My Pup (20 weeks old Boxer) will go to the door and sit there if he wants to go out to pee/poo but that's all he does, he just sits there!!  Doesn't make a noise, makes no fuss, just sits there!!!!!  If I am somewhere that I can't see the door I don't know he's waiting!!  How do I teach him to 'tell me' he wants out?

Hi, tricky one, but maybe you could, when he is sitting waiting at the door,say something like ' good boy, what do you want? ' to get him excited and he may then touch the door, bark, and then if you keep doing this with him he would get the idea to bark, scrap the door when he needs to go out! worth a try. :)
I do similar with my dogs, they will stand or sit right in front of me wagging their tails, so I ask them 'you need the garden?' and they get excited and head for the back door, sometimes they will bark etc: its just a habit that has worked for us! :)

> My Pup (20 weeks old Boxer) will go to the door and sit there if he wants to go out to pee/poo but that's all he does, he just sits there!!

Bless him, he is telling you he wants to go out :) My pup didn't appear to know he wanted out at that age untill he was allready mid-piddle! Now at 21months old, he'll come to find me, nudge me with his nose and stand looking at me if I'm in a differnt room to the door to the garden, otherwise he'll stand by the door.
Your pup is still very young, I think you just need to keep vigilant with him, he's allready doing a great job by sitting at the door and waiting.

Hi Jacey

I'd recommend you keep doing as you are - at the moment it takes extra vigilance on your part but IMO the last thing I want is one (worse still ALL :-D ) of the dogs barking or whacking a door if they need out.  Remember, we reap what we sow and if you want to keep barking to a minimum and woodwork or painted surfaces remaining scratch free it pays to keep an eye out now and he'll find a better - preferably silent - way of attracting your attention as he matures :)

All of mine over the years have developed the habit of doing a fast 'lap' around the sofa in the lounge or diningroom table (on the rare occasion French doors are closed) to get me looking and it works :)  Even when we're staying with friends or in hotel rooms they find similar ways to get their point across if we haven't pre-empted them needing to go LOL.

Sounds as though your young lad is progressing very well - congratulations!
best wishes, Teri

Thanks all!!  The advice received is most appreciated.  I know he's doing well for such a young lad, but I feel like I am stalking him, with having to watch his movements so closely, lol!!  It's easier if he wants just to poo as he starts sniffing around beforehand and I recognise his movements.  My older bitch taps the door with her nails (it's toughened glass) - perhaps he'll spot what she does and follow suit.  He doesn't let mw know he wants to come back in either - I have to watch him or he'll just sit patiently on the step and wait, and wait, and wait!

I'm pleased I'm not the only one, that's exactly what my Boxer pup does!! He's 17 weeks old and has been doing the same for weeks, but still does not actually 'ask' to go out. Mind you it's probably slightly my fault also as the weather has been so good we've been leaving the back door open, therefore no need for him to ask.

I've heard that having a small bell (or noise maker) by the door and 'helping' them ring it with their paw/nose before you open the door helps. If you do it every time you open the door for them they soon realise that ringing the bell makes someone open the door for them. Although I am yet to find little bell that I can affix to the wall next to the back door. If it's not fixed down it will become yet another item I have had to 'resurrect' from his little 'tomb of toys' at the bottom of my garden... LOL ;-)

Max, what a good idea!!  I'll look into it further!

If you find a fixable bell, please do let me know where you found it, as I need one!!! I also feel like I'm stalking him all of the time too, poor thing! HeHe!

I'll Keep on searching!

Me again - soz LOL

> He doesn't let mw know he wants to come back in either

best bet is that you go out with him - if you just open the door and let him see to himself he may get distracted and then head back indoors without having done the deed ;)  If you supervise, then you have the opportunity to praise too so he'll learn more quickly. A win x win situation!

Much as I sit frozen to the bone throughout less clement weather with the back doors open I don't do this when training youngsters - IME it becomes hit and miss on the 'asking out stakes' if they have constant access.  I make a point of taking them into the garden regularly, using a command word when they begin to 'perform' and then praising lavishly when job done (pardon pun :-o ) so that when older and, say, I want to go to bed early or get them to relieve themselves before going on a car journey etc I have a command word just as effective as 'sit' for them to toilet when it suits me.

This is what I've always found preferable and might be worth considering for you and yours too :)
regards, Teri

Totally agree with Teri... it's unbelievably useful to be able to get your dog to go on command. I found this most obvious when I took my girl to stay with friends in a flat... I had to take her down three flights of stairs for the toilet and then there was only a tiny patch of grass. Instead of standing in -10degrees for half an hour all she needed was her 'wee' command and we were back in the warm flat! My parents aren't really into training dogs to do loads of things (they just like them as pets) and they think it's some kind of miracle that Storm goes on command.... however it really is so simple to teach as long as you are consistent. Your boy sounds like he is doing so well (IME Boxers can be tough!) congrats. :-) I personally wouldn't get him to 'tell' you anymore than he already is... just need to keep the eyes in the back of your head open!

