Scratching the door and windows while outside. How to correct?

[pride-and-joy]

Here is the situation. To give you an idea of his age and level of training.....Jake, 18 mos neutered male. Puppy K, Basic, CGC.

Being the velcro dogs that they are....they are quick to do their business and want to come back inside. Fine, no problem. But here's the problem...

Jake in particular has started to body slam the French doors that lead from the deck into my kitchen when he wants back in. He also stands up and paws the kitchen window when I am at the sink doing dishes.

I have tried two different approaches since I can't leash correct him when he is on the other side of the door. Really feel like my hands are tied here.

Tactic one: Totally ignore. If I was in the living room and heard and felt the vibration of him ramming the door....I'd just cringe and count to 10, hoping he would abandon the behavior.

I have never, ever let him in after he's touched any part of the exterior of my house. I can't see where I have rewarded this to make him so damn persistant

Tactic two: Ok, number one didn't work:(. After listening to his deterimination for several minutes and realizing my door might be laying on the kitchen floor soon....I resorted to: Storming into the kitchen with my Exorsist face on. Loudly rapping on the door, yelling "Nooo! Offff!" turning around and going back in the living room, out of sight. After a few minutes of silence, going back to the door, commanding a "sit" then "wait" then "ok." He comes in and acts like his halo isn't even tarneshed

My trainer suggested that sometimes things like this are a situation for an anonymous message from the "long arm of the law" (ie. remote work). Just an idea that I wanted to bouce off you all. No flames requested....just humble opinions.

I also thought about throwing a string of cans out an upstairs window right at the same moment he bangs on the door to startle the beejeevers out of him.

Ideas? Please? ....just paid a fortune to have the house painted which now has mud and dog scratches all over

[AngelBunny]

pride-and-joy:

How long is Jake left outside? Why can't he come back in?

[Judi W]

My solution also.

Perhaps you should consider hanging some bells on the door that you use to let him in and out of. The minute he touches those bells and makes noise with them, let him in. That gives him a more polite way of asking to be let in.

[pride-and-joy]

Thanks for the replies.

AngelBunny,
When I get home from work, I let him out of his crate to go potty. I then get my walking clothes on and mill about the kitchen briefly....looking at mail, etc....before going out for our walk. Maybe 30 minutes at this point.

I also let them out several times throughout the evening to potty, sniff around and frap. Being outside is definately not the norm, but there has to be a nicer way of asking to come back in. I certainly don't mind letting him back in....but not upon a rude pushy request.

JudyW,
Yes, I have bells on either side of the door. He has pretty much given up on the outside bells for his "bolder" approach.

(I'm hanging in there with touch up paint and patience. Maybe this is one of those things he will eventually abandon as long as I continue to not reinforce it?)

[Judi W]

Well, I'd try to hang the bells actually on the door. If he rings them, let him in. If he slams on the door, jerk it open, stamping your feet towards him and in your meanest voice "hey mister, what do you think you're doing?" then go back in the house. You will need to do this every single time (for either the bells or slams) for a while, so count on planting yourself right inside the door (to the side so he can't see) every time you let him out until he gets that connection hard wired into his little pea brain. It means you can't be changing your clothes or puttering around in the kitchen. This becomes a project. If you don't do it this way and you correct after two or three slams you have given him permission to slam it several times .... get the idea?

[pride-and-joy]

Yes, thank you again Judy. Will put that plan into action ASAP.

I can see how mixing the two tactics of sometimes ignoring and allowing him to bang and other times chastising him have been counterproductive.

Oh how I love projects. I've got a "human teenager" and "Rottie teenager" who constantly need remodeling. Ha ha!