Is door scratching mindless dog destruction or a sign of something more troubling?
Often it's difficult to work out why your dog is scratching at the door as they can do it for a number of different reasons. It may be a way of letting you know they need to be let out for a pee, or it might be a ploy to get your interest or a rather more serious evidence of separation anxiety in dogs. Either way, if you don't like the mess it causes to your paintwork, here's how you can stop it.
Find Out Why They Do It
The primary step is to work out what lies behind the scratching, as you will need a different approach to resolving the problem depending on why they do it.
Quite simply, requiring a pee or wanting your attention will mean they scratch the door while you're around, but with dog anxiety the scratching will happen while you're out. Nonetheless in a few cases of intense anxiety in dogs, it can start as soon as you leave a room closing the door between you and your dog.
If your dog scratches to be let out and when you do he just wanders around or eyes you hoping you'll come out and play, you know he was only after your attention and that you've just got a easy dog behaviour problem to handle.
Coping with Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Many owners think about scratching as mindless destructive dog behaviour, rather than a sign of dog anxiety, and although it can be very destructive, that is not the aim that lies behind the dog scratching at the door.
Rather, a dog suffering from separation anxiety will be in a panic to get to you and will use any means they can which includes making an attempt to scratch their way out through the door.
To treat separation anxiety in dogs effectively you're going to require a two-pronged approach. The first is to get a good canine training program that is focused on dog anxiety as that will help you desensitise your dog to their anxiety triggers and teach them new behaviors. The second's to focus on the dog behaviour problem itself and use systems which will show your dog that this behavior is not acceptable to you.
Stop Door Scratching for Attention
If anxiety is not the problem, then a dog scratching to be let out for a pee is much easier to address. If you don't like the damage to your paintwork simply let them out yourself frequently, before they get to the stage where they have to be scratching the door.
But, if your dog is scratching the door to be let out and then when you open the door they stand there gazing at you, they are much more likely to be attention seeking. The question is, how can you guarantee your dog gets to out when they'd like to do their business, but are not in a position to use it to get our attention?
The answer's to open the door when they scratch without paying any attention to the dog, that implies not looking directly at them, chatting to them or slipping in a little stroke or a pat!
If you open the door and the dog goes out, then all is fine. If you open the door and the dog stays put, then close the door and go back to what you were doing, again without giving any attention to your dog. Straightforward, but particularly effective. The cool thing about dogs is that if their attention seeking behaviour does not get them any attention they will shortly give up this behaviour.
Often it's difficult to work out why your dog is scratching at the door as they can do it for a number of different reasons. It may be a way of letting you know they need to be let out for a pee, or it might be a ploy to get your interest or a rather more serious evidence of separation anxiety in dogs. Either way, if you don't like the mess it causes to your paintwork, here's how you can stop it.
Find Out Why They Do It
The primary step is to work out what lies behind the scratching, as you will need a different approach to resolving the problem depending on why they do it.
Quite simply, requiring a pee or wanting your attention will mean they scratch the door while you're around, but with dog anxiety the scratching will happen while you're out. Nonetheless in a few cases of intense anxiety in dogs, it can start as soon as you leave a room closing the door between you and your dog.
If your dog scratches to be let out and when you do he just wanders around or eyes you hoping you'll come out and play, you know he was only after your attention and that you've just got a easy dog behaviour problem to handle.
Coping with Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Many owners think about scratching as mindless destructive dog behaviour, rather than a sign of dog anxiety, and although it can be very destructive, that is not the aim that lies behind the dog scratching at the door.
Rather, a dog suffering from separation anxiety will be in a panic to get to you and will use any means they can which includes making an attempt to scratch their way out through the door.
To treat separation anxiety in dogs effectively you're going to require a two-pronged approach. The first is to get a good canine training program that is focused on dog anxiety as that will help you desensitise your dog to their anxiety triggers and teach them new behaviors. The second's to focus on the dog behaviour problem itself and use systems which will show your dog that this behavior is not acceptable to you.
Stop Door Scratching for Attention
If anxiety is not the problem, then a dog scratching to be let out for a pee is much easier to address. If you don't like the damage to your paintwork simply let them out yourself frequently, before they get to the stage where they have to be scratching the door.
But, if your dog is scratching the door to be let out and then when you open the door they stand there gazing at you, they are much more likely to be attention seeking. The question is, how can you guarantee your dog gets to out when they'd like to do their business, but are not in a position to use it to get our attention?
The answer's to open the door when they scratch without paying any attention to the dog, that implies not looking directly at them, chatting to them or slipping in a little stroke or a pat!
If you open the door and the dog goes out, then all is fine. If you open the door and the dog stays put, then close the door and go back to what you were doing, again without giving any attention to your dog. Straightforward, but particularly effective. The cool thing about dogs is that if their attention seeking behaviour does not get them any attention they will shortly give up this behaviour.
About the Author:
Author Venice Marriott is a writer, dog lover and owner of the Dog Anxiety website, which provides help and information for dog owners dealing with dog anxiety. Find out more about your dog scratching the door and other dog behaviour problems when you visit the site.
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