Hi, My 15 week old westie (timmy) has almost completed housetraining. I take him out every time he has something to eat/drink, and take him out whenever he has had some sleep. He hardly ever has any accidents in the house anymore. Now sometimes after his dinner or a drink he doesnt need the toilet, so how can I train him to bark whenever he needs it? When I know he needs the toilet ive tried everything to make him bark and then let him out but he just wont do it.

Anyhelp? Thanks

James

James - what you trying to do is train your puppy to tell you he wants the door opening. So before you take him out - sit him by the door and try and get him excited enough to jump or make a sound. Talk to him in a really high excited voice saying things like "what do you want" "tell me" "open the door" etc etc. As soon as he makes a sound - open the door telling him in the same high voice "good boy". Keep this up and before long he'll learn that making a noise gets the door open. As he gets more used to it - make him wait before you open it encouraging him to bark. Soon he'll go to the door and bark when he needs it opening. - many dogs need to be trained for this - it doesn;t come automatically as many seem to think, but this training does work very well.

Goos luck

Pam n the boys - both trained in this way:-D

Thanks Pam, I too have been wondering about this one. Taz just goes and sits at the door so I have to be around to notice, though as she is only nearly 15 weeks she isn't left on her own, so at the moment thats not a problem. But in the long term it will be if she doesn't bark to go out. The problem is though she doesn't really bark, in fact come to think of it she hasn't really barked since we got her. My last dobe was the same, in fact I had to teach her to bark, and that was worth watching I can tell you:D So I guess I'll have to try the same thing and get Taz to bark, then to bark for the door to be opened. Hmmm sounds like quite a challenge:D
Bev

Becareful what you wish for............. Training a dog to bark is easy - training it to stop barking, or not to bark whenever it wants something isn't :(

Could not agree more Digger! All dogs find a way of attracting our attention and there are a lot of ways easier on the ears than barking! I've never had a dog yet who has not found a way of asking.

Regards, John

Mine being Elkhounds barking is something that comes easily, but only one of them barks to be let out!!!

The others c0ome and stare at me until I realise!!! :D

Hi James, I have westies, and not one of them bark to go out, one comes and paws me, the other jumps up and licks my face, and the youngest just follows the others, you really dont want to train your dog to bark, as westies can and will bark at nearly anything 15weeks is still very young to be properly house trained I usually find they are not properly trained until the 2nd teeth are fully in round about 7/8 months and sometimes dogs are harder to train than the bitches. Hope this helps you. Irene-Westyholm Westies

My year old Westie lets me know he wants out by sitting by the front door. If i don't notice him he will make a groaning sound if i still don't respond he will then bark but not continuously. I never consciously trained him to do this, i think he just got the gist of it himself. I did do what your doing in that i took him out after every meal and praised him lots when he did his business.
However, he does bark when he wants to play which does get on my nerves especially when i can't or don't want to. I ignore him and walk away when he really gets on my last nerve. It's hard though cause he's got such a cute way of going about it.
Good Luck
Budmag.