Back patio Cairn

[Lili]

Question: I really don't want my Cairn to be a back patio dog; I want him to be inside the house, an take him out to the back patio only to relief himself on his papers. But many times, one of us (DH, maid or me) takes him out and he won't go right away, and we need to really get going (give the baby his bottle, get a shower, leave for work, keep cleaning up the house, etc.), so we leave him out there for a while. But today I'm thinking that. if he's just out there a long while, he won't get that he's supose to go fast. However, when we've taken him in one of those times thinking he doesn't need to go, what usually happens is... well, you know what usually happens...

What do I do if I take him back and he doesn't go? Crate him? For how long? What good housebreaking advise do you have?

Thanks!

[Scully'sMom]

Have you tried using a specific word association for him that tells him this is what's expected? I'm NO expert and I just stumbled on what worked for me, but from when I had my dogs as pups I'd pick them up and say "Let's go potty" and took them to the spot where they had to go. I'd use it constantly. If they stood there looking at me, I'd just keep repeating "Go potty". After a short while they would come to me with that special look or a paw on my leg to tell me that they had to go out.

Again, I just stumbled on doing that and it always worked for me but others here are WAY more experienced dog owners than I am.

[Jessica H]

My dogs pee on command because as puppies I always said "go potty" and after they did I praised and gave a little treat (usually just a piece of their food). Now when they are dilly-dallying I say "go potty" and they go.

I also trained my 2 to ring a bell when they need to go out. I built a new house and did not want them scratching my doors and I didn't want them to get into the habit of barking. Now they just hit the bell which hangs from door knob, there are different rings too. A few taps means they have to pee, continuously hitting it is poo and a weak tap is because they are bored. Works great, if you have a pup I recommend it. When I go somewhere I bring the bell and hang it on the door wherever we are, they always ring that bell no matter where we are.

[pkcrossley]

i assume you are talking about peeing and not pooping. a quick pee should be something your dog can accomplish, as others have noted. pooping is something else -most dogs need walks, real walks, to keep themselves in good health.

is there some reason your dog prefers to be outside? if he realizes that peeing means being whisked into the house, he may not be eager to get it over with. do you reward him when bringing him in after a successful whiz?

whatever the fix is, it will take time and attention. it isn't likely your dog can be automated to pee and poop on command unless there is something in it for him, and he doesn't feel that he is sacrificing a nice sojourn outside. if he is getting a nice daily walk to satisfy his wish to get outdoors and see some of the world, he might stop delaying when he has a chance to pee on the patio.

[Scruffys Mom]

A clear solution would be to actually walk your dog. It is sooooo important to walk the animal often and especially for relieving himself. I know you think you do not have the time, but you do. Make time and set aside 15 minutes if that is all you have. A good walk will get the Job done and plea your pup in many ways. I feel sorry for the pupos whose owner has a fenced yard or patio and the owner loses sight of how imporotant it is for the dog to get out and see what is going on.

[Deb]

How do owners with fenced in yards not let their dogs see what is going on? We have a fenced in yard and believe me our dogs do a lot of exploring because it is a large area near woods , they get lots of exercise and they prefer to have the freedom to run off leash. WE are out there throwing balls, training etc. and you should see them enjoying the garden swing! I'm sure they would'nt have it any other way.

[Lili]

Thanks for all great responses.

I am using the command "Pip

[Jessica H]

I walk my dogs and take them hiking regularly but they would be quite satisfied in the yard. We have a large fenced in yard and lots going on. Scooter never wants to come in, he could occupy himself out there for hours. Sadie doesn't go for many walks or hiking because she has bad knees and she would rather be home.

As far as the bell goes, you need to start out in steps:

- every time I brought him out I would ring the bell myself in front of him, sometimes holding his paw on it when I did it.

- then I would hold the bell up and say "what" "you want to go out" until he would get so excited and hit the bell. I would praise him and let him out.

- eventually I would stand in front of the door and say "what, do you want to go out" and he would ring the bell himself. I would give lots of praise and let him out.

They don't ring it with their paws like I used to show him, they hit it with their noses.

Important factors-

-each step could take WEEKS

- if they have to go you can't make them hold it to ring the bell, if he didn't do it in the first 2 "what, you want to go out" then I would ring it and then let him out.

eventually this is the only way he would go out. Funny thing is that I got Sadie after Scooter was trained and I never had to show her how to do it, she learned from Scooter.

