How does a puppy ask?

[canadaone]

Hi
If a puppy does not ask to go out and do his business by scratching at the door, then how else will he ask? It may be he is asking and I am just not picking up on it.

[Buddy'sParents]

How old is the puppy?

[bcmoffatt]

They don't really 'ask' for a while, until they begin to learn that it's inappropriate to pee/poo inside.
At first you'll have to watch what their doing and their body language to get a clue. This means you have to be watching the 100% of the time.
They'll sniff or wander around at first, when they have to go. They're looking for a place to go, you have to show them where.
Or you could have a dumb-dumb like one of mine who never realized he had to pee until he was peeing...

[MyHorseMyRules]

Yes. Sometimes, they will sniff, wander, or (rarely have I seen a puppy generous enough to do this) walk in circles. Raja, on the other hand, gave no signals whatsoever. She would be drinking her water and squat and pee without even stopping. lol

[Maxy24]

For a while they don't ask, you just have to watch for signs they have to go (pacing, sniffing, walking frantically without paying attention to you, seeming energetic but not wanting to play for any length of time etc.). With the dog I dog sat who supposedly never asked to go out before started asking within one day (I only had her for two). She asked by going to the door and looking at me. That said she was always leashed and with me so she could only ask when we walked past the door. But one time I was sitting on the lap top, her by my side and she wanted to leave the room, she was on a retractable so I let her go to the end of the room but did not allow her to leave. She threw a tantrum which I figured was her usual tantrum of puppy lack of control. Then when a toy or super happy voice failed to get her attention I decided maybe she had to go out and sure enough she did and pooped immediately. Good puppy

Now I'm sure if she was not leashed to me I would totally miss her signal to go out because she only gives it when we both walk past the door and if I'm not there she would not bother because she would have no one to look at from the door. When i dog sit her for a week I think I will have her asking pretty well. I am thinking about training her to stand up against the door when she has to go. Some people use bells but I don't have any and don't really know where to find them.

I would be sure you are always taking her through the same door and maybe wait a minute once you walk to the door, she might get frustrated and do some form of begging or running and standing at the door to try and get you to open it. When she does something you want her to, open up and hurry on out (unless you were in a potty emergency in which case you have to get out there fast). Also be sure to take her out frequently, the more you practice the more likely the behavior will stick and faster!

When my dog had to go out he would come sit and stare at us and cry, don't know how he thought of it but it worked.

[bcmoffatt]

Also, if your dog has been going wherever, whenever so far, you have to start setting them up to succeed. Like anticipating when they are going to need to go to the bathroom and taking them out. Like after eating, after waking up form a nap, coming out of the crate, or even every 15-30 minutes depending on your dog. And yeah, tons of praise when they eliminate outside.

If you catch your dog going inside, don't yell at them. You can give them the impression that peeing/pooing is bad, and they will attempt to hide from you and do it.
*Personally*, I yell, 'OUTSIDEOUTSIDEOUTSIDE!!' in an alarmed tone, not at all an angry one (like something is terribly amiss, but it's nobody's fault), and take the puppy outside to finish and be praised. As they begin to learn, when I catch them sniffing, I say OUTSIDE they run for the door.
I swear, a few times I've yelled it as I caught them starting to go, the urine stream has gone right back up into the urethra before they make a break for the door!

[lizzybeth727]

Basically, your dog will ask in whatever way works. If you teach him to ring bells, and he figures out that ringing bells gets him to go outside, that works, and he'll keep doing it. If he learns that just looking at you with that intense stare (as my roommate's dog does) gets him to go outside, that's what he'll do.

Kona gives me the stare of death when she NEEDS to go out.

It's kinda creepy.

Kona: "Mom... I gotta go out"

Me: *ignores Kona*

Kona: "Mom. Mom. Yo. Mom. You over there. Lemme out. Now."

*huff/grumble*