# My dog always wants to go outside.



## jfinner1

I'm going crazy here. My dog has learned that if he needs to go outside, he whines and scratches at the door. What I didn't expect is that he would "need" to go outside every 10 minutes... Ok slight exaggeration. But still, especially in the mornings, I wake up and let him out. He come back to the door, I let him in. About half an out later, he wants out again, then back in, then back out, then back in. He's driving me nuts! Plus it's getting cold outside, and I don't think it's good for such a little dog to be spending so much time out in the cold. He seems to go pee every time he goes out, but I don't know if he actually has to go, or if he's just lifting his leg because he can. So, how do I know if he actually needs to go outside, and how do I stop him from whining to go outside if he doesn't need to? As a side note, Otto is a dachshund-minpin mix, about a year and a half old, male, and intact. I've had him for about 6 months, and we are still only 90% on the potty training, which I think is partially because he needs to be fixed.


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## RoughCollie

Could he have a urinary tract infection?

Have you considered buying him a sweater?

Aside from that, Aidan does that from time to time. He wants to go out to dig. Apparently, when the ground is soft after it rains, and the little varmints are holed up underground because of the cold, Aidan can either hear or smell them.

Sorry, I'm no help.


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## RonE

Whether a dog learns to ring a little bell or whine or bark or scratch at the door or do a little dance to go outside, he soon learns that it's great fun to watch the owner jump up on demand and let him out. It's very entertaining and it's something to do.

I am a lifelong advocate of taking the dog outside at regular and reasonable intervals - whether it's every 30 minutes or every four hours. My dogs will let me know if they are in actual distress but, otherwise, there is no bell-ringing, etc.


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## hamandeggs

Biscuit did this for awhile. It was rather annoying. What we did was to take the dog out at reasonable and regular intervals, as RonE says, and then if she went to the door, we would take her out but make it really super boring. Like, we would take her straight to the bush outside our apartment where she pees, no sniffing of other things or greeting of other dogs/people, stay out there for only a few minutes, then straight back inside. If she actually does pee, she usually gets a little stroll around the block (so she doesn't think peeing=going inside). But if she doesn't, then no fun allowed. It's basically an extension of the methods we used for housebreaking her in the first place.


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## Lamora

Sadie is pretty good about the "wanting/needing" out, and we can usally tell the difference. She is more excited to go out when she wants to rather than need to. She will do her "thing" every time, but if given the chance she will run to her "toybox" on the portch and pick something for us to throw. Or she will "stall" on doing what she needs to do, anything to get from coming back upstairs!! lol but shes pretty good about it too. I really dont blame her tho. Being stuck in this little place is hard on me too at times! Just waiting for this cold to get better. 
I know~ I wasnt much help either. Im just saying, for us, it is her body language that lets us know the difference.


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## dantero

RonE said:


> I am a lifelong advocate of taking the dog outside at regular and reasonable intervals - whether it's every 30 minutes or every four hours. My dogs will let me know if they are in actual distress but, otherwise, there is no bell-ringing, etc.


+1 My dogs are let out on a schedule, and rarely need to ask for an extra break. If they do, then I can tell by their body language they need an extra trip out, usually they run to me, then run to the door, then back to me. On the few occasions one has started the "in out in out" thing, I just put them out and leave them out. When they have spent a half our or so standing by the back door looking in and wishing they were inside where the other dogs are, getting toys, treats, whatever, then I let them back in. That usually ends the in-out-in-out stuff. If they do continue afterwards, and I know there is no physical reason they need out, they get locked in a bedroom for awhile. Gets the point across, and the behavior stops.


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