# Constantly asking to go out!



## Maya's Mom (Apr 13, 2009)

Maya is 8 months old now and she LOVES to be outside. She has always asked to go out a lot, but it seems to be getting more and more extreme. At this point, she often will ask to go out right after we get back from a long walk. Some of this may be medical, as we have had issues with vaginitis, which the vet said increases the need to pee. She has been on three antibiotics for it, but never had a negative test. So we decided to wait until we goes through heat and hope that helps. So I never know when she really has to go out and when she just wants to play. She definitely asks to go out less frequently after a good long run, so I know there is a boredom/exercise need component. I also know that she doesn't always go to the bathroom when I let her out. She sometimes goes right to a tennis ball or starts to dig in our garden (another issue we are having). We walk her off leash in the woods so she can run almost every day. We probably go for a 3 mile walk in the state park 3 or 4 times a week (she runs around in circles the whole time, so it's probably more like 10 miles for her!). On days we don't do that, we let her run in the woods of our local town park. It's not as big, so our walk is probably only 1 1/2 miles there (again, much more for her). That is on top of daily on-leash walks in the neighborhood (which honestly don't seem to touch her energy) and frequent chuck-it fetch running in our yard. It seems like a lot of exercise to me. I am a graduate student and am home most of the day, so I play with her and take her for walks a lot. Does this sound like enough exercise? She is very smart and learns how to get us to let her out. She usually paws at the door to signal she needs (or wants) to go out. For a while we didn't always let her out when she pawed. It seemed like she cried when she REALLY had to go. So a few days ago I started letting her out when she cried. Well now she is crying at the door all day long! Then I let her out and she just goes to dig.:doh: How do I teach her that she needs to ask to go out when she has to pee, not when she wants to dig? On the medical front, we will be bringing in a urine sample to the vet to see what is going on with that. Maya has mostly been an absolute dream puppy. She has never chewed anything other than her toys (except us when she was really tiny). She really never gets into trouble. She has been easy to train, and listens very well. This is really our only big issue with her. Her energy has definitely seemed to increase every month we've had her. When does it level out? She was actually the second most mellow/ least high energy in her litter! :uhoh: I would appreciate any advice.


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## Maya's Mom (Apr 13, 2009)

What I have started to try is never letting her out in the yard off leash. I put her on the leash, and take her out for a couple minutes. That way there is no playing and I'm hoping she gets the point that going outside is for going to the bathroom, not playing whenever she feels like it. Does this seem like a good plan? I could really use some advice.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Hmmm...I have to think my way through this, forgive me if I ramble.

Golden retrievers are very much outside dogs, they love so many things about the great outdoors. My golden really doesn't even come to life until she's outside. I think you need to rethink your thought about going outside being just for going to the bathroom. 

Since your golden loves to dig, have you thought about making a place outside where she can dig? Dig up the ground, get some railroad ties and build a sandbox. Bury some toys and high reward items in it and let your dog dig. Digging can be a nuisance but it can also be a wonderful activity for a dog if it's structured.

My golden asks to go outside a lot, she loves to be outdoors. Sometimes she wants to explore, sometimes she just sits and watches, very rarely does she ask to go out just because she wants to go potty. 

Funny story, I recently discovered my golden loves peanuts. I keep a bag on my back porch for the blue jays. Well, she discovered the blue jay stash and now whenever she comes in from outside, I give her 2 peanuts (in the shell). Now she wants to go outside a lot LOL ... didn't take her long to figure out how to get peanuts! But there's no way to tell if she really has to go to the bathroom or if she just wants peanuts. I've created a problem here 

8 months old ... you have a ways to go before Maya levels. She's in her puppy prime right now.

I say give her a sandbox


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

My puppies love being outside...not just to pee but to play so we allow them out whenever they want. They have their own area and are allowed to do what they want....dig holes, rip up stuff ..whatever!! Unless it's bed time or nap time, they get very restless in the house so spend a good portion outside. They'll ask to come in just to make sure we're around and then head outdoors again.....that may change when the temperatures dip to -20!!!!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Laurie said:


> that may change when the temperatures dip to -20!!!!


LOL, don't bank on that :bowl:


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

I have one dog who loves being outside... he asks to go out several times a night and I know he doesn't have to potty all those times! He just loves laying on the ground, or walking along the fence to check out what's going on outside our yard, chasing birds, whatever. It may be partly boredom on his part if all I'm doing inside is watching tv or reading or on my computer.. but he can spend hours outside definitely, though I don't usually let him as I always check on him out there and it gets tiring for me to keep having to watch him. lol 

My other dog is happy to be a couch hog all day and night, he could care less about going outside unless its on a walk with me.


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## Maya's Mom (Apr 13, 2009)

Part of the issue I am having is that we don't have a fenced in yard. We don't own the house we're living in, so we don't really have the option to fence in the yard or put in a sand box. Because it's not fenced in, her being outside means I am standing there watching her. I didn't really mean that I thought she should only go out when she had to go to the bathroom. I take her to either the local dog park or a nearby state park for about an hour off-leash run outside just about every day. On top of that she goes on several leashed walks and has several outside play sessions (fetch, etc.). So it's really not that she's not getting outside time. It is a very busy time for me and I just don't have the time to stand at the door and watch her for hours, which is what she would like. I'm a full time graduate student and am in the busiest time of the semester. It's difficult to have to stop my work every 15 minutes to let her out, and I just don't feel like it sets a good precedent. What my hope is (and maybe it's just not realistic) is that she would learn to ask to go out when she had to go to the bathroom and that the outside play sessions would happen frequently, but when it works in our schedule, not at her whim. That may just not be a reasonable expectation for a puppy. What do you all think?


