# Ideas?



## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Zio's current method of letting us know he wants to come in from the backyard is to jump up & scratch the lanai screen at the bottom of the door or the one just to the right of it. (He also whines loudly/barks as well but the volume of the whine/bark only intensifies if the scratching behaviour does as well.)

However, even though we have put up extra strong pet-proof mesh in these areas so he cannot rip them (again), he keeps popping the top gaskets out so that eventually that portion of screen is open. Not a biggie to reseat the gasket, but it's getting tiresome.

So I'm looking for ideas/suggestions about what to use for him to "signal" us that he wants to come back in. He's smart enough that I think we can train him to hit or scratch some other noise-making surface. But what do you think might work in this instance? Surely pulling on a bell or similar noise making device would be too complicated.

Thoughts?

Thanks,


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## Todd-dogs (Feb 22, 2010)

hang a bell.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

One of the dogs in Ania's preschool class had something called Poochy Bells. It's just a bell that you hang from the door. They were able to train her to use it when she wanted to go in and out. You're dog seems smart enough to get the hang of it. :wink:

Ania started jumping on our slider when she wanted to come in. When she would do so, I would say, "no" followed by "sit". When she was sitting quietly for a brief time, I would let her in. She eventually learned that in order for her to be let in the house, she had to be calm and sitting. Jumping on the door would get her nowhere. We also wait until she is sitting nicely to let her go outside.

But I think that it shouldn't be your dog that decides when/if he goes inside or outside. If Ania had her way, she'd be in and out all day long. A doggy door is NOT an option for us. When Ania is sitting at the door looking longingly at us, we know when she wants to go. Now that we've pretty much broken her jumping habit, we don't always give in. Eventually, she gives up and lays down with a dramatic sigh.

Good luck! 
Richelle


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Ania's Mommy said:


> One of the dogs in Ania's preschool class had something called Poochy Bells. It's just a bell that you hang from the door. They were able to train her to use it when she wanted to go in and out. You're dog seems smart enough to get the hang of it. :wink:
> 
> Ania started jumping on our slider when she wanted to come in. When she would do so, I would say, "no" followed by "sit". When she was sitting quietly for a brief time, I would let her in. She eventually learned that in order for her to be let in the house, she had to be calm and sitting. Jumping on the door would get her nowhere. We also wait until she is sitting nicely to let her go outside.
> 
> ...


Richelle, all good points. I'm going to have to look for "poochy balls" at the local pet stores. :biggrin:

Like you, a doggie door is NOT an option for us. 

Meanwhile, Zio's in/out wishes are fairly reasonable. We can tell the difference between "hey, I really gotta GO" and "I'm bored, let me out/in/out/in..." He gets put out back accordingly.

We don't have a fenced in yard; rather he's put on a 30' lead on the end of a run line that traverses the length of the lanai. It amounts to him having access to a about 85% of our backyard. 

To be honest, he's not "attacking" the lanai screens with a huge amount of frantic force, but he IS an energetic 60# GSP. Which means he can exert enough pressure on that bottom screen to pop the gasket.

Thanks!


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

If you go the Poochy Bells route, I would just buy regular old bells and attach them to a rope or something. I think the actual Poochy Bells are sold online and probably somewhat pricey.

Good Luck!


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## theyan (Apr 11, 2010)

Try the bell method.


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