How To Keep Your Dog From Scratching The Door (But First Find Out Why!)

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Is your dog constantly scratching the door, begging to go outside? Does she scratch the door when you leave the house or for some other reason?

You’re probably tired of cleaning muddy paw prints off your lovely glass door or painting over the scratch marks in your front door frame, and who could blame you? There has to be a better way.

The first thing you need to work out is why your dog is scratching the door. In some cases, it’s simply because she wants to go outside or needs to relieve herself.

But it could also be because she’s bored or stressed. Or maybe she’s anxious about being left alone. These are all separate issues that need to be addressed differently.

Let’s start by looking at some of the main reasons dogs scratch doors.

Excitement

If your pup is anything like our Esme, she can barely contain herself when she sees you putting your shoes on and picking up the dog leash.

“Doors divide the humdrum indoors from the Great Outdoors–that vast gallery of smells, sights, and sounds that tempt them all day long,” says dog trainer Karen Baragona.

Yup, that would be Esme.

She’ll be on her back legs frantically scratching at the door, willing me to open it faster so she can unleash herself on the latest deer scent trails and roll in the most recent elk poop. Nothing could be more urgent!

Tan, black and white dachshund cross lying in long grass — Esme can’t wait to get out the door and into the great outdoors so we’ve trained her to stand back and wait instead of jumping up and scratching at the door handle © The Cat and Dog House

Frustration

A closed door can also be incredibly frustrating for a dog. Just imagine, the UPS delivery guy is coming up the driveway, the neighbors are walking past with their two giant dogs, or there are roadworks down yonder.

These are all things your dog might desperately want to go and investigate (or bark at). But she can’t because the door is shut.

So frustrating!

“Don’t you think dogs must associate doors with every emotion on the spectrum?,” says Baragona. “Longing, wishing, hoping. Fear, anxiety, dread. Frustration. Fascination. Explosive joy.

“No wonder some dogs can barely contain themselves at this portal between ho-hum, same-same home life and The Wonders of the Great Beyond.”

No wonder indeed.

Boredom

Sometimes your dog may just be bored and need something to do.

Maybe she’s heard a sound outside that she wants to go and investigate, or maybe she’s just looking for something to do because she hasn’t had much physical exercise or mental stimulation lately.

Or maybe she just likes to keep busy.

Needs a bathroom break

If my dogs want to go outside for a potty break they’ll usually just start whining, but some dogs will scratch at the door to let their owners know they need to go outside pronto.

It’s good to get into a routine so your dog gets plenty of opportunities to eliminate. I’ll talk about this more in a minute (see #4 below).

Separation anxiety

Separation anxiety is a very real and very distressing condition for dogs.

When left alone, some dogs “exhibit distress responses when separated from attachment figures” (McCrave, 1991) and they just may not be able to cope.

It’s a common problem in dogs. A recent survey (CertaPet, 2021) found that a staggering 76% of dogs across the United States experience separation anxiety.

Common separation anxiety-related behaviors include:

Excessive barking or howling (50.7% of the 2,600 dogs surveyed)
Urinating or defecating indoors (24.3%)
Destruction of objects or property (22.5%)
Chewing shoes, bedding, or clothing (16%), digging (14.4%)
Chewing furniture (14.2%)
Escaping (7.7%)

White dog with head poking out from under gate with beware of the dog sign — Maggie struggled with abandonment issues and separation anxiety when we first adopted her but we were able to overcome them as she learned to trust that we would always come back © The Cat and Dog House

Finding a solution for your dog’s door scratching

If you’re not sure what the root of the problem is, consider consulting a professional trainer or canine behavior consultant.

Once you know why your pup is scratching the door, you can start working on a solution. Whatever the reason is though, it’s important to remember she’s not doing it to spite you.

“Find the motivation for the door scratching and meet the need prior to the door scratching occurring,” says Angelica Steinker, accredited dog trainer and behavior consultant and founder/owner of the Courteous Canine Inc., in Lutz, Florida.

So let’s now look at some possible solutions and management options.

#1. Mental stimulation

A mental workout can be as beneficial as a physical one. Providing your pup with lots of opportunities to use her brain, such as chew toys or puzzle toys where she has to work to get a treat.

In the same way, interactive games will help prevent boredom and reduce frustration and make her more relaxed all round.

In addition, when you leave the house, give your pup a stuffed Kong or LickiMat to keep her busy. I used to prepare our dogs’ Kongs the night before and freeze them so it would take them much longer to get through them.

If you give your dog something nice when you leave, she can learn that your leaving is not such a bad thing after all because she gets this fabulous treat to keep her busy. By the time she’s done with that frozen Kong, she’ll most likely be ready for a nap after all that effort.

