Yet Another Toilet Training Question

[macka]

My lab boy is 5 1/2 months old now and has done really well with toilet training so far. He has a preference for grass and toilets on command when I take him out.

We moved house 3 weeks ago and up until last night, he had not had a single accident in the new house. Before that, he had only had two accidents in the previous month, and one was on holidays in an unfamiliar location.

I acknowledge all these accidents are my fault for not taking him out often enough or not paying enough attention, but as we approach 6 months of age I was hoping he would start to "tell me" when he needs to go, whether by standing at the back door or barking or anything at all! He has never done this.

Does anyone have any strategies for teaching him how to tell me when he needs to go?

[Enigma01au]

With Sammy, we'd watch her and when she started to do the sniffing around business, we'd stand by the back door, call her name and say "Sammy want to go Toilet?" then take her straight outside to do her toileting thing. We'd only say the toilet word when we were 90% certain that she did want to go to the toilet, and not just outside to play. We can just call out from any room in the house and if she needs to go, she'll go to the back door and wait to be let out. So now if she needs to go, she'll stand by the back door.

You can take it furthur with clicker training, and train them to ring a bell at the back door, but this requires for the dog to be toilet trained first.

I hope this helps