Figuring out when she wants to come back inside has been a bit more challenging. It was always hard to tell if, when I opened the door and called, "Lily, wanna come back inside?" she was coming back in because she wanted to, or if she was just doing so because she thought I wanted her to. Even her sitting or lying by the door wasn't necessarily a clue, since she seems to just like to do that sometimes even when not ready to come in. Generally I would figure it out one way or the other only by her wanting to go back outside again just a few minutes after coming in.
Recently, though, Lily has furthered her communication skills and started scratching at the door when she wants to come in. She does it very politely, just a gentle "scratch-scratch-scratch," and then a pause to wait for someone to come let her in. If no one hears her the first time, she resumes the scratching and pausing pattern until someone arrives. It's really very convenient, taking the guesswork out of the situation for me. I'm quite proud of her for implementing this new system all by herself. Although I do have a friend whose beagles literally throw themselves at the door when they want to come in (flying beagles!) so I hope this isn't a slippery slope...
How do your dogs communicate with you about their desire to go in or out?
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What good manners Lily has! When we first adopted our Jackson, we noticed that he would accidentally touch the door knob of our front door when he wanted to go out. We hung a large bell (like a cow bell) on the door knob, and, from then on, Jackson has been delighted to ring the bell with his nose, every time he needs to go out! Of course, I don't think this method would work with Lily's adorable, but rather short, little legs. Besides, she's already got the perfect method! :)
ReplyDeleteWe did actually consider trying to train her to use a bell when we first got her, since I've heard of that method working well for many other people. Unfortunately, since Lily can be fearful of loud noises (and her definition of loud is not necessarily really that loud) we didn't want to scare her away from the door and make her afraid to go out at all. So, I am extra grateful that she invented her own method that works with her quirks ;)
DeleteShe is so smart! We have a dog screen, it's like a screen door except the dogs can come and go through it when the actual door is open. So I can open the door and let them out and they can come back in when ready. Truth be told, mine don't really stay out if I'm not out there with them but the screen is still awesome in the case they want to go in before I'm ready!
ReplyDeleteNice! Lily likes to spend some time each day in the yard, even if it's by herself, assuming the weather is decent. She takes her sunbathing very seriously and likes to eat bugs (and grass).
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