You can also create a scent trail for her by hiding treats around the house. This will stimulate the part of her brain that evokes SEEKING, a group of behaviors that includes looking for resources, scratching, sniffing, and curiosity.

She’ll be feeling engaged, interested and anticipatory and get a dopamine boost while she’s at it (Westlund, 2021).

SEEKING “increases attention, focus, affects foraging and exploratory behavior, triggers an orienting response, gets animals to map their territory, and gets them out of bed on a miserably rainy morning,” says animal behavior expert Dr. Karolina Westlund.

“It’s believed that SEEKING will to some extent counteract or offset the negative feelings of hunger or FEAR.”

You can’t argue with that!

And one final option – try a remote feeding option to break up your dog’s day and reward for good behavior.

Enter the Pet Tutor®, “a revolutionary advanced smart wireless system for training, feeding, and enrichment using positive reinforcement,” according to the manufacturer’s website.

The Pet Tutor® works by “quietly dispensing treats at the push of a button [and] you can reward your pet manually or automatically from the app.”

It’s all very cutting-edge and has been proven to help in cases of excessive barking, separation anxiety, and boredom.

#2. Teach an alternative behavior

Train your dog how to sit or go lie down at the door instead of scratching it.

Use positive reinforcement to reward her for using these appropriate behaviors instead of the unwanted behavior of scratching.

Here’s a great video by trainer Chirag Patel on how to teach your dog to be cam around the door:

#3. Exercise

Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise. Again, this can also help diminish boredom and frustration. In addition, she’ll be more relaxed after a nice long walk.

Sniffing is known to lower the heart rate and blood pressure in dogs, and we all know how much our dogs love to sniff when they’re outdoors.

So take your time and let her sniff to her heart’s content. She’ll be more relaxed later as a result.

#4. Bathroom breaks

Make sure your dog is getting enough potty breaks throughout the day.

Dogs usually poop once or twice a day, usually soon after they eat. Going outside within about 30 minutes of eating is ideal.

Your pup will also need several pee breaks throughout the day – when she wakes up in the morning and after naps, after playing, before bedtime, and any other time in between.

Be aware of signs that she needs to go. In addition to scratching at the door, she may start pacing, sniffing the ground, or circling.

If she needs to pee or poop and she doesn’t get to go outside to relieve herself, this can not only be uncomfortable for her but also very stressful. And stress is not good for anyone.

#5. Install a dog door

If you have to leave your dog for longer than you’d like, consider installing a doggy door so she can let herself out when she needs to go to the bathroom or just fancies some fresh air.

This is not only convenient for both you and your dog but can also help alleviate any frustration or anxiety she may feel from being unable to go outside whenever she pleases.

Just make sure it has secure locks to prevent any unwanted visitors from entering your home.

You’ll also need to make sure your yard is completely secure and that she won’t just stand outside barking all day.

#6. Manage the environment

Put up a baby gate, cover the door with some clear plastic plexiglass, or use a door protector to stop your dog’s door scratching altogether.

Alternatively, if your dog scratches at a specific spot on the door, try putting double-sided tape or a scratching deterrent spray to discourage her from continuing that behavior.

You can also cover the door with a blanket or towel to block her access to it and provide some white noise in the background like some dog music or other calming music if she tends to scratch when she hears outside noises.

If your pup is scratching because she’s stressed or anxious, blocking access to the door will not change her emotional state and she’ll most likely just look for other outlets to find relief.

So you’ll still need to work on training her to be calm around the door or working with an expert to help with her anxiety.

Sandy desert dog sitting outside front door — Training dogs to sit calmly before opening the door is a helpful alternative behavior that’s easy to train © The Cat and Dog House

#7. Desensitization and counter-conditioning

If your dog is showing signs of separation anxiety, work on counter-conditioning and desensitization exercises to change how she feels about being left alone.

Desensitization and counter-conditioning are two methods used in dog training and behavior modification.

Desensitization is the process of very gradually exposing a dog to something that she’s afraid of or that makes her anxious. You start at the distance or duration that the dog is comfortable with, and slowly build up from there. This can help to lessen her fear or anxiety over time.

Counter-conditioning involves teaching a dog to associate something positive with something that previously made her anxious (i.e. changing the way she feels about something).

For example, you might give her a treat every time she sees someone she’s afraid of. This will help to change how she feels about that person and gradually reduce her anxiety around them.

A professional separation anxiety trainer can help create a proper protocol for this tailored to your individual dog’s needs. I’ll recommend some trainers at the end of this article*.

