My yorkie still wont bark at the back door when wanting to go out for a wee, so if i'm not in the kitchen she just does her business at the back door. At xmas I noticed a neighbour had a mat at her front door that said ho ho ho whenever anyone stepped at it and wondered if anyone knew where i could get one that isn'nt christmassy as this would be ideal placed at my back door as would hear when the dog is waiting at the door.

How old is your Yorkie? My cocker is nine months old and he has never barked or scratched at the door when needing to go. It was a problem for the first few months as we had to watch for sniffing etc, and take him out v. often. Now he can go longer without needing to toilet and we just need to remember to take him out every 3-4 hours. He is fed at the same times every day so he does No 2's at the same time each day. I think this is always the way it is going to be but you get into a routine and it's working fine. Can't help with the mat but I hope you find something that works for you :-)

Shirley

Barking at the door does not come naturally to many many dogs - you often need to train them to do it. Before you open the door - look straight at your dog with a big smile and say in a really cheery excited voice - what do you want - do you want to go out - that type of thing - get them excited and encourage them to bark - or make a sound - jump about or anything. As soon as they do say good boy/girl as you open the door. Keep doing this and eventually they will do it to tell you what they want. It worked with my boys and I ignore the bark now at my peril:D

hth

Pam n the boys

I did exactly the same as Pam.
I kept saying in a 'hypo' manner 'What do you say - what do you say' when he got really excited and barked I instantly opened the door and praised. Mungo is now 13 weeks and barks to be let out. Sometimes he forgets if he does those little 'silent barks' and we don't hear him but that is to be expected :)

Zoe P x

cheers, i'll give it a go, its just other dogs ive had always barked

Thanks shirley my yorkie is nearly nine months, she is quite good at holding herself and let out frequntly. sometimes last thing at night she can be out the garden for ten minutes and refuse to go because she wants to come in. I will try regular feeding times because at the mo i leave it down as its dry food and i worry she may get peckish.

A bell works well for a lot of people that I know. They attach a bell to the door and have the dog ring it by touching paw or nose to it each time they go out. Only takes a few tries (from what I understand) for the dog to get the idea.

Wendy

Our 4mth old b/c puts his head thru the cat flap and bangs it a couple of times when he wants to go out and come in. :D

Hi Debbie, How about the Pet Chime, it's a door bell for your dog. It's in a paw shape and you can set it on the floor or hang it on the wall so all they have to do is touch it and it chimes as a bark or a chime. You can also get a second paw to put one outside of the door so you know when they want to come in. You can order it at petplanet.co.uk Shirl :D

sounds great, where can i get one from? sorry i can't put any funny faces in don't know how

Click on "Help" and scroll down the page a bit :P

CHEERS JOHN :D

You can get one at Petplanet.co.uk online. I haven't seen one in the pet stores near me. Once your on Petplanet just put Pet Chime in Search and it will come up with it. Like John said click on Help for the smiley faces and scroll down. Have Fun!! Shirl :D

CHEERS SHIRL :)