# Housebreaking Signal



## Dave Immure (Oct 15, 2008)

I have a question for you seasoned veterans out there. My dog for the most part is housebroken. He holds it until I let him outside to go to the bathroom. I've taught my dog how to bark for treats. How can I include this to his housebreaking regimen? I would like to get him to bark at the door when he has to go to the bathroom.


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## Eros Kopliku (Jan 30, 2008)

I can't help you with the barking, but I did train my dog to signal with a bell on the doornob. I would just ring the bell every time before opening the door and he picked it up real quick. As he matured, my dog started abusing the system though so be careful; the barking signal you want to train may get obnoxious later when he just wants to go out to play.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Eros Kopliku said:


> the barking signal you want to train may get obnoxious later when he just wants to go out to play.


I do not advise using a signal for a dog "letting you know when it needs to go outside." Housetraining is simple: Take the dog outside before it pees inside.

I especially do not advise using a barking signal. You'll be coming back in a few months or a year with a problem of nuisance barking.

With that said, I do have a bell on my back door. So my dog can demand to go outside? Nope. Because she can't ring the bell and jump on the back door at the same time. Makes her much more polite.


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## Dave Immure (Oct 15, 2008)

Good point. As of right now he waits for me to take him out to go potty. I guess I'll just leave it alone then and be happy with that. Thanks for the advice.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

Dave Immure said:


> Good point. As of right now he waits for me to take him out to go potty. I guess I'll just leave it alone then and be happy with that. Thanks for the advice.


Is this your first dog? 

They will let you know if they have to go out. 

You may want to consider a doggie door. I would have one when I lived in MN but they work great in AZ


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Most dogs will develope their own method of notifying you to go out. I've had barkers, spinners, door bangers, recall refind to the door, dogs that just sit and stare, etc. 
I've found that anything taught in order to get your attention can become a PIA.
They seem less inclined to be a nusance when they develope theirown signal. Of course that depends on how easily they can munipulate their owners. :-D ;-)


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## Kate Kueper (Dec 4, 2008)

Each one of my dogs have found their own signal to let me know they want to go out, and each one has tried to abuse that signal. One bangs the door knob, one lays by the door, the other comes and gets me then runs to the door. I would only try to teach a particular signal if the one they chose was truly obnoxious. (like one of my previous dogs that would scratch at the door and I taught her to ring a bell instead)


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

I had one dog that would stand and touch her nose to the door. If I didn't notice, she would sigh. She'd stand there for 20 minutes even! :lol:


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