Adding a Doggy Door to Your Home

Having a doggy door is a great idea because it is convenient. When your dog feels the need to go to the bathroom, it can head right out the door to the backyard without bothering you. There are times when you may be in the middle of something and do not have the time to get up and open the door, so it makes sense to have a door available for your dog to get through. Even if your dog just feels it needs some fresh air, it can head on out through the doggy door at any time.

Installing a doggy door is not as difficult as it may look. Before you can install a door, you need to take some measurements to ensure that your dog will fit through it. After all, you would not want your precious pet getting stuck on the way in or out. You simply need to take measurements of the dog from the shoulders on down, as well as its width.

You may have multiple dogs. In that case, measure the dog that is the biggest first to ensure that he or she can get through the door. Smaller dogs would be able to fit through the larger opening with no problem. Once you have the measurements, you can focus on adding the doggy door to the door that leads to your backyard.

After you have installed the door, you need to show your dog that it is there. At first, your dog may not know what to do with it, but a little training will help. The door may include a flap that your dog would have to gently push to leave the home and to come back inside. When your dog is first getting the hang of it, make sure to reward it with a treat of some sort so that your pup knows he or she is doing a good job.

Have patience if your dog does not seem to understand the whole concept of the door, especially if your dog has gotten used to waiting around for you to open the door. In the beginning, you may need to leave the flap open until your dog realizes that it can be opened with a simple push. Some dogs may assume that they cannot get through if they are unable to see the opening when it is covered by the flap. If you practice enough, your dog will eventually get the hang of it.

When your dog begins to use the door, it is a good idea to put the flap back down instead of leaving it wide open. If your dog starts to get confused, head out to the backyard while leaving your dog inside and then call your dog's name while peaking through the flap. You may need to offer a treat to encourage your dog to come through, but the effort that you put into the training will be worth it when your dog is using the door on its own.

By showing your dog how to use the door continuously until it gets the hang of the whole process, your dog will get used to this new way of getting out to the backyard. You will start to notice your dog becomes comfortable with going right in and out without any extra assistance, which is the whole purpose of the doggy door.

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Doggie Door Training for Timid Dogs

You have decided on a Doggy door, now you need to train your dog to be able to use it. This video gives some helpful advice on how to persuade your dog to use it even if they are timid. 

Using A Doggy Door

PetSafe Plastic Pet Door

Doggy doors are a great convenience for both owners and dogs. Whether you have a puppy, a dog in the prime of life or an elderly dog, a dog door allows your dog to go in and out at will into a safe backyard. Your dog can potty or play as he wishes. Dog doors are not hard to install and it's easy to teach your dog to use one.

You can choose the right door for your dog or dogs by doing a little measuring. Measure your dog from his withers (the top of his shoulders) to the ground; and measure the widest part of your dog. This is usually across his shoulder or hips. If you have more than one dog you should measure your largest and tallest dogs to make sure that everyone can fit through the door.

Once the door is installed you will need to show your dog how to use the door. Most doggy doors have a flap with magnets on the bottom to hold the flap secure when it's not being used by your dog. Your dog will need to give a little push to open the flap from either side. The magnets can make a noise that scares some dogs so you may need to do some coaxing at first.

Some dogs may not be clear on the doggy door concept at first so you'll need to be patient with them.

The easiest way to teach your dog how to use a doggy door is to use some clothes line pins or metal clips to hold the door flap open. Show your dog the door. You should go outside and encourage your dog to come through the open doggy door with some treats. Praise and reward your dog for coming through. Spend some time petting your dog and letting him know what a good job he did. Once he's enjoyed this part of using the doggy door you should go back to the other side and encourage your dog to come back through to the other side, again offering treats and praise when he comes through. You can do this a couple of times to make sure that your dog has figured out that there is a new opening in the door and he can go through it.

Once your dog has learned this lesson it's time to let the door flap down. You should be on one side of the door and your dog should be on the other side. You can open the flap slightly and call to your dog to come through. Wave your hand at him through the flap to get his attention if necessary. Hold out a treat for him to see. Encourage him to push through the flap to come to you. Once he comes through the flap you should praise him and give him some treats to reward him. Let him know what a great job he did.

You'll need to repeat this process to teach your dog to go back through to the other side.

If you teach your dog to use the doggy door this way it should just take him a short time to learn to use the doggy door. He'll quickly be going in and out the door on his own without any coaxing at all.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Using-A-Doggy-Door&id=8150717