It is a common question asked by many people who have dogs at home.
When you leave the dog alone and go out of the station, your first instinct is to make sure that your house is safe and secure for the dog.
Sometimes leaving the dog on its own can prove quite difficult as they will tend to scratch doors and sometimes even break open some things like cabinets, drawers, etc.
So how do you stop this habit? You can try various methods as mentioned below:
Understand Why Dogs Scratch The Door
Dogs scratch the door as a way of telling you that they want to go outside.
Dogs do not like to stay indoors for a long time and they will find different ways to tell their owners that they need something urgently, such as food or water, etc.
Sometimes dogs try to escape from their houses by breaking open the door but this is not good because it can also be dangerous for them.
It may be difficult for you to train your dog and stop him from scratching and coming into contact with other pets and people which can lead to some serious accidents later on.
So what can we do?
Train Your Dog
Your dog does this out of boredom, so you must give him enough toys or activities he enjoys doing.
Keep him occupied by giving him his favorite chew toy or for some dogs, even a stuffed Kong will do the trick.
Make sure there are enough things to keep your dog busy inside the house without having to scratch at doors and windows.
If what you give doesn’t work then it’s time that you bring your pooch outside with his leash on and take him through an exercise routine so that he gets some satisfaction out of it knowing that he has done something productive.
You can try taking your dog for long walks too which will help tire him out so much so that when he comes back home, he would rather want to sleep than scratch the door.
Do not pay attention: When your dog scratches the door, do not pay attention to it.
He is doing it because he wants your attention and once you give him that, there are chances that he will keep scratching the door again and again.
So if you do see your dog getting ready to scratch at the door, make sure you take him out for a walk or feed him some food so he doesn’t want to come back inside.
Cover The Doors
If nothing works then you can put up some coverings on the door.
Use materials like Plexiglass which would stop dogs from scratching the doors but still allow them to go out of their houses whenever they want to.
Identify The Source Of The Scratching
Some dogs also have a habit of scratching at the carpet or carpeting around your door.
If this is the case, then it would be a good idea to remove them and replace them with some wood so that you can prevent your dog from destroying anything important.
If you have wooden doors at home, check for any cracks which might have developed because if there are any, cover them up with some plastic which will prevent your dog from getting his nails stuck in between the cracks.
Make sure you take care of this problem before it becomes unmanageable as once he has become used to scratching at things like doors and windows, it will be difficult to stop him.
Over time training works really but make sure that you avoid giving him any kind of attention when he tries to do this and only gives him good attention after he learns not to scratch the doors.
Take Steps To Stop The Behavior
You can also try using a water gun or make some noises to scare him whenever he starts scratching the door.
This way, it will not only distract him from doing this but he will also be afraid of your actions and will learn to stay away from the door.
Sometimes it might work and sometimes it won’t as dogs tend to forget things very quickly and that’s why you need to keep up with this training every single day without fail.
If nothing works then you can try seeking professional help because they know how to handle such problems and will find out the root cause of why your dog is trying to scratch the doors so hard.
Professional trainers use certain techniques which are quite effective in stopping such habits from worsening further.
Seek Help From A Professional If Necessary
If you have tried everything and yet your dog is not ready to stop scratching the doors, then there is no choice but to seek help from a professional trainer.
Professional trainers know how to handle such problems and will find out the root cause of why your dog is trying to scratch the doors so hard.
Professional trainers use certain techniques which are quite effective in stopping such habits from worsening further.
So if you feel that training isn’t working for you then it’s time to bring in someone who can take control of this situation because it could become worse if not taken care of immediately.