Doorbell Problems? There's an App for That!

Sitting in your easy chair and training your dog at the same time...now, that's what we call living. But...what if the doorbell rings? Would your peace and serenity disappear? Would your dog go crazy, barking and charging the door like a wild hyena?

Not to worry. You can simply use your smartphone to modify - even eliminate - this behavior. Right from your easy chair.

Charging the door, barking, and carrying on at the sound of the doorbell is a tough habit to break because it's sooooooo rewarding for your pet! The dog barks, the guests outside the door either go away or come in ...."Job well done!" the dog thinks.

However, if NOTHING happened at the sound of the doorbell - you didn't get up, the door didn't open, no guests were out there - your dog would no longer find it rewarding to charge the door, and his/her reaction to the doorbell would decrease, possibly even extinguish, over time.

Best of all, you can get started, right from your Barkalounger (did I misspell that?):

Step #1: Download a doorbell app. Easily done from a recliner. There are several out there...we liked Dog Teasers, a free app from the Android market, that includes doorbell, door knocking, and Very Angry Kitty sounds.

Step #2: Recline in your favorite easy chair, with your unsuspecting dog lying loyally at your feet.

Step #3: Play the sound of a doorbell on your phone....and let NOTHING happen. Don't get up. The door doesn't open, no fun people are out there...NOTHING. Ignore any commotion your dog makes and continue to relax your chair.

Step #4-489: Smile and repeat.

If you don't have a smartphone, many standard phones come with a simple doorbell-sounding ringtone that you can use instead. Dog Teasers and other similar apps are also available for Iphone users. Whichever app you use, it is sure to be more reliable that the old-school method of sending the children outside to ring the doorbell several hundred times a day (child compliance not guaranteed....couldn't find an app for that)

So, live it up in your LazyBoy... and let the lessons begin!