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## Bauer! (May 13, 2009)

I don't have an answer for your actual question, but Bauer dug a lot a few months ago and was driving us crazy! I did a lot of research online and found that you can put some of his fresh poo in one of his holes and it will deter him from digging. I thought, why not? *It was amazing.* My dog filled in his own hole! It was hilarious. He stopped digging right then. He did start back about a month later. We did the poo trick again and no more digging! It's not a permanent fix as he dug another hole the other day, but try it, it's made our life so much easier!!


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## Maya's Mom (Apr 13, 2009)

We tried the poop trick a while ago when she was very young and found that it was definitely effective at stopping her from digging in that particular spot, but didn't stop her from digging somewhere else. I haven't done it for a while though, so I'll have to try it again. She has a few spots now that she keeps going back to. Thanks for the tip!


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## Philbert (Dec 29, 2010)

My stay-at-home husband is having the same problem and we have a fenced back yard! 4 1/2 month-old Gracie wants to be out when she's in and in when she's out. We know some of it is boredom and we take her on walks, do training sessions, playing, etc. We trained her to ring a bell when she needs to go out (mistake?) and yesterday counted 47 times during the day that she rang the bell, went out, goofed off for a few minutes, rang the bell to come back in, all repeated 5 minutes later. She's been potty trained--no accidents--for 6 weeks. It's driving him crazy!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Sasha (6 months) loves to be outside so he can chew on every stick he can find. He is gnawing our lilacs like a deer!!! Then he throws up sticks!
He wants to go out every time I stop playing with him! I let him out and tell him to go potty and as soon as he does , I call him to come in. Then I tell him to "go lie down" Our dogs know that means "mellow out!" I know he doesn't need to go potty for at least an hour so he gets the message he needs to just entertain himself for awhile.
I know he needs more exercise than he has been getting this cold winter. We will have to make up for it once it warms up!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

We are having the same issue with MacKenzie. What makes things worse is we have a lot of big windows so she sees everything that is going on outside, and wants to be a part of it (birds, squirrels, deer, snow), there are other times that she just wants to lay and sleep on the front porch.

I have been trying to teach my husband to just so NO. He currently is also stay at home, and I think she has gotten a little spoiled. We took the bell down, and she now has a "curfew" of how late to go outside (unless I really feel she needs to go potty - which she never does ).

My mother's dog play the outside game because he knows when he comes in he gets a cookie, so now he asks to go outside just to turn around to beg for the cookie.


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## Philbert (Dec 29, 2010)

Teaching the husbands to just say no seems to be the hard part!! Mine can be a total pushover for those big brown eyes!


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Sometimes what they need to learn is to settle, and enjoy being quiet as well. I would suggest some tethering to you, so they do not have access to the door to give their "I want out" signal, and so that you can reinforce to them to settle and lay quietly. If you have a rug or dogbed for the pup you can use it to teach place, and get them settled on it with a stuffed kong. This helps them to learn they can be content settled down near you, rather than self-directed with the constant in and out. Going through this with my 4 month old myself right now, so I know how you feel!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

sterregold said:


> Sometimes what they need to learn is to settle, and enjoy being quiet as well. I would suggest some tethering to you, so they do not have access to the door to give their "I want out" signal, and so that you can reinforce to them to settle and lay quietly. If you have a rug or dogbed for the pup you can use it to teach place, and get them settled on it with a stuffed kong. This helps them to learn they can be content settled down near you, rather than self-directed with the constant in and out. Going through this with my 4 month old myself right now, so I know how you feel!


 
Yes, I do notice if I just hand her one of her bones, she is content with that and forgets she wanted to go outside.


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## ILoveMyGolden (Oct 19, 2006)

Our guy loves to go outside. Once he was housetrained we got a tie out so we didn't have to go out with him at all times. We have no fence either (brand new house) but it's very open concept and has two huge windows that look into the backyard so we can keep a close eye on him.

Sometimes he wants to go out and walks for a moment then lies down and you can tell is content supervising the area! Even in this gross cold weather you couldn't ask him to come in, but he's at the door when he's ready to.

Like yours even when we get home from walks he wants to go outback.

We don't let him out every time he asks as we know sometimes it's just to see the puppies next door (they have a small temp fence for their new pups and Fin likes to watch them!). Are you able to put a tie out back there for him?


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Try getting a raw bone, or a stuffed frozen kong, and doing 'naps' where she's crated or in her pen or whatever, with that to keep her busy. That should give her something to focus on besides going back outside. Sounds like she's bored.


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## Philbert (Dec 29, 2010)

Thank you for the ideas and suggestions! We put a little peanut butter in her kong for her in the morning, but stuffing with other food and freezing is a great idea! She was pretty good about napping until just the last week or so--growing up, I guess.


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