Keeping My Little Buddies Happy!

[Barnyard]

Weather was perfect for getting some work done on the barn. Spent part of the afternoon taking the siding off to frame in a new doggy door for the security force so they can get out of the cold in the winter. I plan to heat the shop side of the building, so they should be nice and warm at night.

[randallc]

They should love that

[Dale Finch]

What a nice Papa! The troops should be very happy!!

[clintmo]

Nice! And now me and Doug will be able to get in when the weather gets bad!

Clint

[Stanton]

Very thoughtful and considerate of you. Your pooches will like it.

[Scrivet]

Put one of those in the basement door for a dog I had several years ago. Read the instructions and it said "Don't push your dog through it the first time" that "it can traumatize the dog" or some such nonsense. If you do, they'll never use it. So I finished putting it in under the watchful eye of Elvis and then tried for quite awhile, everything I could think of to get him to go through it. Finally, out of desperation I pushed him through . Then I opened the big door to see what what level of trauma I had just inflicted on Elvis. He was looking back at me like "Oh, that's what it's for, why didn't you show me that to start with?" and came back through his door to inside where I was, instead of going through the open big door. Had to replace the plastic swinging door a few years later after the hinge broke. The second time it broke, I got some small barn door hinges and hung the flap from those. Those hinges outlasted Elvis.

[Stanton]

...Read the instructions and it said "Don't push your dog through it the first time" that "it can traumatize the dog" or some such nonsense...

Kids and animals aren't as fragile as some people think. Good story.

[Barnyard]

Read the instructions and it said "Don't push your dog through it the first time" that "it can traumatize the dog"

You should stand on one side of the door while your dog is on the other. Then hold a treat out the door and bring your hand in to get the dog to follow the treat. After a couple of times (sometimes the first time) the dogs will get the idea.

[Lt.Mike]

Hold a treat on one side? How about hold off the regular feeding time by an hour and put the food bowl on the other side. Dogs I’ve had would go through the wall to get to that food.
In our politically correct world if you call the maker of the dog door and explain that you pushed the dog through they may be able to recommend a doggy therapist for him and later a counselor for the both of you to work out your doggy door disfunctions.

[Barnyard]

How about hold off the regular feeding time by an hour and put the food bowl on the other side.

By putting the dog food on the other side the dogs may expect their regular feeding to be there all the time. Dogs tend to differentiate between treats and feedings. They know they are to do things for treats and that the treat may, or may not, be there for them. Case in point, Gus will get our paper in the morning, knowing he may get a treat. If he was expecting his normal everyday meal, he would be looking it for it on the other side of the door everyday. I don't want him to think it will be there everyday. He knows where to go for dinner and it will be consistent.

[Scrivet]

Read the instructions and it said "Don't push your dog through it the first time" that "it can traumatize the dog"

You should stand on one side of the door while your dog is on the other. Then hold a treat out the door and bring your hand in to get the dog to follow the treat. After a couple of times (sometimes the first time) the dogs will get the idea.

The only idea Elvis got was that I was a "Native American" giver, after a few attempts he gave me the little upper lip scrunch that got him the name Elvis and walked away. I never did find a treat he really liked though and I tried plenty, always preferred his food.

I'm glad you understand dog thinking. I have been around lots of people that just don't get it. I had a friend that gave his inside Lab puppy an old tennis shoe for a toy and then couldn't understand why the dog chewed on every shoe in the house.