# When did your puppy start asking to go outside to potty?



## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

I know my puppy is still very young and wont be housebroken for a few more months, but when do puppies usually start making the connection enough to stand at the door asking to go out and potty? My puppy clearly knows its ok to potty outside. He does still have accidents inside if we don't get him out in time (we take him out every 2 hrs but sometimes he has to go sooner), but we are definitely making progress. I've been trying to be very enthusiastic with the praise and I always tell him "Lets go potty!" when taking him out and say "Good potty!" as he is going pee/poo. So when should he finally start asking to go outside instead of us having to take him on a schedule?


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Some dogs never learn to let you know. But it's really not up to them, it's up to you to keep them on a schedule to make sure their bathroom needs are met.


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## Niraya (Jun 30, 2011)

Bella started asking about a month after we got her but she's -incredibly- smart. I did not train her to ask or ring a bell. It was just something she picked up on. I literally took her out every hour or hour and a half since the day we got her for about two to four weeks to make sure she understood outside meant potty. Even at six months now I still take her out every three or four hours even though I know she might not have to go. It's good to just reinforce.

It all started in the morning. She would sit on my bed or on the floor and howl/bark at me to get up to take her out. And if I didn't get up she will prod at me with her nose or jump on me. Then it evolved - if some one is downstairs and she has to go pee - she'll go sit in the blinds of the backdoor and if she has to poop - she jumps at the door.

Though! She does still have the occasional accident in the house. Not very often, though! Basically when I"m not paying attention or have lost track of time.

OR when she's sick from shots from the vet :|


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

My two 5 year old dogs took longer to break than my new adoptive pup. It took the little ones close to a year. I have had my new pup for a little over 2 months and she was not broken yet. Just about two weeks ago she began to whine to let me know. Yesterday was the first time she actually barked to go. It just depends on the dog. One of the little ones actually mimics the word "out" and the other little one just sits in front of you and stares. They all are different.


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## RoughCollie (Mar 7, 2011)

Aidan started asking me to go out when he was 5 mos. old. He does not go to the door. He comes to me and lays his head on my lap or pokes me with his nose. I follow him to the front door.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

I dont remember exactly how long it took, but it was pretty fast. I'd take your puppy out much more often than every 2 hours; it'll speed up the process.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Still waiting....She's 5 now. The most obvious thing she'll do is go to the door and shake her head. If we're not in the room, she walks away. Luckily, she can hold it. But we don't rely on her to tell us. We just make sure to get her out on a schedule. Honestly, I'm not sure how to tell if a pup needs to go or just wants to be outside. Never did figure it out with our dog.


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

At 2 1/2 Buster will ask to go out to play or demand a walk but almost never indicates he needs to go potty. I take him out every few hours and he doesnt flood the house.


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## Porphyria (Jul 18, 2011)

It probably took Zephyr 2-4 weeks, but he was _very_ easy to potty train. I didn't train him to do it or anything, he just picked it up on his own. Once he figured out that he had "trained" me to let him/take him out to go potty when he cried by the door, he started using it for other things! For a while he would cry by the door when he was hungry, when he was bored, when he wanted someone to give him their spot on the couch, etc. I've finally started breaking the habit of him crying when he's bored or hungry, but he still throws a hissy fit when there's not room for him on the couch!

I used to take him out on leash to the front lawn. Once he was fully potty trained and no longer needed rewards/praise for going outside, I began letting him out in the fenced back yard. But to this day (he's two years old now, and has been going out to the back yard for around a year and a half) he still goes to the front door and whines/barks when he needs to go out!


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Neither of my dogs tells me when they need out. They never mess in the house, though; they just hold it. If they really need to go, they will sometimes sit by the door and wait for me to notice. On the rare occasions my papillon has an upset stomach and knows she's going to have diarrhea, she will actually cry and paw at the door, but she won't bother with this normally. I take them out every five or six hours and all is well.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

All 5 of my dogs growing up told us when they wanted to go outside by sitting by the door, didn't realize some dogs never learned to do that! I'll just keep taking him out regularly and if he learns it he learns it, if not oh well.


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## Jenn~n~Luke (Aug 20, 2010)

Luke started doing it literally the day I brought him home. I'm still trying to figure out how he knew how to do that, how he was totally trained at nine weeks because his breeder did not teach him to go scratch at the door. Heck he even knew which door to scratch at out of the two. All of the dogs we ever had always let us know too, I guess they just figured out, door meant they go out to pee. It was never a deliberate thing we taught. I know some people train their dogs to usea bell at the door.


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