Completely agree.  As pups I always take mine out, stay with them until they perform and give them a command when they do, and treat once done.  Both mine now go on command.  Fozzie, the little sweetheart, also has an ingenious way of letting us know if he needs to go out - he must have realised we can't see him if he stands at the back door so he comes into to lounge and stands gazing up at the window!

20 weeks is very young.......................you should be over the moon he's holding it in whilst waiting for you!

Thanks everyone - some super tips here, and I'll work on the 'go on command' one.  I often stay out with him and I always praise him once he's gone.

Actually I'm over the moon with everything about this little chap - he had an incredible shoulder injury just ten days after I got him and had to be referred to a specialist orthopaedic Vet.  Neither the Vet nor I thought he would ever walk with a normal gait, but he does, and last night he passed his KCGC Puppy Obedience tests.  Next week we start officially working towards his Bronze certificate and there are only 4 things that he's weak on at the moment.  Hes' my 3rd Boxer and, yes, they are not easy dogs to work with, but it's so rewarding when you're out and about and have a dog that people expect to be a little crazy behaving exceptionally well.

Congrats Jacey, sounds like you've got a little star there.

I use a 'Poochie Bell'. A coloured ribbon with specially made bells which hangs on or beside the door.

At first, I would go to the door, ask 'want out?' or 'pee pee?' and tap the bell. After a few days of this he would tap the bell on his own. It really works and from 10 weeks old he has never had an 'accident' in the house. Even in the middle of play he would make a flying-dive to the bells and ring them with great gusto.

I think I paid about £15 or so, including postage from the US and they are very sturdy.

Found the address:  http://www.poochie-pets.net/

Thats' EXACTLY what I need bostontea - thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

You can buy dog door bells on the net..they are paw shaped and just stick on the wall low down by the door, my friend hangs a windchime by her door and her dogs give that a bash...really pretty noise too.

Yes bells are great to teach your dog that you are at his beck and call and act as his butler!

And what's the problem with that? If you teach your dog that it can't toilet indoors it's only fair that you let it out when it tells you it needs to go.

No advice here, but my dog did the same thing.  She would go and sit by the back door and wait to be let out - no bark, no whine,  nothing.  If no one came to let her out, she would go and do her business on the carpet!  I had to keep a close eye on her for a long time, but now she runs into the room and stands and stares hard at me.  If I don't respond, she'll keep running back and forth, stopping and staring, until eventually I get the message!

Tohme, I think we can all tell the difference between a dog needing out for a pee and one who just wants to go out and be nosey or play. If bells work for some people why slate them?

Hi bostontea,

tohme's post didn't come across as slating anyone to me - perhaps I'm just more used to her writing style of course :)  She's very to the point (whereas I ramble LOL)

Dogs are smart - and we use their intelligence to train them that repetition of a specific action carries a specific outcome/reward :)  My youngest 'asks out' almost non-stop but more often than not he wants to go out to play because he's learned, from us, that when he goes back and forth to the door or laps round the furniture we'll stop what we're doing and let him out :)  If he'd been trained to a bell we would be nothing short of slaves LOL.

He's 16 months now so for pretty much the last year he's not needed to 'ask out' at all as I'm well enough clued on who needs what and when to have pre-empted the requirement so mainly he goes through his routine entirely for his own pleasure - not need.

That said anyone who prefers to use a bell or similar it's entirely their own choice but at least they've been tipped the wink at what can result.  And of course when visiting and staying away elsewhere, depending on the sound of a bell may not be ideal ;)

Teri.

Yes, maybe it's just peoples style of writing that makes them sound as though they are putting down someone elses post. I'm sure once I've been on here a bit longer I'll get to recognise that.

re: visiting or away from home. I've found that my dog will sit it his usual position by the door and gently 'tap' where he thinks the bell should be! I'm sure he wonders why everyone doesn't have a bell.

>My youngest 'asks out' almost non-stop but more often than not he wants to go out to play because he's learned, from us, that when he goes back and forth to the door or laps round the furniture we'll stop what we're doing and let him out

You see, I don't have a problem with the idea that the dogs might want to just go out into the garden and play or mooch around or lie in the sun, rather than them going out only for toilet purposes and otherwise they stay indoors. :-) I don't want to teach them how to open the door themselves , so they have to come and ask someone to do it for them!

> I don't have a problem with the idea that the dogs might want to just go out into the garden and play or mooch around or lie in the sun, rather than them going out only for toilet purposes and otherwise they stay indoors

My dogs are out pretty much all day every day JG - it's only in the latter part of the evening  that I bring them through to the lounge if I want to watch TV, even that's a rare event most nights too LOL.  They have access pretty much all day via the open French doors into the garden, the only exception being when it's too windy to leave the doors open for their safety or if there's extremely heavy rain plus of course when they're being exercised (I wouldn't want anyone just wandering in while the 'guards' were off the premises)

The point I made is simply that dogs learn to put demands on us in the same way they learn to do what we want them too - and some can be a pain in the process (my lad for example!)

