Advice about Doggie doors

[Vinny]

Boy did we luck out today. A new Anna Marie CYV on an oversized corner lot became available today in Pennecamp. It has grass on three sides and more property than my current 4 bedroom home sits on now. We signed the contract immediately based on pictures only. We have been looking for 7 months now and finally found a house that mets our needs and those of our dogs.

Anyway, since there is now a lanai between our home and the yard we are thinking about putting in a doggie door in the lanai. We do not want to have to open two doors for them and also not be able to hear them when they want to come in. Right now we just slide our door open and when they want to come in one barks and the other just stares through the door using her Yorkie mind tricks. Seems to work as I always know what she wants and do it.

We have no experience with doggie doors at all. Your experience with training your pets to use them, where to install them and which kind are the best will be appreciated. We have seen some that work by magnetic force but that involves putting something on the collars of the dogs and Yorkies are a toy breed and most of these gizmos are large in comparison to the dogs.

Idealy we would like to put a doggie door both on the house and Lanai as one of out dogs can stay out most of the day and we have to, yes have to, check every 15 minutes to see if she wants to come in as she just sits there as I mentioned above. Anyone have two doors?

[maury]

i have a door in my bedroom going onto the enclosed lanai and then another door in the screen of the lanai going out to the backyard (enclosed)---
everything is great!!! it only takes a couple of training sessions to get them used to it----then it is TOTAL FREEDOM for us...the sliding door in the bedroom uses a separate panel doggie door and the lanai doggie door was specially put in for us by screening professionals..maybe 100$ but WORTH IT---measurements are important (dog) and the rise of the door is important,,,,read up on this---plenty of websites....good luck, Ina:coolsmiley:

[K9-Lovers]

It's easy to train your dogs to use a doggy door. ;)

With one person on each side of the doggy door (requires 2 people), one person holds the dog facing the door. The person on the other side calls the dog. The person with the dog holds the door open so that the dog can see out the other side. With a gentle nudge, push the dog through the door to the other side. The person on the receiving end praises the dog and gives a treat. Now, reverse the process, always rewarding and treating. After a few times of this, barely push the door open so that your dog feels the sensation of the door on his/her head and back. Do this a few more times with praise and treats. Now for the big test. Try it again without holding the door at all and see if your dog goes through on it's own. In my experience, it only takes one or two training sessions and your dog will catch on and be glad to use the new-found freedom.

Since you have a Yorkie (very smart little dog!) then you should have no problems. Don't get a larger door than necessary, get one that is just a tad higher than the height of your dog's shoulders. A dog will lower it's head and take most of the door flap weight on it's back.

[l2ridehd]

But with a door in both lanai and home, what do you do when an alligator or snake decides to come visit?

[Vinny]

It's easy to train your dogs to use a doggy door. ;)

Since you have a Yorkie (very smart little dog!) then you should have no problems. Don't get a larger door than necessary, get one that is just a tad higher than the height of your dog's shoulders. A dog will lower it's head and take most of the door flap weight on it's back.

Yep they are smart, too smart sometimes. Both will do anything for treats so training them is easy. Thanks for the info. Ideally we would like two doors as right now they wake my wife up twice during the night. Hard to change their bathroom habits but witht he move we hope to change their habits as well as ours. :)

[JoInTV]

Vinny,

You’re right about Yorkies sometimes being too smart! Our 13-year-old Yorkie has US trained quite well. You’re also correct about it being hard to change their bathroom habits. But my Max knows that waking Mommy up in the middle of the night isn’t a smart thing to do, so he always goes to my husband’s side of the bed and gets Daddy to get up to let him out during the night. If nothing else, we’re just both very thankful that he knows enough to wake somebody up because going in the house is NOT an option. A doggy door wouldn’t work for us because we have coyotes, hawks and large owls in the area. A 9-pound pooch would be a tasty treat indeed for any of these critters, so he’s never outside without one of us there with him. I even keep a baseball bat in the corner of the lanai, just in case. Coyotes can leap over our 6-foot concrete fence walls with ease, so the fencing is not a deterrent.

