How do I get my dog to let me know when he needs to go potty?

Question

He's over a year old and almost always goes when we take him out but there are times when he'll just go on the floor and it's always by the front door. He doesn't let us know though.

oh we do give him a treat every time he goes. We say "GOOD BOY!!!" and he always runs to the pantry because he knows he'll get his treat.

I actually didn't say we only take him out once a night. We take him out in the morning and lots of times during the day and lots at night too. But if he does need to go he doesn't let us KNOW.

oh and I don't tell him to hush either. this goes to anazzz or whatever your name is.. he barks all the time. also I do say to him "gotta go potty?" and he knows just what it means. I just have friends and their dog will go to the door and paw at it. I wish ours would do that too

Answer 1

well you can sit and watch his behind (best option for you) or you can put a pamper on him.....or get an alarm and put it in his behind and when he has to DODO you'll hear the sound "DODO time!!!!"

Answer 2

My answer is pretty long, but read it anyway, dont skip it...

well, eventually as he gets older he will be able to hold it in and go by the door and jump by it if he has to go. or he'll do something similar to that... in the mean time, dont get too mad when he goes on the floor, he may not know how to tell you yet and you will just scare him into thinking hes not alowed to go to the bathroom. just say bad boy firmly but not loud and point to is "waste" and point at the door or let him out again, because chances are that he still needs to go some more. and every like 4 hours or so, say to him "potty?" and try to get him to know the word because if whenever he heres "potty?" and you go to the door he'll eventually learn the word, and will know that you will let him out and he doesnt need to go inside. good luck!!!

oh yeah, give him a treat EVERY time he does his buisness outside!!! my dog was 10 years old when he died and from puppy hood till death he got a treat after going potty outside!

Answer 3

It's good that he's going to the door. That means he knows he needs to go outside, which is half the battle. I would try to teach him to speak or get some bells for your door. You can use Christmas bells or get ones from some pet supply stores. You just hang them on the door and let the dog notice that every time you open the door, they jingle. Then show him how to hit them. My dog didn't do it right in front of me, but a few days later, he hit them himself.

To teach him to speak, wait until he barks, then say "speak" and give him a treat. Repeat until when you say speak, he barks. Then make him do it for a treat every time you take him out, right before you open the door.

Answer 4

Everytime my friend was taking his dog outside, he would place him next to the door. He put a bell (actual bell, not doorbell) at paw-height and would take the dog's paw and ring the bell. Then he'd let the dog out. So, after a while, the dog related the bell to going outside. Now the dog sits in front of the door, rings the bell, and waits.

Answer 5

When I got my dog, I walked her every waking hour... I did this so I would drill in her head that bathroom happened outside only. It worked because at the time, my parents had a cocker spaniel that would go in the house all the time.

It might be time for a little retraining along these lines. Also, make sure you give good sincere doggie praise. Dogs are especially sensitive to tone of voice; they'll know if you're faking it. Seriously, who cares if your neighbors are nuts? The dog loves you more than the neighbors ever could.

Best of luck.

Answer 6

If your dog needs to go to the bathroom, he will usually whine, bark, or wait by the door. In your case, he goes by the front door. If he waits there, that probably means he has to go. Let him out every couple hours just to be on the safe side.

Answer 7

Here's your problem, it's not the dog's fault it's going potty by the door - it's yours. You're not taking your dog out often enough and regularly enough for it to go outside. If you just taking the dog one once a night, that might not be enough for a one year old dog. Older one's can handling waiting but the young one's can't and if you're always telling your dog to be quiet and hush, then it won't speak up when it needs to go out.

Answer 8

determine your dogs timing and then take him out at the same time everyday. Also take him to one corner of your yard or an easily reached area. That way he will get the habit of going at the same time in the same place every day. This will help your dog be "regular" and help you because the crap will all be in one place when you have to clean it up.

PS: the fact that he is going by the door shows that he is a good dog and knows that he should not be going inside the house. he's trying. You have to help him out. Literally.

Answer 9

My dog runs to the door and back to us, he goes back and forth, or he will stand in front of someone and run in circles while barking. If we say wanna go outside, he knows what that means and he will do all of the above, but I'm not sure how to make your dog let you know.

Answer 10

This one worked for me;

Most puppies and dogs will alert their owners when they need to potty with body language, turning circles, sniffing, running to the door, whining, barking to go out. We can teach even very young puppies a smart way to let us know they "have to go" by hanging several jingle bells on a cord, then place them nose-high for the puppy or dog on the door knob of the door we routinely go out with the dog for potty time.

As you approach the door, ring the bells and say "let's go potty" or "let's go outside." Put a little peanut butter on one of the bells, so when the puppy or dog licks it off, the bells will ring. Let the puppy or dog outside, saying "let's go potty" or "let's go outside."

Before long, the puppy or dog will be ringing the bell by themselves. Sometimes it will mean "I need to potty" ... sometimes it will mean "I just want to go play and run." But always acknowledge the ring. They learn this practical trick in a short period of time.

When you have company and the bell rings, you can say "excuse me, my dog is ringing her bell to go outside." People will think you are the smartest dog parent.

Answer 11

sounds like hes kinda letting you know by going by the front door. My dog would sit by the door and whine until we would let her out. I think when we first got her before we took her out we would have her sit by the door for like 5 min then walk by and be like hey do you have to go outside? After a week of doing that everytime she had to go outside she would sit by the door and if we didnt let her out after like 20 min she would start to whine.