[MIA'SO3]

hi everyone does anyone have any ideas or tricks they use to get there dogs to go through their doggy doors I am using treats,she sticks her head out but goes no further.Please help!

Angie

[Yogi]

For years all I did was push the dog through to the outside a couple times. They will figure it out once they realize if they want back in they have to return to how they got out in the first place.

[CorkyMax]

This is a reply I gave to the same problem--a while back: May not be exactly the same but close enough so I hope it helps!
Lol, now you might want to try putting treats on the other side of the doggie door flap---far enough so she just can't reach it until she is through the flap but make sure she can smell it or let her see you are putting it there---I assume you have a gate that you use to get in the pen? If so, I would 1st have the door off the flap (not let her go out yet---have another person distract her while you open up to the flap. Then let her see you go outside with the treat--but still have other person distract her from the door flap until you get back in the house and then let her go and hopefully she will head for the flap if she realizes the treat is there---Could use a warm smelly pc. of meat too, etc. Another thing would be for you to go outside and go into the pen and walk to the farthest end of the pen and just call her to come through the door. Repitition is the key here I think till she is use to going through the flap. I have a doggie door too for my 2 dogs. They use it all the time. After you get her to do this--you can "reverse"---You go back out of the pen and not let her out that way and just causually ignore her when you get back in the house and when she comes back through the flap--act like you are really glad to see her! (give a treat?)

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

This is a reply I gave to the same problem--a while back: May not be exactly the same but close enough so I hope it helps!
Lol, now you might want to try putting treats on the other side of the doggie door flap---far enough so she just can't reach it until she is through the flap but make sure she can smell it or let her see you are putting it there---I assume you have a gate that you use to get in the pen? If so, I would 1st have the door off the flap (not let her go out yet---have another person distract her while you open up to the flap. Then let her see you go outside with the treat--but still have other person distract her from the door flap until you get back in the house and then let her go and hopefully she will head for the flap if she realizes the treat is there---Could use a warm smelly pc. of meat too, etc. Another thing would be for you to go outside and go into the pen and walk to the farthest end of the pen and just call her to come through the door. Repitition is the key here I think till she is use to going through the flap. I have a doggie door too for my 2 dogs. They use it all the time. After you get her to do this--you can "reverse"---You go back out of the pen and not let her out that way and just causually ignore her when you get back in the house and when she comes back through the flap--act like you are really glad to see her! (give a treat?)

The reason I do not reward dogs with treats for using a doggie door as in the past I have seen where it has caused confusion. The doggie door is there to allow free in and out access for the dog to take care of business. When it is taught to use the door with a treat reward it loses many times in translation the purpose of the door and instead waits til someone is willing to offer a treat as if going in and out is a trick to be rewarded with a treat. Verbal acknowledgment generally suffices with using a doggie door as it coincides with the dog taking its business outside where it belongs. Mine took but only a couple times being pushed through the door to comprehend how it works and from that point on went in and out regularly with no need to provide them a treat. Just a thought.

[Todd]

you could also stand on the other side of the door and call the dog to go for a walk or something and the dog will probably eventually go through and get the hang of it.