Expert: Delores Beck - 2/12/2008

Question
We have a 5 month old buff cocker "Quincy"  He is a great dog and we have almost completed the PetSmart puppy kindergarten class.  Here is my question.  I never know when Quincy has to "go outside".  He pees and poops during his twice daily walks and other times when he is just taken outside for bathroom purposes, but if no one take him out, he simply pees in the house.  This is my first dog and i guess i thought he would "go to the door" or "bark" or something to signal that he needs to go out.  By the way......Quincy is an adored member of the family and i am trying to do things right for him.  :-)

Answer
Of course he does :)  He hasn't been taught going in the house is a no-no so why not pee in the house?

Melinda, it sounds to me like Quincy is a very good puppy and you've kimd of thought he'll just "get it".  So wrong.

Now what to do?  Well, I'd back up and start all over as if he's not housebroken.

First..pick a word/phrase that means "go potty" and use that word when you see him picking his spot.  In other words - anticipate!
Then praise and reward.

Take him out (not put him out) every 3 hours and "wait".  How boring is that :)  But necessary. Watch him like a hawk and when he starts looking & sniffing - give the command to "go potty".

Do the same on his walks.  He'll quickly make the association between the command - the action - and his reward and praise.

And unless you actually catch him in the act in the house - forget it. He has no clue what you're talking about.

The first goal is to teach him that "outside" is the place to go and that means he should just not have the opportunity to make a mistake.
Routine is your friend - take him out after every feeding - every nap or play period.

And pick a phrase that means "do you have to go out".

Be patient - let him learn what basically you haven't taught him
yet.

Also if this is your first dog and he's a cocker you may want to learn more about this breed.  Especially when it comes to nutrition.
Feed a supermarket food and I can almost guarantee skin problems.

Do write if anything isn't clear and remember it's not Quincy's fault - it's yours :)
Delores