Puppy Training

[Ivy]

I was wondering if anybody might have so tips on how to teach a dog to let me know when they need to go outside. Tynan is very good with doing his business outside right away, but it would be nice to teach him to let me know when he needs to go outside. Either bark at me, sit by the door, etc.

For example, Snoopy sits by the front door when he needs to go.

 

[Barb]

My friend hung a bell on the door. When she first started taking her pup out, my friend would hit the bell and then take the pup out to pee/poop. The dog now runs to the door to got out and sometimes will hit the bell.

Each of my dogs just learned on their own what sign to give me; they are all different.

 

[Mongo]

I also used a bell when training Mongo... worked like a charm!

 

[Oslo]

If your puppy is on a schedule feeding and watering schedule you will know when its time to go out. A schedule also helps develop bladder and bowel control. Read "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skeet.

 

[Lady Clementine]

i like the bell method as well- i used a giant jingle bell with my shepherd mix and she was always good about using it to tell me when she wanted to go out (or if she was bored- so eventually i stopped using it)...but she also would come "tell" me if she needed to go by sitting and "talking" to me. my chihuahua has never had any inclination to tell me when he needs to go, and if i dont get the idea, even at the age of 10, he'll still sneak off to potty somewhere in the house. fortunately, his control is pretty good so it's not a major issue. my 6 mo english mastiff pup is very good about doing her business outside, but again, it hasn't occurred to her to tell me if she needs to go out. and she's so ashamed of herself if there is an accident- which fortunately she only has ever had if she has stomach upset. i sure don't hold it against a dog that makes a mess in the house if they have diarrhea, although i'm still not happy to clean it up... I'm on the lookout for another big jingle bell to use with her.

i also agree with the schedule- even on weekends we adhere to a pretty strict schedule of outside time. 7am, noon, 5pm and about 9pm are the weekday potty times, and weekends don't vary by much. 8am at the very latest, and usually the dogs are out and about with us during the day so we just need to make sure they have a potty break before bedtime. that being said, my dogs aren't tiny anymore...a schedule of feeding and watering and going outside is pretty important for the really little guys who pretty much need to poop as soon as they eat.

for what it's worth, it sounds ridiculous, but when my dogs go outside and do their business i praise them. they get "good potty" (see, dumb sounding) for peeing outside and "good pooper" for #2 (again, i sound like the parent of a 2 year old) but when we travel, it is super nice to be able to tell the dogs to go potty or poop and suddenly from the confusion of new smells and sights they get that bolt of recognition like "OH! i know what you want me to do out here!" - it's also handy during nasty weather to be able to tell them what you want them to do and speed things along

 

[Teenage Dirtbag]

I had the same problem, but then my boyfriend started to get her to scratch at the door when she must go out. It worked !