Training your dog to use a doggy door – if you’ve just installed one – shouldn’t be too difficult; in fact, it may take only a few days or even a week. Of course, there may be some dogs that’ll sniff around the door to check it out or others that’ll just look and zip through 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.
A Few Training Tips
In reality, it is quite easy to train your dog to use the doggy door that has been newly installed, and if you’ve never got one installed, you can just follow the instructions given when you purchase your doggy door. Keep in mind that this door is new and will make some funny sounds.
The first thing to do with a dog that’s reluctant to go through the door is open the flap with one hand so that the dog can see the outside of the house, and gently push it with the other hand. 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 way of going about it is training your dog through a game. If your dog likes to play fetch, throw a toy or a stick inside the house through the doggy door, which will be held open by another person. 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. That’s expected, but eventually, he will go out after some time. If you find your dog still hesitating, assist him by lifting the door flap and gently stroking him to go through.
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. Dogs are like human beings; they need attention and will learn by means of rewards.
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. Very often, dogs imitate other dogs, specially if they are rewarded by their human masters, and it will make training easier for you.