My husband and I will have to live vicariously through you and all of the other TV residents on this forum for another couple of years as the housing market in the Phoenix metro area is so depressed with so many short sales and foreclosures that we can’t sell our home unless we price it at the same level as those short sales and foreclosures. Our house has been on the market for almost 4 months with several dozen showings. Everyone loves it and wants it, but doesn’t want to pay more than the area short sales/foreclosures. We don’t have to sell, and refuse to give it away. We’re not looking to make a profit on the sale, just not lose a great deal just because others in the neighborhood made poor choices in paying way too much during the boom and now either they can’t afford the mortgage or are just walking away.

Sorry to get off on a tangent there…..

Anyway, anyone who has a Yorkie knows how smart and full of personality they are. You shouldn’t have any trouble training your little cuties the hang of using the doggy door. Best of luck and enjoy Paradise!!

[graciegirl]

We live in Hadley and my neighbor next door told me that she found a four foot black snake on her lanai this morning. That is without a doggie door. Her husband got him off of the lanai with a broom. Now he is out there somewhere..................:ohdear:

I do not like snakes.

[Vinny]

I love the idea of two doogie doors but my wife brought up a good point. How do we teach our dogs to put on their rain coats when they go out in the rain?

If we are aware of rain we could block the doors but we have spent enough time in Florida to know that rain can come suddenly and disappear as quickly.

Our dogs will go out in the rain. Does not bother them unless it is a hard rain. Unfortunately they will come into the house and shake themselves dry and then jump into bed with my wife with wet paws. My wife is a cleanliness freak and smelly wet dogs and mud, etc. is not permitted. :smiley:

[K9-Lovers]

Vinny, it is obvious that your dogs are not poodles. All dogs, except poodles, think that they are already wearing their rain coats. :clap2:

[Vinny]

Vinny,

You’re right about Yorkies sometimes being too smart! Our 13-year-old Yorkie has US trained quite well. You’re also correct about it being hard to change their bathroom habits. But my Max knows that waking Mommy up in the middle of the night isn’t a smart thing to do, so he always goes to my husband’s side of the bed and gets Daddy to get up to let him out during the night. If nothing else, we’re just both very thankful that he knows enough to wake somebody up because going in the house is NOT an option. A doggy door wouldn’t work for us because we have coyotes, hawks and large owls in the area. A 9-pound pooch would be a tasty treat indeed for any of these critters, so he’s never outside without one of us there with him. I even keep a baseball bat in the corner of the lanai, just in case. Coyotes can leap over our 6-foot concrete fence walls with ease, so the fencing is not a deterrent.

My husband and I will have to live vicariously through you and all of the other TV residents on this forum for another couple of years as the housing market in the Phoenix metro area is so depressed with so many short sales and foreclosures that we can’t sell our home unless we price it at the same level as those short sales and foreclosures. Our house has been on the market for almost 4 months with several dozen showings. Everyone loves it and wants it, but doesn’t want to pay more than the area short sales/foreclosures. We don’t have to sell, and refuse to give it away. We’re not looking to make a profit on the sale, just not lose a great deal just because others in the neighborhood made poor choices in paying way too much during the boom and now either they can’t afford the mortgage or are just walking away.

Sorry to get off on a tangent there…..

Anyway, anyone who has a Yorkie knows how smart and full of personality they are. You shouldn’t have any trouble training your little cuties the hang of using the doggy door. Best of luck and enjoy Paradise!!

We had the same exact situation. Everyone loved our home and we got unsolicited compliments. But our home is a four bedroom and cost more than the normal starter home for first time home buyers. Then there was the issue of so many short sales to compete with outside of our area. After 43 showings over 7 months we lucked out. Our buyers live in an apartment on the other side of the farm I border and wanted to stay in the same area so his daughter could still go to the same school and play with her same friends.

All I can suggest is that you realistically price your home according to the what the market will pay. Most people forget that things are only worth what people are willing to pay for them. If you owe too much to do this, just wait. The banks are still sitting on a large inventory of foreclosures that will hit the market soon and further depress it. The market should be OK by this time next year. We were just about to pull our home off the market when we sold it. Our friends waited one year and I know someone who tried for 4 years. Right now even if priced right luck is needed.

