Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
My puppy (http://herchel.com/yeller), is really good about going to the bathroom outside. But, if he really has to go, and I don't realize this, he will just go inside. He does not make any attempt at whining, scratching the door, etc.

How can I teach him to do this? He's a smart dog, but I don't know what to do.

Any help would be greatly apprecitated!!

>>Hi,
>>My puppy (http://herchel.com/yeller), is really good about going to the bathroom outside. But, if he really has to go, and I don't realize this, he will just go inside. He does not make any attempt at whining, scratching the door, etc.
>>
>>How can I teach him to do this? He's a smart dog, but I don't know what to do.
>>
>>Any help would be greatly apprecitated!!
>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>

I don't even recommend you try to teach a dog to tell you when he needs to go out. In the first place, he needs for you to be watching him and taking him out on a schedule. It's too much responsibility and more than his body can handle as a puppy, to have to realize in advance that he is going to need to go, get your attention, persuade you that he really needs to go, and wait around while you get ready to take him out. It's not fair to him and not a good way to housetrain.

In the second place, it can lead to a pushy, bossy, demanding, noisy dog! A Golden will probably eventually wind up alerting you in some manner, and in the meantime you will have learned to pay attention to your dog and notice his alerts, without him having to get wild about it. My grown dogs usually just "dance," or run toward the door.

But for now, take him out once per hour when you're at home and awake, and supervise him closely whenever he is loose in the house. A housetraining accident is not the dog's mistake--it's the person's mistake!
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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

I watch him as much as possible, and he rarely goes inside. But, inevitably, I cannot be there 24/7 for him (I work 40 hrs/week, and sleep 6hrs/night)

But, my friend's dogs always either whine or scratch when they have to go. Is that something that Yeller will automatically pick up when he gets older?

>>I watch him as much as possible, and he rarely goes inside. But, inevitably, I cannot be there 24/7 for him (I work 40 hrs/week, and sleep 6hrs/night)
>>
>>But, my friend's dogs always either whine or scratch when they have to go. Is that something that Yeller will automatically pick up when he gets older?

>>>>>>>>>>

As he gets older, it is likely that you and he will develop a schedule and communication that works for you. But that only happens if you are really alert to him now, and get him outside ample times so that he doesn't start the habit of relieving indoors. When you are at home and awake, that's when you need to take him out at least once per hour. His body has to catch up for the waste that accumulates during his sleep and crate time, etc.

When you cannot watch him, he needs to be in a safe place such as a crate or small room, so that pottying around the house does not become a habit. He's not actually learning anything in there, so it's important to keep him in the room with you under your eyeballs for as much of the time as you possibly can. Supervision 100% of the time means he's either in the room with you watching him or he is in a safe place such as his crate or a small room--100% of the time.

Sometimes people are busy and think they will put off housetraining until later, and in the meantime just clean up after the dog. That's a huge mistake, because the result is the dog forming the wrong habits. The easiest time to housetrain is right from the start. But as far as the dog signaling you, that's a side thing, and in my opinion not a good goal. It puts far too much responsibility on the dog.

An accident in the house is always the fault of the human, never the fault of the dog. There's an old joke that a rolled up newspaper is a good housetraining tool. Every time the dog has an accident in the house, you take that newspaper and hit YOURSELF with it, saying "Bad, bad owner! I should have been supervising my dog!"

There are details on how to housetrain a dog in the Housetraining articles at the link below my signature at the bottom of this post--free, of course.
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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

My dogs rarely ask to go out. I have never given them a reason to ask. We have a set schedule and they go out when I tell them to. My girls are now 12 and 11 1/2. I think the schedule method works well for us and many other people.
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Melody/PHFasDog

My furkids:
Shadow, Jadzia and Lyta.
Kira waiting at the bridge.

Dogs come into our lives, and too quickly go leaving pawprints on our hearts, and we will never be quite the same again.