# How to teach "I need to go out!"?



## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Ever since we've got Elza she never gave us any sign if she needed to go out. I think because of this it took us longer to housetrain her (and also living in a flat). 
When she was a puppy she didn't pee or poo all over the house but one place where we set up her puppy pads. We got there eventually by taking her out as often as we could.

So in the last 3 days she has poopooed twice and peed once in the flat. She's having very bad diarrhoea for a few days (some of you may read it in a different post) and I'm sure she just had to go at some point during the night. My problem is that she just doesn't give any sign she needs to go. Today she cried for the first time in 6 months at 7am when we jumped out of bed to check what's wrong. By then it was a poop by the door (very runny) and a huge pee a bit closer to her bed. I guess she did the poop first... :-[ and since she was up she just needed a pee.

Is there any way I can teach her to give me a sign when she needs to go out? I think I have read it somewhere to use a bell but that's all I know and nothing else. Don't even know where to start or how to do it. :-\ 
She doesn't sleep in our bedroom but right in front of the door so I can hear it if she cries or makes noises. 

I hope you can give me some advice on this. It's quite important and I only just realised now that she's sick.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

the only thing I can think of, and I'm sure that you'll already do this, is praise praise and more praise when she does her business outdoors.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

We started out by asking Riley "Do you have to go potty?" then we would walk her over to the door and have her sit before we would let her out. After several weeks of doing this, she started walking to the door and sitting to go outside when she had to go potty. "Go potty" is also our command for her to go when we would take her outside to do her business, so she connected the two. She hasn't had an accident inside in months, but I still ask her every so often "Do you have to go potty?" and she will go sit by the back door to be let out.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Ok, Elza is housetrained. She hasn't had an accident for a long time, maybe for 3-4 months. She's 8 months old and up until now she slept from 1am - 9:30 am no problem. 
She's quite sick right now. On a 20 mins walk she would try to poo minimum 4 times, today on her hour walk I lost count, she might tried to poo 8-9 times. 
Obviously during the night she should be sleeping but since this illness she had this 2 accidents. 
We do praise her when she does her business and have commands for her to do it too. She knows it all. 

What I am looking for is her giving me a sign she needs to go. This is why I mentioned the bell. If we asleep it wouldnt do much good for me her sitting by the door. :-\ 
We don't force her to keep it for long periods, she gets regular breaks and her last break before sleep usually is around 1am. 

I will start to do what you've mentioned *threefsh* all I can think of that I may install a little bell by the door and ring it at the same time when we ask her the question. 

If anyone else has some ideas please do post it for me.


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## VictoriaW (Mar 16, 2011)

We did the bell training...have her ring the bell before you let her outside, each and every time. 

Gracie quickly discovered, though, that our house was TOO LOUD (three kids) for us to reliably hear the bell, so she would ring the bell AND bark. Eventually we did away with the bell and now she just barks to go out. She doesn't bark very much in general so we don't mind. 

So one twist, if you think the bell wouldn't wake you up from far away, would be to ask her to SPEAK before you let her out.

Crating her at night (or having her sleep on your bed with your door closed) would be another solution. The problem seems to be caused by her roaming at night, no?

Good luck--


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Ruby does this circle thing in front of our door to go out. I realized that if I am upstairs that I won't know so I got bells and she uses them so I can hear. 

It is really easy to teach them and they pick it up in a few days. 

We got the bells at Walmart in the pet section. They hang on the handle to our sliding glass door.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm going to look for a bell. :
Probably by the time I teach her she will be back to normal. But I still think it would be a useful tool for all of us. 

Luckily last night she didn't have any accident. My partner set his alarm to get up during the night to take her out. She did her business than back to sleep until half 8 when she cried. Again this is a new thing so I jumped out of bed to check on her. She couldn't stop greeting me for almost 5-8 minutes! Took her out, she did her things and all was well. So maybe she does give us a sign now? This little cry maybe? 

VictoriaW Elza is not allowed in our bedroom and her crate is at our dog walker.  But she wasnt closed in there anyway. 

These incidents are happening because of her being sick, what I was looking for how to train her for signalling to go out. 

RobyRoo could you explain to me how you taught Ruby to ring the bell? 

Thanks


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

We used the bell for Oso since we brought him home. Every time we brought him outside for potty, we took his little paw and touched the bell. When we heard the sound, we said, "outside" and then took him out for potty. When he initiated it through whining, we would walk over (not looking to him or talking to him), take his little paw and ring the bell and then say, "outside" and take him out for potty. When he used it to go out when he didn't have to go potty, but just wanted to play outside, we just brought him out said "potty" and if he didn't go, we'd just go right back in. We obviously don't touch the bell if we are going out for walks, etc. 

He did pick up very fast. He he uses his nose to ring the bell, not his paw. I just got some little jingle bells from Michaels and put them on a ribbon. Easy and very cheap. Maybe not as stylish as bells you can buy though. 

I caught in on tape a while back while filming him and the cat.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEseRAUswZY


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

We tried to teach Ruby the bells when she was really young and all she did was play with them. I think Elza is at a good age now to learn quickly.

We did a similar thing that luv2laugh did. We also would ring the bells every time she would go out. She uses her nose most of the time to ring them and every once in a while her paw. We taught Ruby a while ago the "touch" command. I would treat her when I pointed to an area to touch for closing doors and kitchen cabinets. It was easy to transfer that to the bells.

I'm sure Elza will pick up on it fast


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks love2laugh! That's great! Now I can see at least how to do it and your description was very good too! 8)

Video is still funny! ;D How cute! :

RobyRoo thanks again. I will get some cheap bells then and put them next to the door and start this new training. At least is something to keep us all occupied again for a bit!


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