How do you manage to have your pup/dog wee on cue...my 17 month old will go and sit by the door or sometimes even stand by the door and look at me with an urgent look in his eye....I go and open the door for him to go out and he comes right back into the room. So I walk out with him and tell him to "wee wee" (and I know he needs to go because of the time elapsed from last one) and he will sit down but not go down the stairs to his area. Now, if I go with him to his area, he MAY wee but only if he just has to go. How do you instill the cue for him to go on command.....sometimes you have to leave the house at a certain time, or you are going to the vet's or wherever and you can't stick around for 20 minutes until he makes up his mind. I have heard that this can be done but how? Any help will be great!! And thanks in advance. P.S. Potty is a different story.....he now goes twice, at the most three times a day and I have that sort of down pat....but not on command !!!
Well, I'm not sure it works if you are not there.... I just said "peep peep" when my dog had a pee (I did this from 8 weeks of age) and gave him 3 bits of kibble when he had a pee. Very soon, he would go and have a pee on the cue "peep peep". But, I go out with him to the garden, and he still gets his 3 bits of kibble. Every time. He's 2.5 years now... I maybe could do this a different way, but I work and I need that have a pee on cue. So I keep going out, and I keep giving him his kibble. Interesting, with this regime he doesn't ask to go out. Only if it's an emergency. Because we go out to the garden together for him to have a pee, or to do some training, he doesn't do the "go to the door" thing. If he goes to the back door, I know it's a real emergency and he has runny poo etc.
"Down pat" - very funny . Chepi will usually go if I say "go wee wees" and allow her a couple of minutes. Sometimes she just doesn't need to. So I don't think I am much help. Repeating the command in a happy voice as she wees and then saying "nice wee wees" whenever she wees whether on command or not, is what we do.
To get it on command you always go with him and say the command, gently AS he is weeing - for at least two weeks, with praise afterwards. Then you say it just before you KNOW he's going to wee - if you don't know then wait 'till during. Eventually - after about three weeks of this you can ask for a wee, at first when you know he's 'full'. If he does it then lots of praise and treats. Twiglet will now squeeze a little drop out for us now, even when running on 'empty' - which is really useful if we're about to go out (as a Guide Dog puppy we need to teach her to be clean and dry on walks ) I'm also teaching her to ring a bell by the door when she wants to go. She does it reliably for poos, but not so much for wees. But she's only 12 weeks old .
A lot of pairing of the cue with when you know they are going to go first and then I kindof look for situations where I can reward a wee with fun but not until they have a wee - so before a walk or a game you could walk him over to his area and wait for him to wee and then reward with fun game or walk. If he doesn't wee then just wait there with him being very boring (so make sure you have plenty of time at first and choose a time when you think he probably does want a wee). Once you've got the cue working in his area and he knows that the fun doesn't start until he wees then you can generalise it. It shouldn't be too hard for a dog since they like weeing quite often and can usually squeeze one out whenever.
Yup we just said chop chop whenever Bob used to pee and then rewarded him with treats afterwards. We started it when he was about 8w old. He soon associated the phrase with when he went. Now if we say the words to him, he usually goes. We've not got a poop on command phrase though which is a shame. Wish we'd done that as well. It would have been plop plop - probably why we didn't use it LOL! Sounds too silly really saying that when you are out and about.
Juno generally responds to "good girl, wee wee". She usually keeps her eye on me as she wees and then comes to me for a fuss and praise, and sometimes a treat. I may have to say it two or there times but she always obliges. Poo isn't on command but she is normally responsive if I think she's about due
As Boogie says first use your cue as the wee is happening and do that for a couple of weeks to teach a strong association between the cue and the act of weeing. Give a treat as the very last drop of wee is falling. After a couple of weeks use the cue just before the wee when you're absolutely confident a wee is imminent. Basically what Boogie said. Once it's totally clear he's made the link you can use your cue a bit earlier still in the sequence. Go out with your pup each time while he's learning.
Thanks, All. The incredible thing is that, first thing in the morning, he will go out on his own to poop and wee (of course, he is probably bursting), but the rest of the time it only happens if I go out with him and even then, sometimes not, because we go out to play ball or walk. All your advice is great and I will follow it and know for sure it will work. For some reason I thought, as they got older, they would go out on their own but see that this is not the case. Thanks again.
I don't think they are more likely to go out on their own as they get older - I think if anything, dogs can become a tad reluctant to wee and poo in their own gardens, if they get plenty of walks of course. Particularly boy dogs. I think Charlie think it's a real waste of precious pee to go in the garden, when he could be leaving it on lampposts...I'm sure he holds on waiting for his walks.....
Well yes. But it depends what you need. I need Twiglet to be dry and clean on walks. JulieT needs Charlie to be empty when she goes to work. I don't need Tatze to wee. She wees first thing in the morning, last thing at night and on walks, maybe twice - and that seems to be it. I call her a camel!
I'm working on this at the moment. I just wish I'd picked some cool code word from the beginning instead of "weeeeeees" in a stupid joyful high-pitched voice. The neighbours must think I'm a loony!
Julie....Cooper still squats at 17 months old!! But he will wee several times a day if he has a mind to. It has been awfully hot here the last week to ten days....so maybe he is retaining fluids!! ha, ha...but not funny if it is a problem.
I have always said to Fred, Lets have a good dog and when he has, I said what a good dog. I have done this since I got him at 8 weeks. Fred goes to the door when he wants to go out.
Bless, so sweet. Charlie "dogs up" terribly out on walks, and has an ambition to wee on more - but higher up - than any other dog.....but if no-one is looking and he just needs a wee, he'll wee like a girl. I've promised him I won't tell, never, ever....
Love reading these responses I use "go potty" and I always have treats with me when I use the command. So especially before bed and before I have to go to work, Myles will see me get treats and we walk to the yard, I say "go potty" and he will usually go and then get his treats. Perhaps this is bribing (because he knows I have treats and I make sure he knows because I want him to respond quickly), but oh well. I need it! But if he chooses not to go when I use the command then he does not get the treats because I want to make sure he knows why he gets them. Even with my last lab, I had "go potty" on cue and I find it very helpful. But same as Julie neither of my labs were likely to go to the door and if they do it's an emergency. More often than not I just know when it's time for him to go.
I use wee wee and poo its easy and they all know what I mean as i use the command from when they were tiny. I works well and is great when travelling or visiting. My neighbors think it funny they often hear me. I can always tell if its urgent as my dogs will touch me then run fro the door.
