Scratching at Door to come in

[RuralPug]

On 5/9/2017 at 8:53 PM, Caitlin888 said:

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? 

He hears or sees something that you don't worry about and he feels the need to either alert you to this or to warn away the evil intruder (blown leaf, noise next door etc.). If it doesn't happen very often I would just ignore it, otherwise you risk it happening whenever he wants your attention.

But this kind of reactive barking in a smart dog can be self-rewarding so if it becomes more frequent then you will need to work a plan that everyone in the family knows to use. Some dogs are quite happy if you follow them out and then say "Thank you" or "Quiet" or "That's enough". They have alerted you and that is all that matters to them. With others, who have come to be excited by the sound of their own voice you will need to distract them. Training a dog to go and stay in their own bed, or mat, when told can be really useful at times like those.The dog starts barking at nothing, you give the command to "Bed!" or "Mat" and peace results. It doesn't take very long, in that situation for the dog to work out that barking is no longer an enjoyable pastime.

[Loving my Oldies]

You have yourself one very smart little breed of dog .  It is up to you to give him the mental and physical stimulation that he deserves.  That said, he still have to live with you and vice versa.  

 

I confess, I don’t know why it is a problem for a dog to have access to the outside at all times .  I have a doggy door which is propped open because mine a small and now elderly and pushing it open is a little bit too hard.  A dog should be able to come and go as it pleases, so it can toilet immediately it needs to outside.  And outside is where all the good smells are.  

 

One of the better things a dog owner can invest in is a crate. They can be a godsend if your dog isn’t well, you have another dog staying with you, you have a little dog you are worried will find a way out, etc etc.  At the moment, I have a little foster dog (been her for less than a fortnight) and because he gulps down his food in three seconds flat, I crate him for meals so the others can have theirs in peace.  They learn very very quickly and a few days ago, he started putting himself in the crate when I was getting their meals ready.  Invest in a crate, make it a great place for him to hole up in, his little cave.   Here is the photographic proof of my little foster dog waiting for his dinner:

 

[karen15]

Dame Danny, I do agree re the dog door Even when I rented I would leave a door open just enough so the dog could go in and out as it pleased. Doors are always closed at night, even the dog door. Doggie door only gets left open if someone has an upset tum and is in and out a lot and I need to sleep.

 

one place I rented had a cat door in the wall. Took my cat about 12 months to find and use it. It wasn't lockable, so I preferred her not to know about it so she stayed in at night. One night I was woken by the unmistakable sound of a cat on the bench. Got up, roused at cat, went back to bed thinking about the white cat. Took me a few minutes to realise mine was black and we had an intruder! What ensued was a comedic attempt of trying to get a strange cat out of a huge open plan area. I had doors wide open but the stupid thing wouldn't run out one of those. Then the dog got involved and the cat went up the venetians in the kitchen so I opened a window and pushed it out with a broom. Unsurprisingly it never came back LOL

 

Apart from interlopers, sometimes dogs do have to stay outside eg when you have tradies leaving doors open everywhere / just not careful in closing doors quickly, so I think it is a good thing to teach them that they can be outside, even if someone is inside. The last thing you need is the dog to be going off about being locked out when you're trying to get stuff done.

[JRG]

All the other things, but I am still not sure why you can't restrict the view.

Even if you do not want to go to the trouble of buying a bit of self sticking (one way) Contact, a light coat of washable paint on  the lower part of the glass should be enough to stop him looking in all the time and easy to remove once he is re-educated and/or familiar with the doggy door.

[persephone]

9 hours ago, Dame Danny's Darling said:

I confess, I don’t know why it is a problem for a dog to have access to the outside at all times

neither do I . I DO, however believe strongly that PUPS need to realise that the humans are in control of movement in & around the door ...it is one oft- happening occasion where human & canine communicate ..and learn ...

[persephone]

10 hours ago, RuralPug said:

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? 

he is a PUPPY .. he plays, he barks, he investigates ... 
This might help you


 

[_PL_]

5 months old is still a baby. I'd be putting a dog door in for free access especially if we're talking about a toy breed. None of mine are left outside without being able to get in or being crate trained.

 

It's not exactly an unsafe area at all (seriously, for so close to the city it's not too bad except for this week  ) but I feel they are safer. And I hear the outside dogs cry & bark during the day.  

As for barking, a good trainer can help with distractions. Puppy needs a treat or toy or reward of higher value than barking at the world. 

 

Forgot to add, baby gates are perfect if you are upstairs and can't supervise him. And as DD suggested a crate trained dog is quite happy and feels safe rather than caged.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Powerlegs
adding extras.

[Loving my Oldies]

59 minutes ago, persephone said:

neither do I . I DO, however believe strongly that PUPS need to realise that the humans are in control of movement in & around the door ...it is one oft- happening occasion where human & canine communicate ..and learn ...

For sure, but I still feel the dog should have access to inside and outside most of the time.   Pups trained early and kindly grow up to be the best dogs.  Many humans have totally unrealistic ideas about dog ownership and expect dogs to pop out knowing how to switch off, speak English/home language, sit, stay, drop, etc etc etc.   

 

All of these things needs to be taught.  The more uptight about rules and regulations a human is, the worse for the dog.      As for the premise that a dog needs to wait for the person to go out first .....  what rubbish.  I stand at the door and wave the dogs through, counting  

 

Editing to add regarding my post about crating.  I didn’t teach my foster, Stevie, to go into his crate: he just started doing it because he new it meant goodies LOL.   Just saying because it can be very easy and such a relief knowing the dog is safe for the short period of time you need him to be and you can’t watch him.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Dame Danny's Darling

[Loving my Oldies]

4 hours ago, karen15 said:

Apart from interlopers, sometimes dogs do have to stay outside eg when you have tradies leaving doors open everywhere / just not careful in closing doors quickly, so I think it is a good thing to teach them that they can be outside, even if someone is inside. The last thing you need is the dog to be going off about being locked out when you're trying to get stuff done.

My first vet used to tell me that the most dangerous times for dogs was when there were tradies in the house ...... because of open doors, gates, etc.  You cannot rely on or expect tradies to keep your dogs safe.   I am so lucky in this area - my groomers are just down the road and I take my dogs down there if tradies are going to be in the house for any length of time.   

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

if the door is glass - you can masking tape paper or cardboard to it to block the view.  

Most important thing - careful what you reward.  If you let him in while he's scratching - you will get more scratching at the door.