Puppy trained to use doorbell can't get the hang of using a doggie door by himself

Margi said:
They are a lot smarter than we think ;) Most of the time.
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I sure agree with that. However, now he doesn't remember much of the time. He thinks we have to go to the doggie door with him; he asks permission to go out at the front door still, which leads to his old area. So we end up taking him down to the new area, which reinforces the idea we have to go with him. Sigh.
 
Fainlysmom said:
I sure agree with that. However, now he doesn't remember much of the time. He thinks we have to go to the doggie door with him; he asks permission to go out at the front door still, which leads to his old area. So we end up taking him down to the new area, which reinforces the idea we have to go with him. Sigh.
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Could you try throwing a treat through the doggy door? Then he’d have to go through the door. Maybe once he starts to get the idea you could add in the command door? Personally I’d try doing some clicker training with it...start off with him touching it gradually moving up to him going through it over time. Shaping it would help him learn faster.
 
Piper's mom said:
Could you try throwing a treat through the doggy door? Then he’d have to go through the door. Maybe once he starts to get the idea you could add in the command door? Personally I’d try doing some clicker training with it...start off with him touching it gradually moving up to him going through it over time. Shaping it would help him learn faster.
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Hi, Julie. We've thrown a piece of his kibble through, and he always goes through it then, but the problem is that still requires us to be there and he isn't understanding we don't need to be. It's not that he won't go through the door, it's that he thinks he needs our permission and accompaniment to do so! We've never used a clicker; can you just start that at his age (7.5 mos) and it will work?

Thanks!
 
Fainlysmom said:
Hi, Julie. We've thrown a piece of his kibble through, and he always goes through it then, but the problem is that still requires us to be there and he isn't understanding we don't need to be. It's not that he won't go through the door, it's that he thinks he needs our permission and accompaniment to do so! We've never used a clicker; can you just start that at his age (7.5 mos) and it will work?

Thanks!
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You can start clicker training at any age...the younger the better! Only thing you need to do (aside from getting a good clicker...one that makes a loud click) is to ‘prime or load’ the clicker. You do this by having maybe 20 very small treats. Click the clicker and give a treat...do this is quick succession, one after the other (that’s why you want small treats, nothing that will take them a while to chew) until they’re all gone. Now they will understand that when they hear a click it means they get a treat...always! Lol If you accidentally click they get a treat too. Just make sure you are clicking at the right time...too soon or too late and your not rewarding the behaviour your looking for. Google shaping behaviour in dogs...it’ll describe it in more detail. A simple example is teaching touch...I hold my hand out and out of curiosity the dog lightly touches it...click and reward. As he progresses he begins to understand he gets a treat when he touches it. Once that happens I would only reward when he touches firmly, no rewarding for sloppy ones. May take awhile but they do learn incredibly fast through shaping. It’s important though not to try to help them...I wouldn’t move my hand closer if they’re not getting it...you have to be patient.
 
Piper's mom said:
You can start clicker training at any age...the younger the better! Only thing you need to do (aside from getting a good clicker...one that makes a loud click) is to ‘prime or load’ the clicker. You do this by having maybe 20 very small treats. Click the clicker and give a treat...do this is quick succession, one after the other (that’s why you want small treats, nothing that will take them a while to chew) until they’re all gone. Now they will understand that when they hear a click it means they get a treat...always! Lol If you accidentally click they get a treat too. Just make sure you are clicking at the right time...too soon or too late and your not rewarding the behaviour your looking for. Google shaping behaviour in dogs...it’ll describe it in more detail. A simple example is teaching touch...I hold my hand out and out of curiosity the dog lightly touches it...click and reward. As he progresses he begins to understand he gets a treat when he touches it. Once that happens I would only reward when he touches firmly, no rewarding for sloppy ones. May take awhile but they do learn incredibly fast through shaping. It’s important though not to try to help them...I wouldn’t move my hand closer if they’re not getting it...you have to be patient.
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Also just don't go all the way to the door but maybe give an other door command. If he figures out and heads out go a little less each time. Eventually you might be voice command or nothing. Little distances each step. Maybe two steps away then pause until he goes out. Once that seems normal and he just goes out back up a step or two more .......etc.
 
SheepOfBlue said:
Also just don't go all the way to the door but maybe give an other door command. If he figures out and heads out go a little less each time. Eventually you might be voice command or nothing. Little distances each step. Maybe two steps away then pause until he goes out. Once that seems normal and he just goes out back up a step or two more .......etc.[/QUO
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