Change in Dog behavior

Question
Hello Kristin,

I asked Patti, another expert, the following question. She is unavailable for a follow up question, so I am asking you. Here is my question and her response:

Hello! An answer to your question:

I have a 5 or so year old dalmatian deaf female dog.  I have had her for about 3 years. In July of this year, we moved to a new house and there is no place for a dog door, which we have always had in the past.  So I have to leave the door to the garage open, and then the door from the garage to the back yard open to give her access to the outside.   Until about 2 weeks ago, when I or my boyfriend who I live with left the house, we would just put her out in the garage, with the back door open to the yard.  It started to get really cold out here and two weeks ago, and one day I came home to find she had pretty much attacked the door that leads into the house. She clawed it so deeply the wood was wet. It also appears she bit the door frame. She has NEVER done anything like this. I assumed she was cold, so I got her a jacket and a heated bed. When she did it again, I put up a dog gate to prevent her access to the door.  That worked temporary. But tonight, I got home for going to dinner, and she had apparently jumped the gate and clawed the door until her paws were bloody! She also bit the door frame many more times. I had the gate bolted to the wall and she pulled out some of the bolts.  I don't know what to do except get her a dog run and put her and her heated bed in there, completely isolating her from the door.  She has never had separation anxiety before, and I used to leave her on her own for whole days. I leave toys out there for her as well. She gets left alone at least once a day, but not for more than a couple of hours.  Any suggestions???


Patti's response:
Hi Katie,

Isolating your dog in a pen outside isn't going to solve your dog's problems, in fact it can make her problems worse.

Since your dog knows how to use a doggy door, and that method always worked in the past, why not install a doggie door in the door that goes from the house to the garage, so she can get in and out of the house as needed? She'll still need to go through the garage to get to the yard, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for her.
You could also put a doggy door in the door that leads from the garage to the yard, if you'd rather not leave that door open all of the time.

Here are directions of how to install a doggy door inside of a door:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_door_window_entryways/article/0,,HGTV_3683_1382430,0...

Best of luck,
Patti

Follow up question for Kristin:
I will be installing a dog door to go out to the garage.  But it is illegal to put a dog door into a door leading from the house to the garage, its a fire code violation.  So there are times when she MUST be out of the house.  If penning her isn't the right course of action, I need some way to block her access to the door. Do I just get a taller gate?
Thanks

Answer
Getting a taller gate may help,but again it may only be temporary until she decides to scratch that up,as well-it seems like there's someplace in the house that she wants to go to

In some cases of separation anxiety some dogs have to be on medication,some of the time-you may want to discuss this with your vet,you'll only need it when you lock her out when you are not home ect

Another thing that might help is to lock her out,while playing with her ect so she thinks of the fun she can have outside,insted of wanting to go inside all the time