# in and out game



## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Lately, Shama has been driving us crazy with the "in and out game." She scratches at the sliding glass door, and we let her out because that is her signal for needing to go potty, and we wish to reinforce that behavior. If we don't go outside with her, however, she just stays on the deck and either barks at dogs barking in the distance (or who knows what) or spends 15 seconds on the deck then scratches on the door to come back in. We'll go all the way down to the yard with her if it seems like she actually needs to potty (i.e., if it's been at least an hour), but otherwise this is just annoying, because the same pattern is repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over. This happens when I am working at the dining room table and DH is watching TV in the recliner just beyond the dining room (open floor plan). Any thoughts?

It was finally warm enough to finish the raking today. Attached are two photos of our darling.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Perry does this, but I've stopped letting him out every 2 minutes (I tell him that he can wait a little while), and it hasn't affected either him scratching at the door when he really needs to go out or caused accidents in the house. 

He's funny because I realized the other day in the bedroom that he knows how the door in the bedroom works (i.e. that I need to push down the handle to open it) because I guess I was getting ready too slowly in the morning so he went to the bedroom door, scratched at it then kept looking at me and then looking up at the handle, then scratch and repeat.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Thanks, Melissa! Anyone else have any ideas? Driving us crazy . . .


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Shama is a pill!


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Don't get me started on the in and out game:frown2: It's Chi Chi's favorite. Sometimes she does actually potty. But A LOT of those times she goes outside to bark at the neighbors who have the audacity to come home (after which she saunters back inside to get her reward for keeping us safe) OR she will whine from her crate at 3am to be let out, fake potty and then rush past Hubby and jump in our bed. I keep telling him to ignore her (we take her out at 10pm).. But he falls for it every time.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Scout drives me crazy with the in and out game! He taps the sliding doors to let out. I close the door and he taps to be let in! He seems to hear everything outside and will bark. Thankfully our neighbor said they rarely hear him and it's good protection.


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

We have a variation of the in and out game which involves scratching at the door to signal "it is dinner time"or "more food, please." We jump up at the first scratch and Cassie knows she has done a good job of training us to get up quickly at the sound of a door scratch. When the door is opened, she "dances" away to go to her dish. These Havanese are so smart! i have sort of given up dealing with it as the fear of not opening the door in response to a scratch is greater than the annoyance of being tricked once again by a smart little dog. Cassie is about the same age as Shama so I just hope she eventually stops it as she certainly is not going to get fed for scratching at the outdoor door!


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Tux has his version of the game but it has nothing to do with potty trips. When my husband and I sit down for breakfast together, Tux is desperate to play......after all he was good all night long, got a full night's sleep, and he thinks he deserves complete and total attention. He KNOWS NOT to use the chair pillows as toys. No digging, chewing, or burying bones in the pillows. SOOOOO, that's what he goes for, while he looks up to see how long it will take before I bound out of my chair and head in his direction. It took a few times, but I discovered if I walk over to the chair he is mauling, and calmly pick up the pillow being tortured, (no real damage ever), and calmly say, "No playing with the pillows". I carry it somewhere he can't reach it, and go back to my breakfast. I used to get another toy to substitute for the pillow, but that reinforced the game of "How long before I can get Mom to play" game. Now he just sits up with front paws curled, sad lonely eyes, looking as cute as he can managed, and my husband melts and folds. Snuggle time. LOL Game over. One to nothing......TUX


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Thank you for all the replies. It feels better knowing we are not alone. Our new idea is to "run her" like we did when she was a puppy to tire her out during the day in order to have a calmer puppy in the evenings. When we "run her," we each have a handful of treats. We take turns calling her from various locations (in the yard and/or in the house). She sits in front of us, gets a treat, then runs to the other. Nancy, you could write a book about Tux's antics!


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

We use the "run her" game with Cassie too! Our trainer taught it to us as an extremely useful game to wear her out without wearing us out. We call it "come Cassie game" and she know those words mean we are going to play it. We have a long strip from back door to end of house and she runs like crazy between us to get her treat. We do it indoors if it rains or is too dark outside and she runs thru several rooms in house to each of us when we call "come Cassie"

It is so useful, but it does require two people so when I am home alone I can't do it...sigh. We used it more when she was a puppy, but still revive it when she drives us crazy with bouts of restless behavior.


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Cassandra said:


> We use the "run her" game with Cassie too! Our trainer taught it to us as an extremely useful game to wear her out without wearing us out. We call it "come Cassie game" and she know those words mean we are going to play it. We have a long strip from back door to end of house and she runs like crazy between us to get her treat. We do it indoors if it rains or is too dark outside and she runs thru several rooms in house to each of us when we call "come Cassie"
> 
> It is so useful, but it does require two people so when I am home alone I can't do it...sigh. We used it more when she was a puppy, but still revive it when she drives us crazy with bouts of restless behavior.


Here's a "keep them moving game" for one adult and a dog. It's called "Go find it". When they are first learning, it's a slower game, but as they catch on, it becomes fun to see how fast they can "find it". I use paper cups, (start with one). Put a treat in the cup. Put your dog in a stay position somewhere where they can't see you. Then hide the treated cup in an obvious place where they can find it. Walk back to the pup still sitting, hopefully, and say really excited "GO FIND IT!" They must knock the cup over to get the treat. If it doesn't fall out, just say "GOOD JOB" and dump the treat on the floor. You may have to take their paw and show them how to dump the cup. Once your dog catches on, you can expand the number of cups and hiding places, becoming more and more creative, far apart, and difficult to find. The excitement builds after each "find" because they look to you to see if you will say "Go find it" again. Then they take off in this frantic excited state looking all over for the next cup. Tux gets so excited to find it, that he forgets to eat the treat. He LOVES the game.

Sometimes if I've been mean and make it more difficult, I will stand and face the direction of the cup. (I used to point) Tux has learned to just look at my face and figure out which way to go until his nose takes over. Such FUN!


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