Dogs are smart animals and some of them will start using a dog door with just a little bit of training. Here, we will tell you some methods to help you in training your doggy to use a door flap.

Calling Your Dog

If your dog is active and responds to your call by eagerly coming to you, then it would be easier to teach it some new tricks.

Position yourself on one side of the door and your doggy on the other side. Open the door flap and call your dog. Your doggy would hesitate at first, but with time it will learn the technique. You can verbally encourage your pet when it comes near the door.

Once your doggy comes through the dog door, pat and praise it. These animals love to be treated in a good way and they can easily learn what pleases their owner. Repeat the entire process by reversing your and the dog’s position.

The training session can be tiring, so make sure to take regular short breaks in between.

Use Treats

Animals and humans have the same response to treats; they love it. You can lure your dog through the door flap by using a biscuit or any other yummy treat.

First, let your doggy smell the food item and then go through the other side of the closed door. Open the door flap and keep the treat in your hand. Most probably, your dog would come through the door flap wagging its tail with excitement.

Gently Putting Your Dog through the Door Flap

You can use this method only on a doggy that is not fearful or sensitive about the dog door. Lead your dog to the door and then gently try to put it through the door flap. Then go to the other side of the door and repeat the same procedure.

Make sure that your dog is not stressed or troubled with the gentle pushes. After a few tries, give your doggy rest and offer it a small treat as encouragement. Providing sufficient motivation to a dog can let it do wonders, so remember to praise and pat it once in a while.

A Fast Training Technique

If you are running out of time or patience to train your doggy, you can borrow a pet from someone else to speed up the teaching session.

Using another dog who knows its way in and out of a door flap can reduce the training time. Your doggy would readily follow the other dog and would easily learn how to use a dog door.

You can also use a pet cat because dogs love chasing cats. However, you need to make sure that your doggy does not hurt the kitty.

After several practice sessions, your pet would finally be able to even use a closed dog door.

By admin