We're getting our new pup next week and as we're in a rented house we're not sure if we're allowed to put in a dog flap, so just wondered what you'd do?

We'll come home during working hours every few hours but I was thinking more about training him to tell us when he needs to go and read something about putting a bell by the door, so the dog rings it when he wants to go out?

What do you think?
x

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My dog 'pings' the door stop if he is upstairs and wants to go to the toilet, so it is possible when they are older. They need to be house trained first though.

We have Poochie Bells (although you could make something similar) and Poppy now rings them to go outside. She touches them with her nose to ring them.

The instructions that came with them says it takes a dog about a week or so to learn how to use them. Poppy took a month. I taught her "touch" on my hand (rewarded when she did so) and then touch on the bells. She was a bit slow to pick it up and in the end I smeared the bells with peanut butter or Primula cheese to get her to lick them and get used to the sound. Then every time she went outside I shook the bells and said "Outside, ring the bell" like it advises in the instructions. Works well for us as we can't see the door if she just sits by it to be let out.

If you work full time you will have a long job toilet training a puppy. Can you arrange to take some time off for the first few weeks? Pup really needs to be let out frequently, after waking, after eating, after playing, plus every hour or so until it gets used to peeing and pooing outside. If you leave pup in the house alone while you're out at work for hours then you can expect a few presents waiting for you when you come home.

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When a pup first comes home he needs to be toilet trained and shown where to go. You may be able to teach him to ring a bell later, but usually once trained they tend to tell you for example one of mine circles the room, comes up and paws me and then walks out to the back door. One of the others stands at the back door and barks, nothing Ive taught either they just did it themselves after I toilet trained them.

Pups need to be taken out ideally every 30/45 minutes. When they start give it a name eventually they associate this with going and you can later use it as a toilet cue. When finished lots of verbal praise and treats. They especially need to be taken out after drinking,eating,play and sleeping. Look out for circling sniffing and scratching at the floor although they dont always do this at first when really young, as they dont always recognise the need to go or realise too late. If you do see this sort of behaviour then get them out quick it usually means they are looking for somewhere to go. Any accidents dont tell them off, it can make them nervous about going in front of you and likely to sneak off to do it. Accidents clean up with a special pet accident cleaner any smell left can encourage them to keep going in the same places.
At first and for awhile they might not be able to go through the night, so you can set an alarm and take them out a couple of times that way or have them within sight and soun of you and take them out if they wake or stir.

Hope this might help.

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