Telling me to go outside?

[Ritz459]

How do you teach your puppy to tell you when they have to go outside?
Chloe doesn't have any accidents if I take her out every hour, but sometimes that hour will blow past me (like if I'm watching Smallville reruns that I've never seen before lol) and she'll have an accident on the floor. She's almost four months old, so I know it is in her capability to hold her pee for at least an hour.
She's had three accidents in as many days (my fault for not remembering when I took her out last), and life would be so much easier for me if I could teach her to signal me when she needs to go outside.
I never had any success in teaching Sadie how to tell me; she'd just hold her pee until I took her out. If she REALLY had to go, she'd climb into our laps and whine, but I didn't teach her that, she did it by herself.

Aside from using a bell on the doors (with all of the activity in our house that would get REALLY annoying), how can I teach her to let me know when she has to go outside?

[trainingrixie]

i always made trixie just sit in front of the door. but now, she figured out that sometimes I don't know she's there, so she comes over and nudges me and then goes and sits by the door

[IceyBlueSibes]

I taught Kelso to sit and paw the door when he needed to go out. It wasn't great if you couldn't HEAR him, but it worked well if we saw him sitting at the back door.

What I did is made him sit. I'd then ask him "High 5" while he was facing the door. Once his paw hit the door, any tiny bit, I immediately said "Good boy!" and made sure the door opened right away. I did this EVERY time I took him out. So, for a while that is how he told us he needed to go out. Now, he just holds it. If he really has to go, he starts pacing in and out of rooms, and will come up and pester you. But they are let out enough during the day that they really don't tell us much anymore.

Ikey howls if he needs to go.

Sheiba runs to the kitchen.

Denali will sit by the door, or "rooooooo" at you.

Lugar, well, he just doesn't know what to do, LOL But he just goes out when Kelso does.

[trainingrixie]

Originally Posted by IceyBlueSibes

Lugar, well, he just doesn't know what to do, LOL But he just goes out when Kelso does.

i can just picture it! hehehe...lugar is just too cute

[IceyBlueSibes]

Originally Posted by trainingrixie

i can just picture it! hehehe...lugar is just too cute

He thinks A) it's playtime B) its playtime , or C) it playtime. LOL That boy never stops!

[mulroony]

Shelby just barks at you (but she learned that from Jackson), and Kenzie will come and lick your face if she really has to go.

[ginastags2315]

You could teach her "speak" and get her to sit by the door, and then bark.

I tried to teach Mufasa speak, but it didn't work, so I "barked" like he does, and then he repeated it. I would get him to sit by the door, and then bark. So now he waits by the door, and if I don't see him, he barks.

[Ritz459]

Thank you all for the ideas. I might have her paw at the door, as I really don't want her barking because then, everytime she wants outside, she'll bark.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by Ritz459

Thank you all for the ideas. I might have her paw at the door, as I really don't want her barking because then, everytime she wants outside, she'll bark.

But then what if you are not near the door? Maybe she will nudge you and then sit by the door. Be prepared to get your door refinished. I've resigned to this.

LOL @ Icey's "Rooooo". Latte does that : "Roo-Roo-Roo" but then it is not always to go out. It is just to get attention. He "Rooos" to get my attention, goes to the door, and leaps up as if to reach the door knob. I'll wait for him to sit before opening the door though.

Boo just waits to go out. I let them out every 4-5 hours during the day so it isn't a problem for him.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Originally Posted by Beryl

But then what if you are not near the door? Maybe she will nudge you and then sit by the door. Be prepared to get your door refinished. I've resigned to this.

LOL @ Icey's "Rooooo". Latte does that : "Roo-Roo-Roo" but then it is not always to go out. It is just to get attention. He "Rooos" to get my attention, goes to the door, and leaps up as if to reach the door knob. I'll wait for him to sit before opening the door though.

Boo just waits to go out. I let them out every 4-5 hours during the day so it isn't a problem for him.

Definetly right, though. However if he wasn't in my site, I'd always check the back door. I was never able to teach Kelso to speak. I'd get a couple grumbles, or whines, but no matter how much praise/treats he recieved, he only barks if he is being "mr protector" or if the others start howling.

Haha Beryl, she is much the same way with her "rooo" it's a very quiet, low howl. She does that when she wants to play too. She follows the "Roooo" with a playbow and bounces at you then runs away. LOL

[Ritz459]

Originally Posted by Beryl

But then what if you are not near the door? Maybe she will nudge you and then sit by the door. Be prepared to get your door refinished. I've resigned to this.

LOL @ Icey's "Rooooo". Latte does that : "Roo-Roo-Roo" but then it is not always to go out. It is just to get attention. He "Rooos" to get my attention, goes to the door, and leaps up as if to reach the door knob. I'll wait for him to sit before opening the door though.

Boo just waits to go out. I let them out every 4-5 hours during the day so it isn't a problem for him.

That's true.
(Hahaha, I think my two "aroo" dogs are rubbing off on me...when I went to type "true", I put down "troo". LOL )
I could I teach her to seek me out when she has to go to the bathroom?