I’d like to know what I should do when my dog opens the doors? And how can I stop her from doing it?
My dog, a one-year-old Border Collie cross Lab, opens the doors. She puts one paw on the wall and the other on the handle to open it.
Because of this, we’re having to keep certain rooms in the house shut, but some doors don’t have locks so we’re worried she’ll get in and destroy everything.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Translated from French
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Your dog has figured out how to get into the rest of the house, and no amount of telling her off or training is going to change things now. You might catch her in the act when you're there, but what’s going to happen when you’ve popped out?
For an immediate fix, definitely take the other members' advice on board: try turning the door handles upside down or swapping them for round doorknobs...
Victoria Chasle Castillo
Dog Behaviourist
http://www.1001comportements.com
http://1001comportements.over-blog.com
To teach her she’s not allowed: a firm "no" when you catch her in the act, and put her back in the room. If she stays in there without trying to open the door, give her some praise.
Not much you can do really, other than teaching her to do it on command rather than whenever she decides to! I tried turning the door handles round, but Miko still managed to open them, and since the girls couldn't do it anymore, they’d just ask him to do it for them!! Miko’s in doggy heaven now, but without even knowing her, he must have passed the "door-opening gene" on to Comète. She knows how to open and push them, but she hasn't figured out how to pull, so she asks Sokette or Rani – they don't know how to press the handle down, but they’re experts at pulling the door open!!! Proper teamwork, really!!!!
Ah, the Border Collie – always got bags of energy, and a Lab cross to boot! Yeah, like @diabolo said, you could try fitting round door knobs... or you could always just chop the dog's legs off LOL! In all seriousness, there aren't many ways around it other than training; if you keep telling him off, he should eventually get the message. He's only a year old, so he's still a proper teenager – curious about everything and a bit of a handful... You’ve just got to be firm and make sure he understands...
You can wedge the doors shut from the outside with a doorstop. That’s what I do when I want to have a shower in PEACE! Even if the dog is a big, strong lad, there’s no chance of them getting in. Good luck!
