of cardboard so he has something new to keep him entertained. Also he generally looks like he playing with his toys. No, the puppy is from a breeder not a petshop

 

Rural Pug- Thanks for your response, really helpful and I totally agree with it! Will definitely try and get him use to being outside. But we are also having issues with him just running outside and barking. Like not when he gets bored, for example this afternoon he was inside and scratched at the door to go out so we let him out and he starts barking straight away (the door wasnt shut) and I have no idea what it is at. Any tips? 

[Simply Grand]

Poodles, especially the little ones, are EXCELLENT people trainers (manipulators lol). They learn what works to get them what they want.

 

I agree that this sounds like normal "clever pup trying to figure out what works" behaviour and all the tips are great. The best tip I can give is as long as you are sure pup is safe, fed and watered outside, completely ignore the behaviour you don't want. 

 

My adult toy poodle x is the same, he has no issues being left home alone or outside alone if I'm actually out or if he doesn't think I'm doing something interesting but he will still whinge a bit if he's on the other side of a door and wants to be where I am. I can't even remember what I did when he was a puppy but I know that as he got older and more persistent I just ignored his annoying behaviour and he doesn't scratch at doors or yell or whine loudly anymore, he just likes to still have a little bit of a say that he'd really prefer to be somewhere else if it's all the same to me, but he doesn't kick up a fuss.

[persephone]

12 hours ago, Simply Grand said:

 

Poodles, especially the little ones, are EXCELLENT people trainers (manipulators lol). They learn what works to get them what they want.

 

 

They are that !!  LOL.

[karen15]

when I got my westie, I had 3 months off work. First month revolved around the new puppy, toilet training, playing, eating, sleeping. The cocker and I loved midday nap time as he was a little livewire. I started painting in the second month. Initially the bedrooms, where the dogs could watch me paint, but then to the lounge room etc. It was a great way to teach the westie to be outside and entertain himself, have the two dogs spend longer time together unsupervised (in preparation for me returning to work) and just make locked outside not an issue as eventually they would get let back in.

 

on a funny note, the westie obviously paid attention to me on the ladder. I've got a picture of where he angled his bed against the end of the couch and tried to walk up it like a ladder LOL clever little monkey