Hi Jacey

> will go to the door and sit there

This was the 'in between' stage for us, it was the first sign we had that our boy was learning how to ask.  I was still being very vigilant anyway so it wasn't a problem to spot him.  After a while and, as his bladder capacity improved, I found that if I was nearby he started to move between me and the door.  Eventually he'd come and find me wherever I was.  Nowadays I get either a) the long hard stare b) the mad dash between me and the door or c) tap dancing with added vocals.

The 'I want dinner, I'm starving, haven't eaten for hours - woman are you deaf?!!'  routine comes with a lengthy song and dance programme.

Perhaps ringing a bell, which of course is a time honoured method for the aristocracy to summon their staff, is more civilised... :)

> I'd recommend you keep doing as you are - at the moment it takes extra vigilance on your part but IMO the last thing I want is one (worse still ALL :-D ) of the dogs barking or whacking a door if they need out.  Remember, we reap what we sow and if you want to keep barking to a minimum and woodwork or painted surfaces remaining scratch free it pays to keep an eye out now and he'll find a better - preferably silent - way of attracting your attention as he matures :)
>

Ditto what Teri says.  Having owned her breed and my own being quite vocal, silent alerts are preferable.

As a result my youngest was still having accidents if I didn't notice right until recently at 8 months.

Jacey, you are not on your own, I have a non vocal boy now at 4yrs 5 months the only time I know he needs to go out is when he brings his duck to me. He used to stand by the back door as a pup I would have to be there in a flash, I'd say do you want Wee wee's and go woof :o) LOL - he would then give all the actions of going to bark but nothing would come out, ditto he would then not bark to come in. With a lot of patience I got there by reading the signs, he was clean by 6 months. Good luck

> The point I made is simply that dogs learn to put demands on us in the same way they learn to do what we want them too - and some can be a pain in the process

Oh yes!! My last dog would stand at the door to go out, but he figured that if the sofa was full with no room for him (he had his own bed), if he waited by the door with that desperate "help I need a wee NOW" look on his face, somebody would get off the sofa and go to the door, he would then take the opportunity to dive on the sofa for a pre-warmed spot
He would try this several times in a row, fine in the summer as the door could be left open (so his plan wasn't worth trying), but in the winter it's either freeze with the door open or keep opening the door because the dog looks like he's crossing his legs.
When we realised that this was a regular thing of his, we would say "wee-wee?", when he was at the door, if he did his 'happy dance' (trotting on the spot with his front legs, tail wagging crazy, all while turning in circles)then we knew he needed to go out, if he didn't he got sent to his bed, before long he would do his 'happy dance' as soon as somebody looked at him waiting by the door, so we had to get up to open it - then he would dive on the sofa!
They are very good at finding our motivation and gettting us to do what they want!
If he could have rang a bell, I'm sure we would've heard it 24/7!

My dog is just the same, he just sits quietly and waits, if there is no response he comes to find me then runs back and waits.
I have heard of people teaching their dog to use a bell, you could try training him to nudge the bell, then let him out.

[url=]My Pup (20 weeks old Boxer) will go to the door and sit there if he wants to go out to pee/poo but that's all he does, he just sits there!!  Doesn't make a noise, makes no fuss, just sits there!!!!!  If I am somewhere that I can't see the door I don't know he's waiting!!  How do I teach him to 'tell me' he wants out? [/url]

And thats his way of telling you he needs out.. my 6 yr old does the exact same.. I have one who goes to the door and barks..(his toilet bark)  and one , my girl who has never done anything other than  , sitting (with her legs crossed) at  the door  , waiting for me to  come let her out.

Over the yrs I have come to  realise that I need to read her, , if she is not laying on the sofa , sitting beside me...it is up to me to see if she needs out... and  poor baby will be sitting waiting patiently  to go out!!

So I just check up on her every so often, to see where and what she is doing.

mastiff lover , that is just too funny , hahahaha

Well, I've been asking HIM what he wants when he goes to the back door - "Whatcha want? Want out? Need peepee little pup?" and thus getting him quite 'wound up' so he will run up to me, and that seems to be helping.  So now he goes to door, sits for a few minutes, then runs up to me and back to door, back to me and back to door, and I say "Out for peepee, good boy" so no matter where I am or what I'm doing I have less opportunity to 'miss' his request.

Thanks to everyone for your contributions to this thread, have thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

Just my opinion, but I would be careful asking him if he wants a 'peepee' if that is the command you are going to use to actually make him do his business outside. If you say 'peepee' when still inside you are giving a conflicting message- don't wee inside, but also wee when I say 'peepee.' Does that make sense? I would use your meantioned 'whatcha want/ want outside' and then use 'peepee' for exactly the moment you want him to go. It just makes things crystal clear.... HTH.

Oh crikey!!  Good point Stormy - I completely missed that connection!