[Vinny]

Vinny, it is obvious that your dogs are not poodles. All dogs, except poodles, think that they are already wearing their rain coats. :clap2:

They are Yorkies but think they are pit bulls. Fearless no matter how large the other dog is. The other thing my wife is worrying about is not being able to know when they are outside because she either watches them or checks on them.

My male dog is like the one in another post here. He gets me for his late night letting out and then gets my wife for the early morning one. Depending on time of day he must have his choice of who lets him out. Stupid us accommodate him. We feed them and support them while they get to lay around the house doing nothing but sleep and play. We even pick up their poop. Who is the higher life form?

[K9-Lovers]

Oh my. Yorkies. Having owned a Yorkie for 16 1/2 years, you must know that I am very well trained. Yorkies are much smarter than humans, as you are learning. They start our training as soon as they hit the doorstep, and it continues until you bend to their will. Now, Mr. K9-Lovers and I are so well trained, that we don't even question the commands any more, we just listen and obey. :oops:

Yes, you need to be with them when they are outside, even in a CYV. There are large birds who will take your babies away. We have solved the problem by installing a doggie door panel into our sliding glass door that goes out to our lanai/birdcage. There is a grass area inside the birdcage that is the potty place. That way, the dog is protected from birds of prey by the birdcage.

If you don't have a grass area inside your cage or lanai, an easy fix is to make a raised bed like you would for a garden, plop in some dirt and grass seed, and voila -- potty place. You can build it atop of concrete, and if it is under a solid roof, be sure to water. You can use one layer of bricks or garden edging stones to enclose the dirt. You might even want to put the dirt in one of those large plastic trays that are meant to catch leaks from a washing machine (find them in Lowes/HmDepot near the washing machines or hot water tanks). That would keep any dirt from washing out from under the bricks. Then, for your little boy, just put a stick in the middle of the potty place.

Another idea is a portable "loo" for dogs. Just google "indoor loo dog" and you will see all kinds of ideas.

Gotta love those bossy little Yorkies. My boy watches television -- tell me a funny story about yours . . .

[Vinny]

Oh my. Yorkies. Having owned a Yorkie for 16 1/2 years, you must know that I am very well trained. Yorkies are much smarter than humans, as you are learning. They start our training as soon as they hit the doorstep, and it continues until you bend to their will. Now, Mr. K9-Lovers and I are so well trained, that we don't even question the commands any more, we just listen and obey. :oops:

Yes, you need to be with them when they are outside, even in a CYV. There are large birds who will take your babies away. We have solved the problem by installing a doggie door panel into our sliding glass door that goes out to our lanai/birdcage. There is a grass area inside the birdcage that is the potty place. That way, the dog is protected from birds of prey by the birdcage.

If you don't have a grass area inside your cage or lanai, an easy fix is to make a raised bed like you would for a garden, plop in some dirt and grass seed, and voila -- potty place. You can build it atop of concrete, and if it is under a solid roof, be sure to water. You can use one layer of bricks or garden edging stones to enclose the dirt. You might even want to put the dirt in one of those large plastic trays that are meant to catch leaks from a washing machine (find them in Lowes/HmDepot near the washing machines or hot water tanks). That would keep any dirt from washing out from under the bricks. Then, for your little boy, just put a stick in the middle of the potty place.

Another idea is a portable "loo" for dogs. Just google "indoor loo dog" and you will see all kinds of ideas.

Gotta love those bossy little Yorkies. My boy watches television -- tell me a funny story about yours . . .

My female has a whole routine when she wants to steal my male's bone. She first will stare. Then she plays dead. If that does not work she will yelp in such a high pitch it will make your ears bleed. As a last resort, she will go to the sliding doors and start barking until the male thinks there is something outside and runs to the door. Then she waits for him to run outside and steals his bone. It is very funny to watch. She also will plop on her back if any other dog or person approaches her. She gets instantly submissive. My male will growl and try to bite other dogs and has a bad habit of jumping up to try to lick people's faces which scares a lot of people.

