Ideas needed please! We're still struggling with getting Pongo to tell us when he wants to go outside. We've tried the doggy doorbell approach, but complete failure I'm afraid - he just adored it as a toy, and would spend half an hour sat by the door with it in his mouth, just ringing... and ringing... and ringing... with no intention of going outside! It's back off the door-handle now.... it might reappear as a favourite toy for a treat some time in the future. But meanwhile we still have a problem. How do your doggies let you know when they want to go outside? Perhaps if we can get some ideas of how others communicate, we can start training that into Pongo... Rosie (off to get another mop)
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? I think you still need to take Pongo out regularly and also watch carefully for body language, they usually go towards the door, just be very vigilant. You will probably find that now summer is coming (I hope) that you can leave the door open and he will take himself out and then it is sorted
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Yes, I agree, vigilance is the key. Watch for whatever signal they choose they are going to give. My old dog was really easy - if we were awake he sat by the door and stared at us. If we were asleep he'd hit the side of the bed with his paw to wake us up. If that didn't work he'd shove his bristly muzzle in your eye. That always worked. Obi is a bit more subtle. He won't go to the door but will just whine a bit at you. I've become very tuned in to whining at night and one quiet whine will wake me up in an instant. That is why I am awake right now at 4am.... So, if doorbells etc. haven't worked try eagle-eyed observation.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Hmmm. Yes....constant vigilance, as Mad-eye Moody would say (for the Harry Potter fans out there). Our problem is when we are dozing in front of the telly at the end of the evening. If only Pongo would have the initiative to wake us up (even a little whine would do it!). He's happy enough to be assertive when he wants our attention for some play! Maybe we just have to resign ourselves to the fact that falling asleep in front of telly is no longer an option for us. <big sigh>
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? She stands by the back door and goes "muphumph" - it's not a bark, more a semi, bark-ish sound.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Penny took longer than average to housetrain due to several urine infections one after the other. So I became a master of observation and could spot the look on her face when she needed to go out. Now she just gets up and stares at us, then does a lap of the room, comes back and stares at us again. This is repeated until we get the message she needs to go out! Falling asleep in front of the TV definitely isn't off the menu for good, just temporarily as I regularly do this with Penny. Most of the time shell cuddle up with me or on the bed while I'm reading a book. You will probably just have to wait a whe until your pup has reliable control of their bladder or can wait at least an hour before needing to go out again.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Charlie just goes and sits on the back doormat. He only leaves us in the evening to go o bed or because he wants to go out. So we just check where he is, in bed or on the doormat.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? We have the *sit on the back doormat and send psychic messages to anybody who is tuned in approach*. For coming back in we have a harrumpfy-whine kind of noise if we don't hear her psychic signal, or the creak of the door as she sits against it.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Scout picked up the bell ringing quite easily, it took her about 2 weeks. We just attached Xmas decoration bells to a couple of lanyards, we have one on the living room door handle and one on the front door handle- she gives them a nudge and then does a lap around the room and then another nudge followed by another lap and so on until someone lets her out.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? I have another back door mat-sitter here too. It is a bit annoying....but I remind myself about my previous dog, who I loved dearly but was an utter barkaholic, and the silence doesn't seem too bad. If he gets really desperate I will hear a soft whine and some pacing from upstairs, so I know he needs to go out. Most of the time if he's standing looking at the back door, he wants to go outs except for the times he just wants to stick his head out and sniff the air for 5 minutes while you freeze to death.... :
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? I also have a back door mat sitter who is silent most of the time she will whine a tiny bit if she is desperate, but otherwise, I just keep a eye on her. Sorry, no help from me really!
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Okee dokee! So now we just need to get him to the 'wait there til someone spots you and ideally learn to whine a little', instead of 'pee on the floor if the door doesn't magically open within 30 seconds of being looked at'. I can handle that! Thanks all Rosie and Pongo
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Yep, back door-mat sitter here too. With a look like this : http://www.thelabradorforum.com/index.php?topic=5359.0
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? [quote author=Rosie link=topic=5371.msg67726#msg67726 date=1397288364] Okee dokee! So now we just need to get him to the 'wait there til someone spots you and ideally learn to whine a little', instead of 'pee on the floor if the door doesn't magically open within 30 seconds of being looked at'. [/quote] I think that really strong toilet training must come first - Charlie is motivated to find a way to "ask" because he really, really doesn't want to go in the house. So if he wants to go, he is focused on getting outside. Pongo is stilll very young, once his toilet training is really embedded I should think it'll sort itself out.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Katie rings the bell hanging from the back door to go out. I think she has us trained instead of vice versa because she rings it all the time even when she's just been out! She has also figured out how to let herself back in, but hasn't mastered closing the door behind her. Now, if I could only teach her to get me a beer... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W02C75-adA
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Holly stands with her chin on our knees and stares at us. If we go to pat her head she moves it away. Refusing a pat = "I want to go out NOW".
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Clever Holly! Can you ask her to please have a word with Pongo on Monday, and suggest he uses her technique?
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? I suspect that Holly will be more interested in teaching Pongo how to find fox poo, ignore recalls and jump up at people.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? Poppy has an iron bladder and we spend more time in the evenings begging her to do a pee in the garden so we can go to bed, than that she asks to go out… : If she does need to go out, she yawns. Which is a sign of nervousness with her.
Re: Asking to go out - how do yours do it? We get the psychic stare. The problem is the stare also means I'm bored, play with me so we usually wait for a lap or two to make sure he really needs to go.
