My dog has thumbs? Locking himself in the bedroom...

[Heinz_57]

Has anyone ever used a baby-proofing doorknob cover for a dog?

Our BC (same one that ate the ant poison!) has taken to locking himself in the bedroom. We have to have knob-style door handles, because he knows how to open the lever style ones and believe it or not, can also lock a deadbolt knob (ask me how I know - he locked me out of the house once!). After the third episode of locking himself in the bedroom with a knob we do not have a key for, we replaced it with a new knob and have to keep keys elsewhere in the house. He still locks himself in a couple times a week.

Now, BC has separation anxiety and is happiest when contained in the bedroom. He crates, but will cry endlessly, so we put him in the bedroom. He’s housebroken and doesn’t get into things or chew on anything, so it’s a good situation all around.

Would one of those baby-proof doorknob covers possibly do the trick? We don’t have kids, so I don’t really have any experience with them. He’s trying to open the door and I assume is hitting the (turn-style, not a push button) locking mechanism in the process. He also knows that if doors aren’t latched, he can nudge the door handle with his nose to pull it open.

And yes, I know this is an odd question. :lol:

[RedMare01]

Well, I don’t have kids either, so I can’t help you out with anything useful, but you’re not alone. I have one cat that likes to open doors, and another that likes to close them. So I come home to a kitty locked in the bathroom fairly regularly. I tell the one that opens doors that he should a least be nice about it and let his brother out! :lol:

So do you have any other dogs/cats that you can train to open the door? I’m thinking this would be the most logical solution.

[Alagirl]

he is trying to tell you that he is ready for his own room. :lol:

the baby proof door knobs are really a PITA from what I remember. You have to align the cover just so over the knob to open it.

I would probably get a handle that requires either a penny or a small screw driver to unlock. I would hate the idea of having to fumble with the darn plastic sleeve in the middle of the night when time could be of the essence.

[Heinz_57]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6801506]
he is trying to tell you that he is ready for his own room. :lol:

the baby proof door knobs are really a PITA from what I remember. You have to align the cover just so over the knob to open it.

I would probably get a handle that requires either a penny or a small screw driver to unlock. I would hate the idea of having to fumble with the darn plastic sleeve in the middle of the night when time could be of the essence.[/QUOTE]

Mr. Heinz vetoed those. He’s a bit of a security buff and insists it must have a key lock. :lol:

Other dogs are certainly smart enough to learn to open doors, but they are both crated.

[Alagirl]

@Heinz 57;6801694

Mr. Heinz vetoed those. He’s a bit of a security buff and insists it must have a key lock. :lol:

keyed entry for the bedroom?
Is he afraid the dog will let himself in at unopportune times? :lol:

[LauraKY]

Do you need to have a lock on the bedroom door? If not, just get a closet knob with no lock. Presto.

Now if you need to keep him in, you can always put a barrel latch on the outside of the door.

[NWEquestrian]

I have four BCs. Alone they are quite a handful and seem to do best in packs. However, I have two that when left alone, get quite worried. I was able change their behavior with puzzle balls and a long hard games of frisbee before I left. They were tired from the frisbee and their mind went into a working state with the puzzle balls. I got several different ones so that they didn’t get bored. Of course you fill the puzzle ball with treats, so you have to remember to decrease the amount of food they get by the amount of treats they are getting. Along with the puzzle ball, I also like to get a big sterilized beef bone femur that is hollowed out and stuff with peanut butter and freeze. These and the puzzle balls can keep them occupied for hours.
Your guy sounds like he is smart and like his brain keeps going rather than resting. Try this site www.petsolutions.com
or this one: www.activedogtoys.com I like the cube and the pyramid as starter toys for when I’m not there.

[Bells]

Too funny!

If you must have a lock on the door you could get something like this as I’m sure he couldn’t figure out the code: http://www.knobsandhardware.com/products/view.aspx?sku=4824960&af=1527&cse=1527&gclid=CIGFouu5h7UCFedaMgodJycA3w

[Heinz_57]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6801772]
keyed entry for the bedroom?
Is he afraid the dog will let himself in at unopportune times? :lol:[/QUOTE]

No, just in case someone breaks into the house at night, he says. My mother agrees that the ability to lock yourself in the bedroom is a necessary safety measure. :lol: Just one more locked door between you and them, I guess.

