Here at the Habibi Bear Central Hub, in the lush PNW, we are always happy to relate our daily experiences with our loving and intuitive Habibi Bear puppies, the Original Teddy Bear dogs. This week, we will share our exciting experience with our seven-week-old litter from Mama Ruby, one of our most conscientious little mothers, as she demonstrated how to use the doggie door to her little Habibi guys and gals, which is incredible!
A New Experience For Our Puppies!
Ruby’s litter, now seven weeks old, was the first of our litters to be exposed to the constant presence of a brand-new doggie door, which brought with it many golden opportunities for education and learning. First off, a doggie door is a unique architectural item for several important reasons:
- It is a barrier and threshold to be crossed
- It presents the spatial awareness of ‘inside’ and ‘outside.’
- It provides an opportunity through the dog’s effort and problem-solving capabilities, to function properly, i.e., if the dog will not or does not discover how to push on the flap, the door will not work.
- A dog door gives the dog a chance to become an agent of exercising their own desire, i.e., ‘I want to go outside, I can push this flap and I can go by myself.’
With Mama Ruby leading the way, her little puppies learned that the door and the mysterious flap were nothing to be feared, in fact, it was a magical bridge to be crossed so they could go outside and play or poddy! It was amazing to see how quickly after following their mama’s example, the little pups were using the door within a day. This led to a happy accident of the puppies desensitizing their faces as they pushed on the flaps over and over again, normalizing the action and contact with the door flap. With the desensitization of the puppies comes a great bonus… Confidence! And as you know, we always maintain that a confident puppy is a well-adjusted puppy. A confident puppy can roll with the punches, is much more resilient and calm, and exhibits much less separation anxiety and stress in general.
Older Dogs take longer…….
In contrast, we have a Habibi Bear duo, who have much more hesitancy and distrust of the doggie door, having never been exposed to one before, unlike Ruby’s puppies who were born in the area with the doggie door. Those two Habibi Bear dogs, a male and female, needed a month of daily exposure to the door before feeling brave enough to give it a try for themselves. The good news is that now they are using the door like the little brave hearted warriors they are just like all the others.
Mama Ruby’s puppies will be in tip-top form to translate their experience with the doggie door to the home that they will be going to when they come of age. Some time will be necessary for making that mental and spatial connection, because as you remember, dogs are spatial learners and need to relearn a skill every time they change environments. Make sure you allow your Habibi Bear puppy the time to learn and relearn in every new space, whether it is a room or an area of the home, what is acceptable or unacceptable. Take advantage and create doggie zones where they can roam freely with baby gates, doggy pens, or crates to avoid any accidents. Giving our puppies clear boundaries is how we show our support for them and grow their confidence. It is one of the best ways to show our pups the love, and at Habibi Bears, we are all about the love!
Remember these tips when introducing your dog to a new dog door:
1. Use high-value treats and reward your dog every time they investigate the new door.
2. Clip the door flap open so your dog can test out the threshold without the fear of the flap touching their face.
3. If possible, find a dog who uses a dog door and let them lead the way for your dog.
4. Once your dog has begun going in and out of the open door, you can introduce the practice of touching the flap with their paw and reward them with treats and praise when they do so.
5. Have someone on the other side call for your dog to come through the threshold, and then reward them when they do.
6. You can keep the flap pinned up to start with, and gradually reduce the height of the flap each day for about four weeks for older dogs. This slow and steady progression will help them acclimate to the flap.
Do you have a doggie door in your home? How long did it take for your Habibi Bear puppy to use it? Leave us a comment or drop us a line; we would love to hear from you. We are always here for you, cheering you on!