We have Turkey hawks here but out two kids are heavy. Both are around 14 lbs. The male is not a toy dog size but the size of what Yorkies were before they started breeding them small. The female is small but chunky. Not fat, as you can feel her rib cage and other bones, but built like a bull dog. Even stands like one. When she was a puppy a Turkey Hawk swooped in to get her but my wife was there and the hawk ended up crashing into a tree behind them. The female takes on deer that wander near our back yard. We can hardly lift them so while birds are a concern we will let them out and check on them every 15 minutes. Our lot has grass on all sides so they will love it.

[K9-Lovers]

Vinny, your two dogs sound so comical and cute. My boy is about 10lbs and pretty stocky and muscular. You are right, they are bred to be little skinny minnies nowadays. But no matter how tiny, they have a giant personality.

When we lived in Virginia, two bald eagles tried to get my dogs. I was warned by sea gulls who started screaming strangely. So, when I looked up to see what was the matter with the gulls I saw the eagles ready to swoop. I had a 6 lb little white poodle at the time and she is probably who they were after. One of my neighbors had a little dog they let out in their backyard at night and watched it be taken by an owl. So I am very cautious.

[Vinny]

Just to update this thread. We are in our new CYV for a week now. Our Yorkies quickly adjusted and now own the home. They love their big new yard (oversized corner lot) and each morning like to curl up on the lanai furniture and bask in the morning sun. There is much less barking here due to the high mason wall. They cannot bark at what they cannot see. In NJ there were always deer, chipmonks, ground hogs, squirrels, etc. to defend against. So far they found one small frog which they quickly grew tired of.

Both accidently got out of the house either through the front door or back yard due to the coming and going of so many workers and movers. They are better trained than we thought as both instantly returned when told to come. It amazed me. :laugh:

They seem to have adusted to the heat, have lost a little weight (good thing) and love the lack of stairs. They quickly learned to find daddy's new man cave when they want to go potty late at night and I am up playing on my PC or watching TV.

We are still unsure about doggie doors. My wife is like a mother hen and will stand outside with them and goes nuts if she sees one sniffing a spider (could be a vicious poisoness dog eating kind). Since we cannot find a doggie door large enough for her, we are still letting them out the old fashioned way but their need to go out during early evenings is not as great as it used to be. Since I have insomnia and am awake all hours of the night anyway, it is not a problem.

[K9-Lovers]

:wave: Vinny, so glad you are here and your babies are ruling the roost. We are on an oversized corner CYV too, and still let ours out the old fashioned way. Have to say, I agree with your wife, you can't be too careful with these little ones.

Congratulations and Welcome!! :a040::a040:

[duffysmom]

Vinny, I've enjoyed your posts in the past and am happy to hear that you are now living here and settling in. Your doggies have the ideal situation in your CYV. Welcome!!

[Vinny]

Thought I would update. We installed two doggie doors so that our babies could go out the house and then from the lanai to the backyard. We also extended the lanai for them by 12 feet. They love the freedom to come and go as they please however they still will seek us out if we are awake at night to tell them to go pee pee after which thy use their doggie door. Go figure. It proved to be a very good decision as we cam now go it for longer periods of time and no longer are woken at night to let them out. My female even sleeps on the lanai if it is not hot outside. He loves being outdoors. My male just goes out to do his business and comes back in except for his morning sun bathing. My female has always been a huntress and if she spots a gecko she will stay out most of the day hiding near where it was last seen. Keeps her happy. Knowing what I know now if I could go back in time I would have put in doggie doors in my last house. Life is much easier for all concerned.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

Well I am VERY glad that your doggy door is working out for you. Every time I read these posts I have vivid visions of huge Pterodactyls, alligators, coyotes and 80 foot long snakes coming in my yard and scooping up my 98 lb borzoi (Russian Wolfhounds) or walking into my house, from the worst of the worst things posters say :). I love a happy ending and plan to use a doggy door in TV like I have here in PA all these years. I just love the convenience. Here everyone's worry is always about a burgler coming in through the large door I have for my dogs. I don't really worry because then they would also have to come face to face with 3 dogs large enough to use that door! So happy to hear your dog is making your life easier. Thanks for the update.

[jane032657]

We are having a lanai and birdcage doggie door installed. two walk throughs to get to the grass. Once we move in, I will tell you how many alligators come in! We had two racoons here in Seattle come in through the dog door one night, made for an exciting evening.