The Dog Door
The Dog Door - Comfort For Your Whippet, Peace of Mind For You
By Elda Rita Tessadori
Whippets with their short coats and very little body fat, have no protection against the cold. It would be cruel and dangerous to leave our little hounds out in extreme weather.
Photo: dogezone.com
By another hand, although your whippet will do his best to make you forget, even he will eventually need to venture out for his bodily functions.
So, if you need to leave your pet at home while you are at work, you will be faced with a dilemma: let your whippet outside to freeze or leave him inside and find a soiled house upon your return.
Crate training can help but no dog can stay in his crate for too many consecutive hours.
It is unrealistic and unfair to expect your dog to wait for a full working day to relive himself. Giving no alternative means to force your whippet to soil the house or the crate. Messing inside can quickly become a habit very difficult to break.
At this point house training will become very difficult or impossible and you’ll find yourself with an unmanageable pet.
Punishment? Go ahead, punish yourself because you are the only one responsible for the problem.
A dog door between a restricted area inside the house and a fenced area outside, like a small garden or a balcony is the best solution to this situation.
Most modern doggy doors can be locked when necessary and are efficient enough to keep the cold out.
A medium size door is enough for a whippet to get through but not big enough for intruders to get in.
Your whippet will easily learn to use the door with a little training.
First entice your pet with food while keeping the door open. Then, when he becomes more confident let him test the door while leaving food on the other side. Reward verbally when he tries to get through and praise enthusiastically when he finally succeeds.
Congratulations, you set the basis for an easy and enjoyable life with your whippet!
The author, a biologist and lifelong dog enthusiast, ten years ago fell incurably in love with whippets, a beautiful, fun and easy care dog breed.
To see whippet pictures and find tips about training and caring for this amazing breed visit the site at http://www.thewhippet.net/