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=Heinz 57;6802748]
No, just in case someone breaks into the house at night, he says. My mother agrees that the ability to lock yourself in the bedroom is a necessary safety measure. :lol: Just one more locked door between you and them, I guess.[/QUOTE]

I hope it’s a steel door then…

[LauraKY]

Put a dead bolt up high on the door where the dog can’t reach it then. Or put in an alarm system. But realistically, it just takes a shoulder to an interior door to blow it in, locked or not. Really, you lock yourself in the bedroom at night?

[bits619]

Our dogs have tried to lock us out of our house- one time another door across the house was unlocked, the other time we had to crawl through a window. Both times it was the pinch/turn lock on the handle that they got to. I would suggest a deadbolt up high (if that would work?) Or baby proofers. Haven’t used them much, only at a family member’s house with kids. I couldn’t for the life of me open a door in their home, but the parents were pretty skilled at it. I’m assuming it’s a practice thing and not some intelligence indicator… let’s hope.

[bits619]

Or put the baby proofers on the external doorknob as well, and hope any intruders don’t have kids??
I understand op, my dad says the same thing as well about home safety concerns. But you could do what we did and bring in 12-18 dogs into the house every night. Does wonders for home security!

[Mara]

[QUOTE=Bells;6802741]
Too funny!

If you must have a lock on the door you could get something like this as I’m sure he couldn’t figure out the code: http://www.knobsandhardware.com/products/view.aspx?sku=4824960&af=1527&cse=1527&gclid=CIGFouu5h7UCFedaMgodJycA3w[/QUOTE]

Then again, it’s a Border Collie. . .

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=bits619;6802884]
Or put the baby proofers on the external doorknob as well, and hope any intruders don’t have kids??
I understand op, my dad says the same thing as well about home safety concerns. But you could do what we did and bring in 12-18 dogs into the house every night. Does wonders for home security![/QUOTE]

Only kids can open those things.

But seriously, you have a BC size dog in the house, intruders would be the least of my worries!

[Superminion]

I was going to suggest turning the door handle around, but that doesn’t really help the whole home security thing. Maybe don’t allow him in the bedroom? Door stays closed all the time. Easier said than done, I know.

An interior door is pretty easy to break down regardless of the lock, but I agree with the higher up deadbolt, or maybe a door chain? I wouldn’t think that he could get that done without thumbs. Get a heavier duty one, and the door will be a touch harder to bust in too.

[wendy]

maybe you could just teach him to unlock it on command?

[Heinz_57]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6802763]
I hope it’s a steel door then… :D[/QUOTE]

The lock isn’t meant to stop an intruder - only to slow them down. Forgive me, I know it sounds a little over the top, but Mr. Heinz is a Marine and an Iraq war vet and has some peculiarities that I have to work around. Yes, the majority of the time our bedroom door is locked once we’ve gone to sleep.

The BC sleeps on the bed (my doing, Mr. Heinz doesn’t like it so much, but it’s a product of previous circumstances and he WILL sleep on a bed next to ours, though not without protesting first). He’s ~50lb and wiry, smart, and grew up on a farm where strange people and noises are good reasons to bark. His bark is much larger than he is and I’d be scared of him if I wasn’t the subject of his idolization. :lol: We also have a GSD and a younger BC cross, but they are both crated at night in a different room - and the GSD is a 65lb chicken that does. not. bark. ever. anyway.

and wendy - I’m working on that. :lol: He doesn’t lock himself in when I’m in the room, and I don’t know if he’s scratching or biting at the door handle.

[Alagirl]

so I guess we better not start into the steel door thing then…

(it’s not like people would carry the tool to unlock interior doors with them…)

but alas, it’s DHs thing, minor, all things considered. :lol:

[Heinz_57]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6804990]
so I guess we better not start into the steel door thing then…

(it’s not like people would carry the tool to unlock interior doors with them…)

but alas, it’s DHs thing, minor, all things considered. :lol:[/QUOTE]

I get that it’s a little over the top, but I also get why it makes sense to him to have as many barriers between us and “them” as possible. Kind of like I get why it makes sense for us to need a table in a corner facing the door at a restaurant, and why we don’t do fireworks in July. A doorknob is a minor concession.

Now, how to teach the dog to unlock the door without also showing him how to turn the knob… :lol: