Potty training is going well. I think there's 3 areas left: 1. A notification behavior 2. Unexpected "spills" 3. Longevity Captain goes to the door if he wants to go outside to relieve himself, but we have no way of knowing he's waiting to go outside other than being observant. Because he is still young, 4 1/2 months, we are still vigilant in watching him (that'll seem false in the next point) so we know when he is at the door. We want to train something to have him "tell" us he is waiting. A bell, a bark, a scratch or something else. Any ideas? Pros and cons of any ideas? We are leaning towards the bells, but figured i could ask just to get a final weigh-in. He pees while he walks indoors. We picked him up the day he turned 8 weeks old, and he has only deliberately peed in the house twice and pooped once. Like i said earlier, we try to be very observant. Still, there will be times he will be walking or running and pee as he goes. There are no triggers! It happens when we're playing fetch indoors, when he is excited about getting ready to go on a walk, when he is is practically sleep walking from one spot to the next, when he is walking around being a curious dog. No warning signs. Sometimes it'll happen shortly after he comes in from relieving himself, sometimes on the way to relieve himself. Any thoughts? Lastly, we just have to keep pressing on with making sure he is provided ample opportunities to go outside instead of inside. This isnt an area for improvement; it's more of a 'next step'.
Hi @Anthony Abrao My dog comes up to me and gets my attention, turns and walks towards the backdoor, turns to me and again walks towards the door. Absolutely clear. I wouldn't get a bell. Too much noise for me. Unexpected spills. It takes a while for some dogs to gain bladder control. Positively reinforce your puppy when he urinates in the set place in the garden.
hello again @Michael A Brooks the method your dog uses is great. Did s/he just pick up how to do it, or was it a trained behavior? If it was trained, would you provide a detailed guide how to do it? I'm kidding!...just a general explanation, please. I have continued to positively reinforce proper urination. There is no negative reinforcement when we catch him "spilling" other than trying to interrupt the behavior. When he is interrupted he knows exactly what is going on, and makes a direct path for the door. I will look up some information about bladder control so i can be more informed. Thank you!
Hi @Anthony Abrao She was displaying the behaviour herself. I observed it. And captured it by saying toilet as I moved towards the door. And rewarded her for being such a good girl. Repetition after repetition. Watch your dog carefully. Ask yourself is there a behaviour that you can use. And reward her. One of my colleagues taught his dog to shake by capturing her behaviour when she girated to expel the water in her caught after swimming. He could then use the cue when the dog had been rolling about on the sandy beach.
When Willow went to the door I said woof to her before I opened the door to let her out now she will bark when she needs to go out.
