Mini doodle potty training issue...

[Jenny Zeng]

I have a mini golden doodle, who's 5 and a half month old. He's been "potty trained" as of a month ago, in the sense that he knows to go to the door and ring the bell when he needs to potty. However, if he does it a few times, and we don't let him out, he'll just go to where we're not watching and potty. Also, if he's in another room with no access to the bell, he'll also just potty without giving us much warning.

He almost never potties when he's home alone (for usually 9 hours a day), so he definitely can hold his bladder if he wants to, but he just doens't know or doesn't want to hold it when we're around. We of course throw a party when he goes outside to potty, and give him a firm scolding and take him outside right away when he goes inside and we catch him.

The sizes of the potty indoors also isn't huge, so he definitely can hold it if he wants to. It's not an UTI concern either, since he obviously has the ability to hold it when he's home alone. How can we teach him that he needs to hold it if he's not outside, even when we're around?

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I know that many people have trained their dogs to use potty bells, but I didn't and this is why. I wanted my dogs to learn to wait until I decide that it's time for them to go out. I never make them wait longer than I know they can hold it. And, if they really need to go sooner, they pester me and I take them out right away - though, this rarely happens. I wanted to train my dogs to go when I choose, and they have definitely learned to wait and trust that I will take them out. Potty bells, to me, lets the dog decide, and this isn't the way things work around here. They also get lots of outdoor play time, so they don't bug me about taking them out to run around and play either. This works for me, and works for Wally and Charlotte, too. I understand that some will disagree with me, and for those using potty bells, I think that you need to be consistent and take your dog out immediately after he or she rings the bells. Otherwise, you're sending a confusing mixed message. Just my opinion . . .

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree : )

[Jenny Zeng]

That does make sense...Nibbler does use the bell as a way to get our attention and I wouldn't be surprised if to him, ringing the bell means he gets what he wants, so he abuses it sometimes. We'll just keep doing what we're doing until he knows to hold it until we let him out. Thanks everyone!