Scratching, barking, bell, or doggie door?
When dog owners are having problems with housebreaking training, they can be tempted to allow all kinds of leniency in order to resolve the issues. Nothing is set in stone as to what you should or shouldn’t allow, but you should be mindful that what you allow can sow problematic seeds that quickly, or eventually, grow into new and bigger problems.
One of the “allowances” that a dog owner might make is barking to go outside/come inside the house. Scratching at the door can be another behavior that is excused, let alone jumping at the door and getting hyper excited.
As a professional trainer, I can never recommend expecting (or even allowing) a dog to go to the door and bark, nor destructively scratch at the door panel or floor, nor act in a wild and crazy manner in order to communicate the need to go outside for a bathroom break. I have always experienced that my dogs will come and seek me out, without barking, whenever they need to go outside. I have come to understand each of my dogs’ body language, and they will simply approach me with a sense of mild urgency and an intense gaze that makes me realize what they are communicating.
Apart from scratching at the door being counter-productive (even allowing gentle pawing at the door can, in some cases, excalate into damaging behavior), I have seen that teaching a dog to bark at the door can easily open a pathway to unnecessary barking, creating another problematic behavior that the owners then have to correct. I believe it’s a much more peaceful, harmonious way to exist with your dog if he isn’t barking at you, vocally demanding things of you (which can, in turn, undermine your overall training results as you’re allowing your leadership position to be weakened). Communication can be done silently on a dog’s behalf. At the end of the day, it is someone’s preference, and their choice can be directed by limitations relating the home environment, health of the owners, health or mobility of the dog, etc.
Within the scope of my system, most dogs quickly learn to communicate in effective but harmonious ways. This is particularly true if you purpose to add some clear signs from yourself toward the dog, in a repetitive fashion, every time you guide your dog toward the door for a bathroom break. If you stick to certain words and actions and use the same door, over and over for a week or two, a “pattern” can be etched into the dog’s mind and routine such that what is expected of the dog quickly become a positive default in the dog’s life.
Another option dog owners might resort to is a small doggie door bell. Again, it’s up to the individual dog owner if they want to introduce such a communication device and teach the dog how to use it (by nudging it with the snout or paw), but a bell can also become a nuisance and easily “get out of hand.” Some dogs learn that if they’re simply bored and frustrated and are wanting exercise, they can keep ringing the bell as a means of demanding attention. This kind of dog ends up training the owner!
If you’re having difficulty recognizing your dog’s communicative body language, or if your dog is just one of those dogs that doesn’t initiate clear (but harmonious) communicative signs, and if everyone in your home can be very strict in terms of what you will and won’t tolerate with the bell, then a doggie door bell could work as a solution in your household. But, just be aware that it can be very easy to fall into a pattern where the dog enjoys the “game” of constantly going in and out (even though he doesn’t have to go to the bathroom) because he knows that someone will always come running at the first ring of the bell.
Sufficient and appropriate exercise is the first thing I would always address in terms of a dog that is struggling with housebraking, or “potty training” as some people call it. There are other “Training Tips posts” on my website that delved into this subject in more detail, so I strongly encourage you to read those. This, coupled with the application of my housebreaking program including appropriate consequences for soiling in the house, should be sufficient to overcome any potty training problem.
If the dog is repeatedly making mistakes in the house, you can also revert back to another week of crate reinforcement, confining him in the comfortable (yet not too big) indoor training kennel whenever he’s inside the house in-between taking him out for his regular exercise and potty breaks (and make sure these breaks are very regular and for sufficient lengths of time). The knowledge that his freedom in the home will be restricted again for another week if he deliberately soils in the house can help with the dog’s slackness (in terms of not seeking someone out, for help to go outside). However, yo-yoing back and forth with this kind of pattern is not a healthy situation. It might be fine one or two times, but any more than that and you should take an even deeper look into other possible cause(s) besides your dog’s lack of response to training.
Now having said the above, exhausting all the relevant topics, if you’re having continued problems with your dog’s housebreaking-related communications, the best all-round solution would be to install a secure doggie door (one that opens upon sensing the dog’s collar). That way, you don’t have to rely upon reading your dog’s signals, you don’t have to worry about the consequences of scratching or barking at the door, you eliminate the potential of a dog door bell getting out of hand, and you give your dog the best chance to get outside every time, avoiding the need for continued corrections and crating. This is what I would suggest, but of course, you know your home and situation and which solution would work best for you and your household.
- Don Sullivan, “The DogFather”