I have a short success story with a dog that Im fostering, - TopicsExpress



          

I have a short success story with a dog that Im fostering, possibly to adopt. After a week, he wasnt learning to use the dog door on his own, and in fact avoided it, even after watching the other dogs go through it, not even if I held the flap open. I realized that he startled every time the door flapped closed. Hes very gentle and pretty picky about food, but he liked hot dog, although one piece of hot dog would not lure him through the door. So I held an entire hot dog in my fist so that he could barely lick and nibble at one end constantly, while hitting the flap over and over until he stopped jerking, and bringing the hot dog closer and closer to the door until he just ignored the flapping completely. Repeated on both sides of the door, maybe a hundred times. Then he would go through if I held it open, but didnt like the flap on his head/shoulders. So over 2 days I placed it gently on him as he went through, starting at his back end and gradually lowering it earlier and earlier until he paid no attention to that, either. Then held the flap open lower and lower for him to come thru until I was just holding the corner open. Then I went to tough-love doggie door--he had to figure out/want to on his own how to push the flap open, which was the very last step. I just left him outside while the other dogs and I came inside. Within an hour, after he tested pushing the flap about every 5 or 10 minutes, he decided he could do it, and he was happily going in and out with no further interaction from me. No forcing the dog at any time or making him do something that scared him. Ive never had to teach a dog to use the dog door before (they all figured it out on their own), so I was pleased. Any way I could have improved on that?
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 21:36:35 +0000

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