Why won’t my dog let me close the door?

If your dog won’t let you close the door, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about them.

So, why doesn’t my dog let me close the door? Likely reasons why your dog won’t let you close the door are separation anxiety, it wants something such as food or water, there is an issue with the room it stays in, or that something is causing it to be fearful.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog won’t let you close the door and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Why won’t my dog let me close the door?

Below are likely causes and what would make each of them more likely.

Separation anxiety

The cause might be that it has separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and it gets anxious when it is left alone. This would be more likely if it has started doing it since you have been leaving it for longer. It would also be more likely if it starts getting anxious when you normally shut the door by doing things such as cry or pace.

It wants to be able to leave the room

It could also be the case that your dog does it because it wants to be able to leave the room. This would be more likely if it only stops you from shutting the door when it is already inside the room with you. In this case, it could help to let it outside to pee before shutting the door or to get it to stay in a different part of the house.

It wants something

The cause might be that it is hungry or thirsty. This would be more likely if it usually does not let you shut the door when it has not already eaten but it does let you shut the door when it has eaten. In this case, it could help to try feeding it before shutting it out instead of after and to ensure that it is getting the right amount of calories. It would also help to make sure it has access to water while you are not with it.

Fearfulness

It could be the case that something has been causing it to become fearful when you are not around. Things that might make it afraid could include noises like construction works or possibly someone else or another pet being around that it does not like.

If it does seem to be fear that is causing it to not let you shut the door, it would help to try and figure out what it might be afraid of and to remove it from its environment if possible. Other options would be to have your dog stay in a different area or to do desensitization training. 

An issue with the room it stays in

Another possible cause is that there is an issue with the room that it normally stays in. The room might be too hot, noisy or there might not be a space for it to lay down. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when it has to stay in a certain room.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.

If your dog has always barked when you shut the door

If your dog has not always barked when you shut the door, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in its diet or a change in the room it stays in.

What is different when your dog does let you shut the door

If your dog does let you shut the door sometimes, it would also help to consider what is different when it does. For example, if it doesn’t stop you when it has already eaten, the cause would likely be due to hunger. Whereas, if it only does it when a certain animal is around, it could be the case that it gets anxious around that animal.

How to get my dog to let me close the door?

Below are some options you have to help deal with the behavior.

Ensure the room it stays in is ideal

It would also help to make sure that the room it stays in allows it to sleep easily. Things to do would be to make sure it’s not too hot, bright or noisy.

Feed it and give it access to water

If your dog seems to be doing it due to being hungry, it could help to feed it before leaving it. It would also help to make sure that it has access to water while you are not with it.

Leave the door open

If it is not such an issue for you, an easy option would be to just leave the door open while you are working on reducing how anxious it gets without you.

Get help

If your dog has started doing it suddenly and you cannot figure out why or it has been behaving abnormally, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to rule out the possibility of it being due to illness or injury.

Why does my dog bark when I close the outside door?

If your dog barks when you close the outside door while it is outside itself, the cause is likely to be that it wants to be able to come inside when it wants to. If your dog barks from inside the house, the cause is likely to be that it wants to be able to go outside when it wants to. It could help to try to wait for it to pee then to close the door.

Why won’t my dog let me close the bedroom door?

If your dog won’t let you close the bedroom door, while it is outside of your bedroom, it is very likely to be due to separation anxiety. Other possible causes are hunger or something causing it to be fearful.