Doors Opening for Gal!

Today I am trying to get Gal to go through doors when I ask her to. She is a little leary because she doesn't quite know what is going to happen on the other side yet, or if the door is going to "get' her before she can get through. So we sat on the front porch with the adult dogs and propped the door open. Gal was on the outside and we wanted her to come on to the screened in porch. She would come close and then get a little nervous so we would send the adult dogs out to 'get' her. We told the big dogs "Go get Gal!" So they would go outside to where Gal was waiting and sniff her and then we would call them into the porch. She would follow them part way and then stop and retreat. We repeated this several times until she followed the big dogs on to the porch. We gave her treats when she made it all the way in and then played a game of tug and petted her some. She really liked that, what a food hound! This was easy for us because we just sat there with the door open and sent the big boys out to get her several times and all we did was to reward her when she got past the threshold. Before long she was comfortable in there and we closed the door for a short time and then let her go right back outside where she felt the safest.

Gal is learning to trust the house because she was raised in an outdoor kennel from 4 weeks old until now. She is great if we bring her in on a leash or carry her in but I want her to be comfortable coming in and out on her own before we bring her in to live here at 12 weeks old or when her siblings are all gone. So tomorrow we will do it again and she will probably follow the big dogs in with much less hesitation. This is a good way for her to learn to trust us. She will learn that when we call her, good things happen! We never want to scold a dog when they come to us, even if we are furstrated and feel she should have come sooner because we want our dogs to trust that being with us is the best place, and safest place EVER!

She wanted to come the first time but her caution won out. It took about three or four times. She recovers very quickly and each day she feels more comfortable than the day before. Now we would be further along if she were living in the house without her siblings but because she spends so much of her time with the others, it is quite an adventure to travel that far without them. The others will be leaving this week and next so she will gradually spend more and more time at the house or with the big dogs. This is very different than the way most people would raise their puppies but the principle to learn here is to be patient and reward what you like. If you don't have other dogs, by all means us a leash and just reward when they come in and out of the door. You can even stand with the door open and walk in and out and reward. We are experimenting and trying to see just how much of her education she will get from the older, confident, stable dogs. Don't try this unless your dogs are buddies with the puppy and she is excited about doing what the big dogs do.

Happy Training!
Mary