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The doghouse

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Original poster

Dog pretending he needs the toilet to go outside

58 replies

DifferentName23 · 22/08/2023 17:55

Okay, I realise he is not "pretending" and has probably just learnt to paw/scratch at the door and then I open it, but how do you get around this situation? He did it today and had only just been out for a pee so I assumed he didn't need to go and then he did actually pee on the floor and I feel I've undone everything Sad am I supposed to just open it every time? More often than not he is signalling to go out and then not needing to.

I'm thinking of having set times he can go in the garden? Will he learn to just wait especially if I start with small intervals? But then still, he may need to go outside of that and if I ignore his signals and he goes on the floor......

I've tried putting him on a lead to go out when he does it and he doesn't care, he will roll around in the grass having a good old time right next to me! Or he will stand and just bark and look at me (if he doesn't want to go) so it feels pointless

OP posts:
IngGenius · 22/08/2023 20:03

I am not a fan of the 5 min rubbish rule for exercise but 2hour 45 mins is a lot for a 9 month puppy.

The only reason I mention it is that you may need to work on calm and relaxation more. He could just be overthreshold and this makes him more inclined to want to be out and about barking etc.

At 9 months I would still be taking him out but also trying to time it to prempt him needing to ask. So if he goes out every 2 hours you take him out at 1 hour 50 mins and ask for a wee. Get the wee on command and then you can increase the time between each trips out to wee.

This stage will pass

trulyunruly01 · 22/08/2023 20:28

What does he do when he goes outside on one of his non-toilet forays?
I've been very lucky in that over the years all my dogs have been house trained easily but I never had a dog who didn't like to go out and inspect his garden, just have a wander and a sniff, give the pigeons the stink eye and throw some shade at the squirrels. Most also liked to lay out in the sun (and in the case of my goldens in the rain too).
I agree your exercise regime sounds a bit much but I think you should double dog-proof the garden (it's a JR, the Houdini of the dog world) and just let him mooch when he wants to.

Clymene · 22/08/2023 20:29

I just leave the doors open in summer

Spanielsarepainless · 22/08/2023 21:20

Mine do the opposite. They pretend to have a wee then rush back indoors!

angie6147 · 22/08/2023 21:33

When my dog was a pup we used to have a sensor alarm that if he passed to go to the door it would ring. He went through a stage of just sitting in front of it all the time. I was up and down like a yo-yo. But it passed. We leave the door open most of the time so ours can go out as they please. They don't really like been shut in our out. We just freeze in the winter. We have no accidents though... hypothermia yes, accidents no. Xx

DiaNaranja · 22/08/2023 21:36

Leave it open but attach some bells to the door in a place he will knock them as he goes through. He will learn the sound of the bells means outside access, and when the door is shut he should then paw at the bell to have the door opened.

angie6147 · 22/08/2023 21:37

Seriously though, yeah every time he asks you need to respond. Every time!! Otherwise you don't have a clear understanding between each other. Mine will even come to the side of me in the nigh, put his head on mine and gently woof to say he needs the loo in the night. That's a new thing since he is older now but I would never ever ignore him even though he drives me nuts xxx

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 22/08/2023 21:45

You say this is more of a toilet training thing in which case yes, you absolutely must let your dog out every time he asks, otherwise you're teaching him that asking doesn't always get him what he needs (opportunity to toilet) and so he'll stop asking and just go on the floor.

needtonamechangeforthis1 · 22/08/2023 23:29

You basically have 3 options

  1. leave the door open
  2. install a dog door
  3. let him out every single time

There are no other options unless you want to set him back toilet training.

Option 2 is probably your best bet! That way he has year round access and your door isn't wide open.

He is being walked way too much. He shouldn't be out for two hours ever at his age way to much physical and mental exhortation for him!!

Clymene · 22/08/2023 23:34

He's under a year and he's out for nearly 3 hours a day? Way too much

FlamingYam · 22/08/2023 23:41

DifferentName23 · 22/08/2023 18:02

And what happens if I had asked this in winter? Smile

My dog has this problem. Kind of. Only at night. He wakes me up by squeaking in the hallway or bottom of the bed and I think he needs a wee but he just wants to go outside. Sometimes he even pokes his head out while I'm stood next to him (tired and miserable) looks at me as if to say "yes, it's still out there" and walks back in. In summer it's fine as I leave the door open but in winter I want to kill him.

Why can't he just sit out?

FlamingYam · 22/08/2023 23:43

Oh and if you're wondering why I don't lock him out at night if he loves it so much? It's because then he will wake me up trying to get in. It's the breed. There are memes. He's actually a massive prick.

Summerbay23 · 23/08/2023 08:07

Personally I’d leave the door open now and when the weather gets colder you’ll have to use a firm ‘no!’ if you’ve already let him out.

We’ve always had the door open a lot in the summer and haven’t had a problem with toilet training. I’m guessing at 9 months though this is more about boredom/wanting the freedom to explore, than toiletting anyway so even more reason to leave the door open when you can.

Trixibella · 23/08/2023 08:26

Just open it every time. He has learned to ask before peeing and if you ignore him he may well pee. He might not but if he does, it’s your fault for not opening the door when he asked. The fact that he asks is a good thing.

And that is a lot of exercise for a puppy - I don’t abide entirely by the 5 min per month rule for smaller dogs after 6 months but I wouldn’t do as much as that - try more brain games and mental stimulation to wear him out and bring him calm, as only physical exercise may well over stimulate.

