OK, I know I'm probably going to regret this but is there anyway I can teach Hebe to bark to be let in? It's not been a problem before because Finnegan could reach the shoulder height latch and simply opened the door, Juno would scratch at the door and if no one came would then bark. Without them Maia and Hebe stand patiently waiting to be let in, which if one person lets them out and doesn't inform the rest of the household means it can be quite a while before their absence is noticed (oops). The alternative is to leave the door open which with winter drawing near and the back door being on the northern windy side of the house is not really ideal. Hebe does bark to let us know about visitors and does shut up on command. Maia doesn't bark at all, just has a funny woodle at feeding time, she prefers to nudge you. Any suggestions?
Re: Let me in please. If you google "teach your dog to talk" you may find something that will help you. I've seen people use this to get noisy dogs to be quiet by teaching them only to "talk" when commanded. I can't comment on how wise this is though . Good luck!
Re: Let me in please. That's a difficult one, Hattie barks to be let in and we didn't teach her she just doesn't like waiting!! Charlie knocks on the door handle. Maybe the internet has something to offer, sorry I can't be helpful which I would like to be as you have all helped me - soon I hope I can!!
Re: Let me in please. or why not train your dog to ring a bell? much more social and less likely to get confused with other situations? You could put a push button bell or a free hanging one - either way something that is easy to nudge with a nose. I got these instructions from 101 dog tricks by Kyra Sundance which is a quite helpful book although sometimes it seems she jumps some stages... this is based on a dangly bell on a rope. 1) wiggle the bell on the floor and encourage the dog to investigate. mark the instant he touches the bell with a "good" or "click" & treat (C&T) 2) hang the bell on a doorknob at low height and encourage him to get it, you may need to put a treat behind the bell C&T as soon as the bell makes a noise 3) get your dogs lead so he thinks he's going for a walk. stop at the door with the bell encourage him to ring it. the excitement of going for a walk may have distracted him so this may take a bit longer. As soon as he touches the bell open the door and go for a walk - this time the reward is the walk. Introduce this concept early to reinforce the reward being the door opening and something nice happening 4) as you return from the walk make sure he's excited about going in - have him paw or nudge the bell so it makes a noise and immediately open the door. This could take several minutes. Notes to expect - consistency in bell ringing will speed up the process so everytime in and out. Also you'll have to be very responsive and be quick to open the door when the bell rings at first to reinforce it. The pictures show a bell inside and out - once learned you can lose the indoor bell
Re: Let me in please. So do I Barbera, first I'd have to train Barney not to open the door with his paws and come barging in! He also taught himself to open it from the inside which is much harder as he has to push down the handle and move backwards as it opens in. So I have to lock the backdoor at all times now!
Re: Let me in please. Barney is so clever! Riley doesn't open any doors unless it's a simple push with the nose, he's not at all bullish which is great with the baby. Hopefully he won't knock her over too much. My in-laws lab Monty is very bright and a bit of a barger. He watched Ben open the folding door in our lounge once and then just pushed it in the middle and slid it to one side when he wanted to leave. He now opens all the doors in our house at will when he stays
Re: Let me in please. Thanks for the suggestions. You're all wonderful as usual. I like the idea of her ringing a bell, I think it might be better than trying to teach her to bark - I was slightly worried about the repercussions of that. Now to find a bell she can nudge or pat!
Re: Let me in please. I have an image of someone trying to sell their house and getting asked why there's a bell 2 foot off the ground at the back door....... ;D
Re: Let me in please. Hi, if you look on ebay in the Pet section at item no. 200842956576 this is a dog bell (£4.99) but is large enough to hang on a piece of string on your door which is exactly what I have bought to teach Charlie to let me know when he wants to go outside. When he even slightly touches it I give him a treat. As Charlie is good at the word "touch" due to his agility this has not been too difficult. Don't know why I didn't suggest it before! I really hope that helps. Thanks Helen
Re: Let me in please. I think you are right about the potential for the bark command to backfire on you! But the bell is a fascinating idea. I'd love to hear how you get on if you decide to do it! Pippa
Re: Let me in please. Apparently it's not as daft as it sounds, I've actually found a pet door bell on amazon! The push pad is shaped like a paw print, the chime unit is wireless so we can put it in the hall where everyone can hear it - you can even make it woof instead of ring. in our case I think the scratch marks and chewed skirting boards would explain it! When the woofing bell arrives I'll let you know how it goes, keep your fingers crossed for us.
