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We have just received a 3 year old female mini black and tan, who had to be separated from her sister due to the fact the she dominated the sister.
There will be a few training issues but one of the most important is that she was crate trained, and we have an automatic dog door in the lower part of our home that when she approaches the door with her magnetic collar, it would open the dog door up after a short delay, for her to go outside. My problem is that the noise of the dog door opening has made her very skittish and we are trying to think of the best way to deal with teaching her to use the dog door. She is a very loving dog and will be a great member of the family, but will have to deal with leash training and other issues.
Thanks for any suggestions on how to train her for an automatic doggie door. Thanks for your help. Gene

>>We have just received a 3 year old female mini black and tan, who had to be separated from her sister due to the fact the she dominated the sister.
>>There will be a few training issues but one of the most important is that she was crate trained, and we have an automatic dog door in the lower part of our home that when she approaches the door with her magnetic collar, it would open the dog door up after a short delay, for her to go outside. My problem is that the noise of the dog door opening has made her very skittish and we are trying to think of the best way to deal with teaching her to use the dog door. She is a very loving dog and will be a great member of the family, but will have to deal with leash training and other issues.
>> Thanks for any suggestions on how to train her for an automatic doggie door. Thanks for your help. Gene
>>

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You may find instructions on training dogs for this collar are available through the manufacturer, perhaps on their website. It takes dogs time to make big changes in their habits--and just changing homes is one mondo change. The first two weeks after moving in, a dog needs medical checking (within 24 to 48 hours of coming to you) and calm times to settle in before you expect to change much.

So, I'd start with the crate she's used to, taking her outside on the schedule she's used to, and quite possibly not even put that collar on her until she's been with you and healthy for two weeks. In other words, if she gets sick from the change of homes or is found to have parasites or something, start the two weeks from the time she is restored to health--she needs two calm weeks while feeling well, before you do things like start training class, introduce her to all your friends, etc. Stress is cumulative, and she has enough to deal with.

If you have such a dog door already, perhaps you have other dogs who use it. Read my article on Fear at the link below my signature for ways to use their going through the door to get her used to the noise. I'd suggest one person rewarding the dog going in and out and another person distracting her with treats. Tiny ones. If you don't have another dog, another person can use the collar to activate the door, or maybe even the person handling the dog can do it, using a "pulley" arrangement with a cord attached to the collar so as to be able to raise and lower it in and out of range of triggering the door, while remaining at a distance where the dog does not react. But focus on the dog and her attention and reactions, not letting messing with the collar distract you from properly handling her.

You could also try covering the noise of the door with "white noise," any sound non-irritating to you that tends to mask that noise. A radio playing might work, but there are plenty of white-noise devices these days to help humans sleep.

Eventually give the reward on the other side of the door, but work up to that.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47