Bobsledgirl · 23/08/2023 08:29

Changingplace · 22/08/2023 19:22

If he asks to go out just let him, I don’t see why you wouldn’t.

Yeah same.

Enthusedeggplant · 23/08/2023 08:33

Exercise less and outside more. Time problem resolved.

SometimesIHitPeopleWithMyCar · 23/08/2023 08:34

I've always left my door open in summer, open when necessary in winter but ignore if he's just been out, done this since we got him, got him in September so was still warm and having the door open meant he naturally went outside to pee rather than in the house. Didn't mess him up in winter, he just stands by the door and woofs to go out

SomewhereWithSomeone · 23/08/2023 08:35

Get him checked for a urine infection just in case.

But he probably just wants to go outside with the smells, the sounds, just to watch and got a change of scenery. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My dogs love being outside, we’ve sectioned off an area so we know they’re safe and they sometimes play, but sometimes just sit on a bench and take everything in, sometimes they doze out there. Would you want to stay in the house if you could sit outside instead? In colder weather, ours choose to be in the house most of the time.

He’s a dog. Let him be a dog.

Namechange77427 · 23/08/2023 09:05

Perhaps you are exercising him too much and he is wired from that. That is a huge amount of exercise for a young dog.
Get his urine checked for a UTI just incase and maybe start a diary of how often he needs to go to the toilet. Try to get him out just before his usual time.

caringcarer · 23/08/2023 09:21

Soubriquet · 22/08/2023 17:56

What’s wrong with opening the door and just letting him go out when he wants to?

I mean, it’s still warm enough for you to even leave the door open so he can go in and out

This my 2 dogs have a flap on back door and go in and out as they please. They spend 1/2 an hour or so running around the garden then go in for a snooze. In the winter they go out into the garden only to wee.

Original poster
DifferentName23 · 23/08/2023 10:38

Am happy to cut down the hours he gets to run around outside but don't really see much difference in being able to run around a garden or a field. The morning walk that's 2 hours, he isn't forced to walk side by side with me, he's on an extendable/long line and does what he wishes, he can sit down etc. The 45 minute one is a loose lead walk but I don't think that's too much for him, he has loads of energy.

I think people are misunderstanding. We actually did train him to go toilet outside with open doors and a doggy door and there wasn't an issue with it all these months until we got to a point of needing the door closed one day (was having something done in the garden) and he had an accident despite having regular intervals where he was given the opportunity to go out (I offered him to go every hour) and assumed it was maybe just a one off but he subsequently had accidents all week where he wasn't allowed free access outside. I also took him to a caravan holiday where he would pee on the floor when we were inside the caravan because he didn't have free access to go outside and it made me realise we actually have a problem here. That it's all well and good that he never goes inside when the door is open/there's a doggy for but that's not all that helpful when he can't have that free access for whatever reason. So I did some research on here actually and I had read many times on other posts the issue was because I had always given free access... so I decided to make it his new norm that he doesn't. He still gets plenty of chance to go out and that's what I am trying to say. He will have just been allowed a free hour in the garden and then I get him in for an hour or so but he will pee then despite going outside. He does paw at the door and I admit it's because he wants to go back out and when we have this completely under control, of course he can just come and go, especially in summer but it feels rather irresponsible of me to ignore this issue and let him have accidents inside if he has no access and to just give the access to "fix it" when it isn't, I can assure you it's much easier for me to just ignore it and keep giving him the doggy door or open door but that's going to ignore the behaviour that I'm trying to fix and surely the longer I leave it and leave it; the more normal that will be for him so I'm trying to get it under control now. When he paws at it I have been opening it again in the hopes he needs the toilet but he doesn't and it's about a 1 in 9 chance he does, I can't keep opening it every few minutes because he is learning if he keeps doing it; up I get. They're not daft.

Not sure why people are being sarky to me. Im just trying to do my best for him and do my job as an owner to correct any negative behaviours.

OP posts:
cinnamonfrenchtoast · 23/08/2023 10:44

When he paws at it I have been opening it again in the hopes he needs the toilet but he doesn't and it's about a 1 in 9 chance he does, I can't keep opening it every few minutes because he is learning if he keeps doing it; up I get. They're not daft.

I'm afraid you do have to keep opening it when he asks - because that's part of toilet training a puppy.

As you previously chose to leave the door open all the time, he hasn't been properly trained - so you really need to go back and treat him like you would a small puppy. Unfortunately for you, that means he has to be let out every time he asks, whether that's five times a day or five times an hour.

Otherwise, he'll just learn that he asks and gets ignored, so why bother asking? He'll just go on the floor because he doesn't know if you'll let him out or not.

Yes, it's a ballache but it's part of owning a young dog that's not fully trained unfortunately. I spent most of my life opening and closing the back door when ours was a puppy - even as an adult he still gets let out every time he asks, because you never know when they're desperate.

Original poster
DifferentName23 · 23/08/2023 10:50

@cinnamonfrenchtoast that's fine :) just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing and not then just encouraging a different negative behaviour

OP posts:
cinnamonfrenchtoast · 23/08/2023 10:52

DifferentName23 · 23/08/2023 10:50

@cinnamonfrenchtoast that's fine :) just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing and not then just encouraging a different negative behaviour

No worries :)

I really appreciate it's a ballache getting up and down all the time, but the novelty will wear off eventually, especially when the weather gets cold and wet and miserable, but by then he should be in the habit of asking to go out when necessary and he'll probably not bother outside of that.