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200 Posts
Hey guys,
Roz is a smart little cookie. I used to think you guys were a little bit crazy saying that these dogs are smarter than us, but she really does seem to one up me from time to time.
Here is my (current) issue. She is house trained, and she is really good about letting me know when she needs to go out. She will go and nose the door handle, and if I'm not paying attention, she will paw the door stopper to make it BOING and then she noses the door handle again. It's really cute, and I love that she will let me know. However, the past few days, she will do it whenever she wants to go out, regardless of whether or not she needs to use the restroom. As a result, I have started to do the following:
When she says she needs to go out, I take her out, but only straight to the "bathroom area" and we stay there for 5-10 minutes and go right back inside. If she DOES go out and go right to the bathroom, sometimes I will take her for a walk after she goes, so that she doesn't think that every time she goes to the bathroom she will have to go right back inside. I don't want her to hold it so she stays out longer.
If she says she needs to go out and then doesn't go, we go back inside and I do my own thing for about five or so minutes and once she is settled down playing with a stuffy or chewing on a toy, I take her out for a long walk and/or some long lead play time. I want walks and play time to be my idea, not hers, but I also want to make sure she gets enough of both.
However, she seems to still be "crying wolf" about needing to use the restroom, and I'd like her to stop, so I know when she really needs to go.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Roz is a smart little cookie. I used to think you guys were a little bit crazy saying that these dogs are smarter than us, but she really does seem to one up me from time to time.
Here is my (current) issue. She is house trained, and she is really good about letting me know when she needs to go out. She will go and nose the door handle, and if I'm not paying attention, she will paw the door stopper to make it BOING and then she noses the door handle again. It's really cute, and I love that she will let me know. However, the past few days, she will do it whenever she wants to go out, regardless of whether or not she needs to use the restroom. As a result, I have started to do the following:
When she says she needs to go out, I take her out, but only straight to the "bathroom area" and we stay there for 5-10 minutes and go right back inside. If she DOES go out and go right to the bathroom, sometimes I will take her for a walk after she goes, so that she doesn't think that every time she goes to the bathroom she will have to go right back inside. I don't want her to hold it so she stays out longer.
If she says she needs to go out and then doesn't go, we go back inside and I do my own thing for about five or so minutes and once she is settled down playing with a stuffy or chewing on a toy, I take her out for a long walk and/or some long lead play time. I want walks and play time to be my idea, not hers, but I also want to make sure she gets enough of both.
However, she seems to still be "crying wolf" about needing to use the restroom, and I'd like her to stop, so I know when she really needs to go.
Any advice will be appreciated.