How do I keep my dog out of a room?
We turned one of our rooms into a cat room for our cats and we have a baby gate in the doorway to keep the dogs out but also allow the cats to jump over it to get in the room. It’s where their litter boxes, bowls and toys are. Two of our small dogs aren’t able to get in there but one of our dogs, a dachshund named Lexi keeps leaping over the gate and messing the room up and using the bathroom on the floor in there. We’ve thought about buying a taller gate with a small pet door that opens, but since Lexi is a small dog she’d be able to walk through it. And if we kept it closed the cats wouldn’t be able to jump over the gate easily and one of our cats is a cripple with deformed back legs and he wouldn’t be able to jump over at all.
How can we keep Lexi out of the room WITHOUT any kind of shock collar but still have a way of our cats getting in there easily. Especially our cripple?
We don’t have another room to lock her in and we don’t want her locked up. Also one of our cats is about 15 lbs and is bigger than Lexi so there’s no way he’d fit through a small door.
We’ve done the "out" thing but it didn’t work. When we catch her and say it, she jumps out and knows she’s in trouble but that still doesn’t stop her from doing it again as soon as turn our backs.
12 Comments on “How do I keep my dog out of a room?”
Consider a collar-operated cat door. The cats will have to wear collars that contain a "key" that will open the door, but the doxie will be kept out. Make sure it works with the taller gate with the cat door you spoke of.
lock him in another room
Learn to train a dog properly
Lock her in another room. Keep a better eye on her. Get a gate with a dog door that is big enough for your cats but too small for Lexi.
You could try training. When she gets in, give her a ferm "NO" or "OUT". After she leaves, praise her. It will take some time but she will learn after a few times.
That’s really your only option. I hope everything works out.
But the dog in a room where you can close the door.
If u catch lexi in the cats room, tell her to go and walks towards her and "herd" her back into the room she supposed to be in. Or leash her and if sje in the cats room just lead her back into the room. If shes about to jump over just say no and make sure she doesnt jump
Train your dogs not to go in there. Try to teach her not to go past the door, almost like teaching them to stay, but instead like there is an invisible door. Teach them that you will not let them get past the door, obviously without hurting them.
Could you put a couple of taller chairs/stools in front of the gate? The cats could still access the room by getting on the chairs/stools, but maybe the dog could not.
You could also get the taller gate, and then get a kitty tower to put on both sides so your older cat can climb over the gate, but the dog cannot.
I have 2 dogs that I trained to stay out of certain areas of the house without physical barriers being in place. When you go in a room and the dog starts to follow you in, just give a sharp "ah-ah!" noise or say "go away" or "out!" When you do this make sure you say it forcefully. At the same time, walk towards your dog fairly quickly, and you’ll see that Lexi will most likely back up immediately. The second she is out of the room, you can praise her with simple verbal praise ("Good!" or "Yes!") and/or a treat. Practice this every day, at least 10 times a day. In no time at all, she’ll figure it out. Just be patient, and remember that: 1. Dachshunds are stubborn, and 2. You are expecting a DOG to go against her instincts just because you want her to…although it can be done, it’s very unnatural/difficult for her to do this. Good luck!
This is a bit drastic, but get a doggy door that has special collars for the animals allowed to use the door. Put the collars on the cats and not on the dogs. Another option might be a higher gate and a ramp or stairs on the inside of the gate so the cats could climb up and over but the dog couldn’t jump from the other side.
Take your dog to school.