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Keeping dogs out while letting cats come and go

post #1 of 10
1/17/10 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 

I have been transferred out of town for work for a few months. I am staying in a 2 bedroom apartment with my 3 cats and my coworker and her 2 chihuahua-mix dogs.

The main problem is that the two dogs aren't housebroken. And they seem to prefer sneaking off into my room to pee and poop. (Yes, the housebreaking is a whole issue in itself, but my co-worker just doesn't feel the need to put forth the effort to do so.)

I'd love to put some sort of barrier in the doorway to my room to keep the dogs out yet let the cats come and go as they please (I feel like it's unfair to them to be shut in the bedroom all the time just to prevent doggie accidents).

If they were big dogs I'd get one of those pet gates with the small door at the bottom, but since the dogs and cats are all the same size (one of her dogs is actually smaller than all 3 cats) it won't work. The larger of the two dogs is a great jumper and she hurdles a standard height baby gate with ease. And, I also have to be able to go in and out of the bedroom without too much difficulty.

Any suggestions?
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post #2 of 10
1/17/10 at 5:23pm
Ugh what a nasty problem to have!

I think your best bet is to play with the dogs in your bedroom. Dogs will normally not mess in living or eating areas, but if they consider an area "abandoned" or not a living area (like a closet, laundry room, garage etc) they will often choose that place to mess. By spending time with them in your room, your space will become a space that they will think of as a play area so they will be less likely to mess. It is a good diea to clean their mess with something like nature's miracle so it loses the potty scent completely.

Good luck!
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post #3 of 10
1/17/10 at 5:28pm
Can you crate them when you're not watching them? Dogs will rarely soil their sleeping space, and a crate (of the proper size) is a great housetraining aid.

Sorry, I have no suggestions for the baby gate - sounds like it might be difficult to find one that works for the cats *and* the dogs.
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post #4 of 10
1/17/10 at 6:13pm
Thread Starter 

2dogmom - that's an excellent idea, I never would've thought of that.

sizzlecat - they do have a crate, but when Courtney (my co-worker) is home the dogs are out with free run of the apartment. When she's gone, if I'm not directly supervising the li'l dogs, they're in the crate.

Courtney is the kind of dog owner who, after she finds a mess on the floor will fuss at and punish her dogs. It's really hard to convince her that her tactic is not at all healthy for her dogs. It's so frustrating, because they're not puppies anymore, and they're both smart dogs.
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post #5 of 10
1/17/10 at 9:50pm
HOPE no one minds but I suggest you check out this site...

www.dogforum.org

Lots of help

I would put up a gate high enough to keep lil dogs out but cats could jump or climb
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post #6 of 10
1/17/10 at 10:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharky View Post
I would put up a gate high enough to keep lil dogs out but cats could jump or climb
I use a baby gate to keep my dog out of a portion of the house. My dog is housebroken, but it gives my cats a quiet place to nap away from my rambunctious young dog.
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post #7 of 10
1/18/10 at 12:16am
Why not put something more solid up at the door, ply wood barrier for example, higher than a baby gate but low enough for the cats to get over, I dont think the dogs will jump if they cant see what is on the other side.
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post #8 of 10
1/18/10 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryffian View Post
Courtney is the kind of dog owner who, after she finds a mess on the floor will fuss at and punish her dogs. It's really hard to convince her that her tactic is not at all healthy for her dogs. It's so frustrating, because they're not puppies anymore, and they're both smart dogs.
That is the last thing she should be doing (which I guess you know ). The doggies will be more likely to become secretive about where they mess and try to conceal it. The rule is, if they do it right, praise them to the skies, if they do it wrong, ignore it, and next time manage the situation so they are set up for success.
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post #9 of 10
1/18/10 at 5:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2dogmom View Post
That is the last thing she should be doing (which I guess you know ). The doggies will be more likely to become secretive about where they mess and try to conceal it. The rule is, if they do it right, praise them to the skies, if they do it wrong, ignore it, and next time manage the situation so they are set up for success.
Oh believe me, if they were my dogs I think we'd be doing things a little differently with the "house breaking." But, hey, they're not mine, so I volunteer to take them out when I can (and praise them, even with treats, when they do their business outside where they're supposed to).

Aaaand, I got a baby gate for $40 at WalMart that I think will work. The bars are close enough together that the smaller dog can't slip through, the jumping dog can't really jump over it because the bars are vertical without any horizontal pieces for her to get any traction; and two of the three cats can jump over it (I think the third (read "fat") cat could jump too, but she'd really need some incentive to do so )
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post #10 of 10
1/24/10 at 6:37am
Hello, I have two little dogs and and to keep them from getting in the bathroom where we keep the litter box, I bought a dog gate at Walmart, it was under $20 but it's shorter than a baby gate so you can easily step over without tripping and the cats can jump it with no problem... also it's wooden and more pleasing to the eye than some baby gates.
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