Does your dog (or cat) dash to the front door every time it’s opened? No wonder! Most pets have had enough good experiences there to know it’s worth investigating, that open door.
In fact, your pet doesn’t just want to check it. Your pet wants to escape out that open door, without you if necessary, to see what’s out there. Once outside, your pet—without you—is on his own. That’s not a good thing, is it?
No, it’s not.
You may have the best recall in the universe, but once your pet is outside, free, your calling him to come may not keep him out of trouble. He may be already across the street, chasing a squirrel or sniffing out your neighbor’s cat. Call him to come and he’ll have to cross that street again. You can look both ways before you call, but your pet will likely not look both ways before he comes to you.
What if he’s crossing the street, coming when called, as a speeding car appears? Will your pet stop? Will he dodge the car? Or will he be hit, in the street, doing what he was supposed to do—coming to you?
You do not want to take that chance.
But let’s say you get very lucky. Your pet has escaped out an open door, he’s running around loose in your neighborhood, and nothing bad happens to him. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?
No, it’s not.
If nothing bad happens to him after he’s dashed out the front door without you, your pet will be rewarded for his own “bad” behavior. He’ll have a great time out there, and he’ll remember that good time. Very possibly, he’ll remember exactly how he got there . . . out your front door without your permission.
He may, in fact, become hyper-aware of that front door and what it has to offer. He’ll look for chances to break out of the house, becoming bolder the more times it happens and he gets once again to enjoy the results of his door-dashing. He’ll become good at it.
Your solution?
Don’t let it happen the first time.
Before you bring your new pet home, think about how you will control access to “outside.” It’s easier to plan door security if your new pet is young—a puppy or a kitten who’s had no experience with walkabouts or escapes into the exciting world that lies outside your home.
If your new pet is not that young, he may well have had experiences that make him very interested in getting out that door, with or without you. You may not know your pet’s history. From day one, assume he will go out an open door if given half a chance. And don’t give him that chance!
You’re lucky if you have a living situation in which the door to “outside” is not accessible directly from other areas of your home—if it’s in a front hall or foyer surrounded by inside doors that can be closed. That makes it easy: don’t open the front door unless the “air lock” of your front hall or foyer is closed to the rest of the house. Adults may find that easy to remember. Kids, maybe not so much. Enlist the help of the whole family, and anyone else who visits regularly, to make firm rules about open doors.
Encourage cooperation with those rules by noticing and commenting on successes. Did your kindergartener remind you that the door to the front hall was still ajar as you started to go out the front? Don’t ignore it—reward that kid for noticing! Did you hear your sixth-grader telling her friends about the “front door rules” and why those rules must be followed? Compliment her later, at the dinner table. If you think it’s appropriate, reward her with something you know she wants. ”You remembered. You explained it so well! Your friends were great about it. Let’s celebrate. How about an ice cream cone after our trip to the library?” (Why, yes, you are training the kids, too.)
But your home may not have an “air lock” around your front door. You weren’t thinking about a new puppy or kitten when you chose your house. Instead, you may need to create other barriers to prevent direct access to outside. Baby gates may be the answer . . . but not necessarily the sort made for human babies.
Google “pet baby gates” online to see what’s currently available. You’ll be amazed. Different barriers solve so many problems of an “open plan” home. They’re much longer than you’d expect, but that’s what you need. “Baby gates” for animals now come in very attractive styles, too; they’re not all just plastic and wire. You can match wood tones to your furniture!
Look, too, if need be, for barriers that suit more than one species of animal in your home. One very popular style blocks dogs, but has a very small opening that allows cats to pass through. Another has a “door” through which humans can pass; once its secure latch is fastened, it prevents dogs from following.
Dog barriers come in a variety of heights, as well. Plan ahead for your pet’s full growth, even if she’s small now. Many adult dogs can jump or climb over “regular height” barriers. Many cats can jump over even the highest of dog barriers, and that may be exactly what you want . . . until the cat is too old to jump. Invest wisely, with the future in mind.
A pet who has never escaped out the front door is much less likely to attempt an escape than a pet who’s door-dashed successfully and lived to tell the tale. I’ve suggested physical barriers, “front door rules,” and management of your pet to prevent door-dashing. All those suggestions work, if you use them faithfully. With faithful management, you should be able to keep your pet from ever escaping out your front door.
But . . . what if you mess up? What if you forget? What if the wind blows open your insecurely latched front door when your pet is standing nearby? What then?
Management won’t solve that problem. Training might.
Next week, I’ll suggest several methods that should work well for you and for your pet (yes, cats, too) to teach the animal that choosing not to dash out open doors is always rewarding . . . and that “waiting” at an open door is best.