Scooter thinks its a game sometimes though, he thinks its fun to ring and run... its his way to get me up and then he grabs his ball. Very tricky! When she rings it she really does have to go.

[jodi0553]

Just another slightly different (but same general plan!) approach to bell training.... on the advice of others here I just hung the bell from the door and hit it with his paw each time we went out. I did give soem verybal cue, like, "okay, lets go!" in an exicted voice. two weeks later, he tentatively went to the door and hit it with his nose and the rest was history. I must tell you though, I have had quite a challenge with him thinking that it is a "butler bell" and he tends to ring it for any attention he might want! I think that many others have had the same experience. Now we know that if he sits at the door with his ears pinned back and lets out pitiful yips, then it is for real.

Just a funny related story....recently we went on a trip to my parents house and took the bell with us for him to use. When we came home, I forgot to re-hang it at our place. That evening, he went up to the door and brushed his nose where the bell shoudl be several times. I felt so bad - poor doofus know what to do, but the action-consequence (ie, I brush my nose ON the ringy thing to make a ringy noise) just doesn't connect in his head!!!

[Scruffys Mom]

Walking a dog (IMO) is one of the most important function of my responsibility of being a dog owner. Walking a dog is much differnt than off leash, play time, roam time in the back yard. A walk requires your dog to work, it must pay attention to you and its surroundings. It is physically and mentally exhausting to your dog, if done correctly. A tired dog is a good dog. The back yard, all though, fun and recreation, becomes boring to your dog. Dogs walk. Packs of dogs do not circle a fenced back yard, they walk and walk. To understand dogs in the wild, allows you to understand your pet. You can pee on command, and so can your dog, but why not let them pee in the way that is natural to them, and that would be on a walk. The walk also increases your bond with the dog.

[sheila and Misty]

Awhile back I read that if you give a comand word or phrase while they are "in the process" of eliminating..they relate that word or phrase with the sensation of going and in time will pretty much GO on cue..

for Misty I say-go potty do good girl poopy for mommy. as she is going I say DOOOOOOO_IT! the neighbors probably think I'm nuts-but they on the other hand dont have a cairn.

Then to get her in quickly I say good girl! come get your poopy treat.!! she usually flies right in.

of course she is now 1year 2 months and it took about 7 months for the whole thing to kick in. it was worth the effort. lotsa luck to you.

[Madwand]

As far as the bell goes, you need to start out in steps:

So how do you teach them to ring the bell when they need to potty? If I trained my dog to ring a bell when she wants to go outside, she'd be ringing it every time I brought her back inside.

Once outside, I just say "potty" the second I see her rooting or running in circles. As soon as she squats, I say, "good girl." That's for the new puppy, I think she's getting the idea after 3 weeks of that now (she still wants to pee in the house every 5 minutes though ). Once she gets older, as I let her outside, I will say, "go potty" and she will run to her spot and go.

[Jessica H]

Scooter also treats the bell like the butler bell, he rings it for attention but I can read him like a book. A lot of hard hit bell rings with jumping means poop, a solid hit means pee and a weak ring means attention.

I actually have 2 doors, one with a small fenced area only for potty time and the slider which is to the large fenced in yard. The bell is on the door for the potty area. I realize that not everyone can do this. I would suggest teaching them to ring the bell, go outside and potty and come right back in. This is potty time, not play time. Scooter will ring the bell and if he has to really go potty he will stand at that door, if he just wants to play outside he will ring the bell and when I stand up he runs to the slider.

Sadie is a princess and only rings the bell when she has to go potty. Scooter is a little troublemaker

[jodi0553]

So how do you teach them to ring the bell when they need to potty? If I trained my dog to ring a bell when she wants to go outside, she'd be ringing it every time I brought her back inside.

For us, when the bell is rung, its a quick trip out to the nearest potty spot, a command, business, and then back in the house. If no potty happens within a couple minutes, we go in right away. This way he stops associating "bell" with "fun" and knows its not the way to ask for a walk or to go play.

Also, he definitely has different ring styles, and I know pretty well now which are serious. Very serious ones now get punctuated with a quite loud YIP! Occasionally he will see neighbors' kids or dogs outside and give a pretty convincing sounding ring to try to get what he wants...