Teaching dog to tell me when he needs a wee

[black taz]

Hi,

Taz is now 18 months and never tells me if he needs the garden. He never wets in the house and goes when we are out on a walk.  Is there anyway i can teach him just in case he gets cut short ?

Its not a massive problem as i walk him regularly anyway, but i would hate to think he is sitting with his legs crossed!

[Mundyboy]

My old boy takes me to the back door when he is in need.  My newbie is about 18 months old and the routine I have followed with her is that every time she performs I use a trigger word - tinkle!  I have had she near 3 months now and when indoors ask her if she wants to tinkle - she then goes to the door.  I did not think she would learn to ask unprompted but one night last week (3.15am) she awoke me by padding the bedroom door and when I asked her the question she was off downstairs to the back door.  Supprising how thrilled one can be at loosing sleep!  Good luck.

[BabyB]

Like Mundyboy, we took on Katie at 18 mths too.  We taught Henry to 'wee wee' when he went, and used the same for Katie. Now we say 'do you want a wee wee' when she goes to the french doors (she doesn't woof to let us know) she'll come back to where we are then go to the doors again.  It seems to work

[black taz]

He wees on command (as does my other dog) so perhaps i should use this to train him to tell me when he needs to go (ie: keep asking him if he needs to "be clean"

thanks

[supergirl]

He wees on command (as does my other dog) so perhaps i should use this to train him to tell me when he needs to go (ie: keep asking him if he needs to "be clean"

thanks

My two do as well, they "get busy" when they're asked.  However, if Roly needs to go he will quite often run to and from back door to me to get my attention.  I also have a little bell hanging from the back door handle which Misha will nudge when she wants to go out (I haven't taught Roly this yet)

[Joelf]

Domino is very good at letting us know when he wants to go out; he comes over to us & pores at me with his paw, then runs to the door & looks at it, then at me, then at the door again & so on until one of us lets him outside.

Spike has to be forcibly ejected from the sofa when I really feel it's about time he did a wee; he has a bladder the size of a house so he doesn't often ask to go outside.........having said that he is a fantastically clean dog & would be totally mortified if he had an accident indoors (I think he'd rather slit his own throat!!!  )

[MegandMolly]

My girls just let themselves out via the cat flap 

[wend]

At dog training we were told to train our dogs to go on demand and not to let them tell us when they needed to go I thought this seemed a bit drastic at the time but it works. I only have to see my MIL's dog barking at their back door every few minutes and them letting him out 'just in case he needs a wee' (when all he wants is a sniff in the garden), to see what the dog trainer was talking about. Obviously when they are ill you need to let them out as and when they need to, but I'd just stick with what your doing now.

[black taz]

Thanks for all your replies.  If trainers are telling you to train your dog on command - then i have achieved some training  without trying.  He is very good on doing a number 1 on command.

[Rats and Dogs]

Gari didn't used to ask when we lived in the flat, but he does now that we have a garden. He also responds to "Do you want out?"

I couldn't stop laughing the other night when inspired by watching Corrie, I said to OH "Do you want owt?" as I went towards the kitchen - up jumped Gari and ran to the patio doors!

[kb]

I haven't trained Honey to ask when she needs to go - although she will ask, if she needs to go and I don't notice her at the door.In that case she will come looking for me -and bark. If I ask her does she need out, she cocks her head and goes to the door.

I did teach her a "toilet" command though when she was a pup, and it still woks now - she is 3.

If I have let her out and I need her back in in a hurry, for example if I am going out, I just say "toilet" and she goes.

It is handy for those times where she wants to spend time snuffling about before she goes at her leisure 

If I want to be sure she goes, I say "toilet" and then she can sniff to her hearts content