#8. Calming aids

Try using a ThunderShirt® or other type of anxiety wrap on your dog during times when she may be more likely to scratch at the door, such as when you’re leaving the house.

This can provide a soothing, calming sensation for her and may lessen any anxiety or excitement that leads to scratching behavior.

You can also try diffusing a dog-safe essential oil like lavender or chamomile in the room where your dog will be left alone, or using an Adaptil Calming Pheromone Collar or an Adaptil Diffuser to provide calming effects.

Always consult with your veterinarian before using any supplements or essential oils on your dog, and make sure they are safe for her to use.

Remember, it’s so important to address the root cause of your dog’s behavior and not just try to manage it with temporary solutions.

RELATED: Real User Review: Thundershirt Fixed My Dog’s Storm Anxiety!

#9. No punishing

Whatever you do, don’t punish or scold your dog for scratching the door, as this may only make her more anxious or excitable.

Articles on the web telling you to shout ‘NO’ when your dog scratches at the door are a dime a dozen. But really, how does this help? ‘No’ isn’t a behavior. You might just as well shout ‘ONIONS’ or ‘FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH.’

‘“NO” isn’t a trained cue, like “sit” or “down,” that relays information about what to do,” explains Baragona.

“It’s a loud, startling noise. It’s a release of tension that brings brief relief to the yeller. But it almost never teaches our dog to cut it out for good.”

What you need to do instead is train an alternative or incompatible behavior. Which, handily, I’ve already covered in #2 above.

If you fancy a spot of variety, here’s another great little video on that, by dog trainer Sarah Walsh:

#10. Don’t stay away for too long

Avoid leaving your dog alone for long periods of time without providing mental stimulation. If you’re out at work all day or for whatever other reason, make sure to provide enough enrichment, like puzzle toys or a nice walk before leaving.

Make sure of course that she has access to a bathroom area before leaving her alone.

Consider hiring a dog walker to break up the day, or utilizing doggy daycare (note: doggy daycare will be very stressful for some dogs and they’d be much happier chilling out at home).

Puppies shouldn’t be left alone for more than a couple of hours at a time as they have smaller bladders and may not be fully house-trained yet.

For adult dogs, the RSPCA recommends not leaving them alone for more than four hours, while the Amiercan Kennel Club advises six to eight hours maximum.

All dogs are different and some will be perfectly happy on their own for long stretches while other won’t cope well at all.

If your dog isn’t managing and you have to leave her for hours at a stretch (for some dogs even a few minutes is too long), then it’s best to engage the help of an expert.

I’ll list three of my favorites at the end of the article.

Can you put nail caps on dogs?

Nail caps are small plastic covers that can be glued over your dog’s nails in order to protect them from damage and to protect against further damage to your door.

To an extent, anyway.

Some dogs might find nail caps uncomfortable or annoying. Plus, dogs’ paws are very sensitive.

Nail caps won’t address the underlying reason your dog is scratching at your door either. Again, you need to work out why and address that issue.

Otherwise, you may just be hoping for a quick fix while in the long-term, you’ll be no better off and neither will your dog.

Final thoughts

Who’d have thought there would be so much to say about how to stop your dog from scratching the door?

I hope by now you have a better understanding of the most likely causes as to why your pup is having a go at your precious door, as well as how to work out which reason applies in your case (it could be more than one!) and what you can do about it.

By the time you’re done, your door will be looking as good as new!

MORE TO EXPLORE

Separation Anxiety Specialists

*These are my personal recommendations for specialized separation anxiety trainers. Even better, they all do online consults so geography doesn’t matter!

Resources

At the Heart of the Walk – Christina and Aurélien Budzinski
Diagnostic Criteria for Separation Anxiety in the Dog – Elizabeth A. McCrave
Front Door Freakout – Karen Baragona
How Long Can You Leave a Puppy Alone? – Saige Driver
Learning to be left alone – RSPCA
Just Say No to Saying “NO!” – Karen Baragona
Puppy Potty Training Timeline And Tips – Harriet Myers
SEEKING – Animal Emotions/Module 6 [Educational Course] – Dr. Karolina Westlund/Illis Animal Behaviour Courses
Separation Anxiety in Dogs & Dog Owners in 2021 – CertaPet

NEED A DOG TRAINER OR BEHAVIOR EXPERT?

If you need more help dealing with a training or behavior issue, please find professional help from a force-free dog trainer who can consult with you either in person or remotely.

GOOD PLACES TO START ARE:
- COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers
- Pet Dog Trainers of Europe
- International Companion Animal Network
- Institute of Modern Dog Trainers
- Pet Professional Guild 

All dog owners deserve to have successful relationships with their canine companions!