Someone's worked out how to open doors!!

[Featherpaw]

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Hi all.

We have a bit of a conundrum now. Teasel's learnt how to turn a doorknob and now she's letting herself into our bedroom and has a whale of a time on our bed!! I know some people are fine with this in their house, but we had a solid rule from day one that she is not allowed on the bed at all. Plus the landlord has just put down new carpet in the bedroom and wants us to try and keep her away from the upstairs area. She's been uninterested to even try to get into the bedroom until now. I think she's using her paws as there's never slobber or "dog breath" smell on the knob, and she's usually very pawsy with things anyway.

We bought a standard dog gate and hoped it was going to be enough (we were sceptical), but it's not worked. We placed it at the top of the steps so hoped that it would be too awkward for her to leap over, but clearly it's not that hard for her! Although once she's over, she can't get back because of the steps (too much of a drop). There's nowhere else to put the gate because there's no solid wall on one side leading up to our bedroom. It's all banister and then a large cupboard. I would have bought a taller one, but again; the banisters aren't tall enough to hold the taller gate. We could move the gate to the doorway, but the doorknob is in the way of the gate bars! I'm also concerned that she'll get more and more frustrated and end up destroying the gate or the door frame (she's already chipped some of the wood and paint off!)

A work colleague suggested sprinkling black pepper around the door frame and the door knob as a deterrent... I'm not convinced it'll work though. Any thoughts?

We give her a stuffed kong and a dentastik, plus some more chew toys when we leave the house. But yesterday my husband found her over the gate, bedroom door wide open, bed ruffled, and the kong and dentastik were barely touched! This was after 2 hours of being left alone.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[JoanneF]

I wonder if it's possibly because the bed has your scent and she is comforted by it when you are gone. It would be easy enough to put a t shirt you have worn in her bed or pen to see if that helps (along with the stair gate and closed door). It might not but it has to be worth a try.

Other than that could you try putting something like a chair in front of the door so she can't get to it so easily?

She sounds smart!

 

[Featherpaw]

I wonder if it's possibly because the bed has your scent and she is comforted by it when you are gone. It would be easy enough to put a t shirt you have worn in her bed or pen to see if that helps (along with the stair gate and closed door). It might not but it has to be worth a try.

Other than that could you try putting something like a chair in front of the door so she can't get to it so easily?

She sounds smart!

Hmm, that's an idea. I'll give her a t-shirt today and see if that works.

We tried a chair the other day, but she just pushed it to one side. It wasn't a heavy chair though, so I'll see about using one of our big dining chairs as well. But to be honest it's a bit of a hassle to do that everyday. It's fine for short term, but need to find a long-term solution too. But i'll try it out for now.
Thanks

Also, yes... she is very smart. often too smart for her own good! haha!

 

[JoanneF]

It's fine for short term, but need to find a long-term solution too.

You might find if you use something short term it will break the habit. Long term, if necessary, would your landlord allow a lock?

 

[Caro Perry]

We had to make our own stair gate to stop Harri going up the stairs. He learned very quickly how to open it so it’s now secured with a small bolt.

Could you fit a small bolt to the door?

 

[arealhuman]

We had a hard and fast rule that our dog wouldn't be allowed on our bed. Now we get upset if he doesn't jump up in the morning before his walk! One option that I've seen is if you can fit a handle rather than doorknob to the door, and reverse it so it opens upwards, that might work. Can't guarantee against any scratches on the door through I'm afraid.

 

[Biker John]

It all depends on the dog, some, fortunately very few, are brilliant escape artists. A friend had a Lurcher that could open any door that wasn't bolted high up. They tried anything you can think of, fitting handles reversed, a bolt near the handle but it only took a day or two for the dog to open the door. Kitched cabinets needed child prove catches fitted inside at the top, doors needed a bolt near the top.

 

[Featherpaw]

Ok. New development: I think she's actually bashing the door in rather than using the door knob!!! I placed a heavy chair flat against the knob today before I went out.... came home to find the door open, chair still in place, and very deep claw grooves at the base of the door >.< It looks like she's literally been jump smashing at the door.... We've moved the gate to the door now... it's a bit of a faff to use but let's see how she gets around that tomorrow...

I even gave her a t-shirt, which she ignored... so I don't think this is a separation thing... I think this is a "I want to get on your bed" thing... If all this fails, I'll ask the landlord what he wants to do. He's dog orientated so hopefully he'll be fine with us using locks and bolts.... as long as she doesn't bash through those too...

 

[JudyN]

Does she cause any damage when she's in the room? If not, I'd be tempted to reconsider your rule of 'no dogs in the bedroom' because even with a bolt or lock, she could still do a lot of damage to the door if she tries to force her way in. You can explain to the landlord that she'll do less damage that way, and can even offer to pay for a replacement carpet when you leave if necessary.

It will also make for a calmer, more relaxed dog as even if she doesn't have separation anxiety, your bed will be the perfect place for her to feel secure (nothing to do with status, it's just that it smells of you!).

You could cover the bed each morning with a large heavy throw. I say large & heavy because some dogs like to dig and make a nest out of the bed coverings.

 

[Featherpaw]

Does she cause any damage when she's in the room? If not, I'd be tempted to reconsider your rule of 'no dogs in the bedroom' because even with a bolt or lock, she could still do a lot of damage to the door if she tries to force her way in. You can explain to the landlord that she'll do less damage that way, and can even offer to pay for a replacement carpet when you leave if necessary.

It will also make for a calmer, more relaxed dog as even if she doesn't have separation anxiety, your bed will be the perfect place for her to feel secure (nothing to do with status, it's just that it smells of you!).

You could cover the bed each morning with a large heavy throw. I say large & heavy because some dogs like to dig and make a nest out of the bed coverings.

There's more in our bedroom than just our bed that i'm concerned about to be honest. When she's unsupervised, who know's what she could get her nose into or teeth around (deodorant, hairdryers, phone chargers, hair spray, our clothes etc). It's not something i'm comfortable with encouraging both for the safety of my things and for her own safety! If she can bash a door in, she'll get into our flimsy wardrobe no problem... She's still new to us so there's still a potential of her going on a destruction spree which is why she isn't allowed full access to the house when we're gone yet. But even ignoring the whole bedroom issue, there's still a risk she'll take a fancy to getting into our office/craft room... which contains a lot more harmful chemicals and items to chew on. Is there no way to train her not to open doors? Sounds a bit wishful thinking though.

 

[Featherpaw]

AHA! I have discovered exactly how she's opening the door!! She's not using the handle at all (which would explain why she hasn't got into the craft room yet). If you hit the door just below the handle, it pops open!! The latch slides back into the door if you push it. How annoying! Looks like a job for our landlord as all the fixings are heavily painted over so not easy to get to...

I managed to keep her out of the room today by creating a barricade at the door lol. She seemed a lot calmer when I came home today. Either I caught her at a good chilled out moment or she gets a bit hyper if she goes in our room. Either way, hopefully we can get this latch sorted out. Thanks everyone for your advice though. I have also started training sessions with her to help her feel more chilled out when we leave, just in case there is any anxiety starting, so hopefully that will help too.