Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    House Broken dynamicgang's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Pa
    Posts
    69
    Thanked: 23

    Dog Door - Need Them to Come Back In!

    I need some assistance with our dog door. I have 11 cameras so I can see what the dogs are doing inside and out and also have an microphones so they can hear me.

    I have 6 Labs ranging from 9.5 to 2. We put the door up in early summer. We are trying to get them to come back in 100% of the time. I know what part of the problem has been so we remedied that. Our youngest is territorial and guards the door when not crated.

    The problem is when he is crated and I need the dogs to come back inside. They do eventually come in but it makes me nervous when they don't come in in a reasonable amount of time. Usually one of us is home. This is true about 95% of the time. It is the 5% of the time when I am not sure when hubby is going to get home and I leave for work that is the problem.

    I could shut the door but our cameras have shown the one dog might have to potty and we have caught him doing #2 inside in front of the closed dog door so it is worrisome that he can't go out and do his business.

    I can see them looking at the door which is on the lower level of our house. It is a patio door insert with the flap. We leave a light on so they can see inside (they can see the terror is not at the door).

    Anyway, any idea how to get all of them to come inside 100% of the time? I have tried calling, tried whistling, and tried not worrying.

    Thanks.


    The Dynamic Gang

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    Quote Originally Posted by dynamicgang View Post
    I need some assistance with our dog door. I have 11 cameras so I can see what the dogs are doing inside and out and also have an microphones so they can hear me.

    I have 6 Labs ranging from 9.5 to 2. We put the door up in early summer. We are trying to get them to come back in 100% of the time. I know what part of the problem has been so we remedied that. Our youngest is territorial and guards the door when not crated.

    The problem is when he is crated and I need the dogs to come back inside. They do eventually come in but it makes me nervous when they don't come in in a reasonable amount of time. Usually one of us is home. This is true about 95% of the time. It is the 5% of the time when I am not sure when hubby is going to get home and I leave for work that is the problem.

    I could shut the door but our cameras have shown the one dog might have to potty and we have caught him doing #2 inside in front of the closed dog door so it is worrisome that he can't go out and do his business.

    I can see them looking at the door which is on the lower level of our house. It is a patio door insert with the flap. We leave a light on so they can see inside (they can see the terror is not at the door).

    Anyway, any idea how to get all of them to come inside 100% of the time? I have tried calling, tried whistling, and tried not worrying.

    Thanks.
    This is really confusing. So, you call and whistle, but is that in person or over the microphone?

    For the dog that poops, can you exercise him in the morning to help move things along or crate him?

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    you need the training to be 100% there before you take yourself out of the picture. the problem when you are not there is nothing happens. they learn to ignore or that request is negotiable.

    how long are they left unattended that they cannot hold it? Are they loose and having accidents? if so that sounds more like a house training issue or being left alone too long. Maybe wayy too much freedom and not enough routine to get their needs done when they get outside time and not enough house training?

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Tanya For This Useful Post:

    Annette47 (11-30-2018)

  5. #4
    House Broken dynamicgang's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Pa
    Posts
    69
    Thanked: 23
    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    This is really confusing. So, you call and whistle, but is that in person or over the microphone?

    For the dog that poops, can you exercise him in the morning to help move things along or crate him?
    i am calling to them using an app over the phone to the camera speaker. That is the other option - to crate the one that has an accident. It is not all the time but maybe 3 times a year. For a while we were blaming another dog until we got the cameras.


    The Dynamic Gang

  6. #5
    House Broken dynamicgang's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Pa
    Posts
    69
    Thanked: 23
    The longest they are home alone is from 2 PM until 8 PM. If I know my husband is going to be tied up, I take half the shift off.

    I am am looking for suggestions on how to get them to come in the door. I have told hubby not top open the patio door for them and to make them come in through the dog door.


    The Dynamic Gang

  7. #6
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Carolina in my mind..
    Posts
    6,391
    Thanked: 4178
    I don't know about yours but our dogs do not respond to us talking to them over a phone or iPad. They do not think, "Oh, there's Mom, I'd better do what she says." Mine wouldn't respond to me calling or whistling via a phone app so maybe that's the issue? Maybe some of yours are coming in because that's just what they decided to do, not because you called them. It's hard enough to insure mine come in when I call them in person, I'm not sure how to train a dog to come in to a command over a microphone, that would take some serious training.

  8. #7
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,136
    Thanked: 5108
    Do you see any signs of conflict between the dogs when they are home alone together? You say the youngest is territorial so I wonder if stress might be causing the poop accidents. I wonder if confining the dogs in separate rooms might help, if that's the case. I realize this negates the purpose of the dog door though.
    Hidden Content

    Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
    Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
    Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content

  9. #8
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277
    I think you are asking a lot wanting them to respond to a command when you are not there to reinforce it. What exactly is the problem with them being outside?

    We have a dog door too, have had it since our first dog and for the most part it is fine - they use it when they want and don’t spend long periods outside. We did find out over the summer from a neighbor though that in the rare occurrence when we leave them alone for long periods in the evening (which they are not used to) the two younger dogs were in the habit of going outside and nuisance barking - probably due to anxiety in the change in their routine (plus they are the “barkiest” dogs we’ve had). The solution is that we no longer leave them access to the dog door in the evenings. It’s a bit of a pain as we now occasionally have to find someone to let them out depending on how long we will be gone, but I don’t see any real way of fixing the problem otherwise. During the day they are fine with longer absences as they are used to it, and according to the neighbors don’t do the barking, and don’t spend much time outside.

    If you are worried about the one dog not being able to hold it, maybe crate the others and let him have the freedom to go out? Although healthy adult dogs should be able to hold it for 6 hours - maybe work on making sure they’ve done their business before you leave?
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

  10. #9
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    1,816
    Thanked: 2198
    They also have remote pet treat feeders. From what I understand your not home but letting them out remotely. Which hey I don't have a problem with, it is an interesting solution to the problem. However, getting them to come back in remotely, I would use a remote treat machine.

    I like the idea of this one, if you have an Alexa system. You can be in another room with Alexa and give the command to dispense a treat. It won't take long for the dogs to learn this. Once they hear Alexa and get used to he this means we are getting a treat in the house, I bet they come running inside.
    Amazon.com: Furbo Dog Camera: Treat Tossing, Full HD Wifi Pet Camera and 2-Way Audio, Designed for Dogs, Compatible with Alexa (As Seen On Ellen): Pet Supplies

    This would be my solution to the problem. However I also agree with other people if the dog is safe out in the yard by itself and can not run away. Why not let it hang out outside. Sometimes my boy like to just go lay out on the deck in the sun. I let him.

  11. #10
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    OK, so the dogs won't respond to the voice without reinforcement. The dogs know it's not "you" but you can condition them to any noise. I was going to suggest something along the lines of what Jeff said. So, you call them, then they are reinforced with food when they come inside. The complication is that you have multiple dogs and if certain dogs always get the treats and certain dogs do not, then the dogs not being reinforced will learn that the reinforcement won't come so you're back to square one. Also, there is the question of finding something equally reinforcing to all dogs to get them to come inside.

    I'd either nix the doggie door system if it worries you so much (six hours is fine for adult dogs) or crate the two that cause issues and leave the others be.

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Labradorks For This Useful Post:

    Annette47 (11-30-2018)

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •