# How to train dog to go outside?



## 136497 (Apr 23, 2016)

How can I train my golden to go outside right away from the door that leads to the backyard? I’ve always thrown treats outside so then i could close the door because during the summer mosquitoes can get in and right now its cold. If I don’t use treats to get her outside, she will sit in between the door and the frame, so i can’t close the door. Sometimes even throwing treats doesn’t work, so i go outside of the door and tell her to take the treat which she does but then tries to quickly get back inside the house to sit between the door and the frame.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Is your dog a puppy? I think most everybody puts their puppies or even a dog on a leash and goes out with them. Even with a fenced yard we started with a leash or at least carried him out. Then when they do their thing outside, give them a bunch of treats so they get the idea going outside is a great thing.
Use the search box for house training for lots of good tips.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Go out with them......


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## kellyguy (Mar 5, 2014)

I believe that you are missing multiple training opportunities if you don't put a leash on your puppy and take them to a designated potty spot and teach them to "get busy". Trust me when I say I know it's not much fun in the middle of winter snow and blow to have to don boots, hat and coat and accompany them into the elements, but I feel that it is essential to train them to use the area you designate as the "spot".
I always used a longer "training lead" and controlled how much I let out so I could control how much area they would be able to wander around in, which speeds up the process. Left to his own choices my Duffy would sniff the entire yard before picking the exact spot. There are times when I have to leave the house for a while that I can take both of them out and have them potty on command and I don't have any worries that they won't be able to hold it while I'm gone.
Finally, I just don't believe it's ever safe to let a puppy loose in the yard, no matter how well it's fenced unless I am watching them 100% of the time. It's no fun when you end up at the vet with a sick puppy and you aren't sure what it was that they swallowed when you weren't looking. Where I'm at we have opossums, skunks, raccoons and the occasional coyote wander into the property. It's no fun dealing with a skunk sprayed golden in the middle of the night.


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## 136497 (Apr 23, 2016)

kellyguy said:


> I believe that you are missing multiple training opportunities if you don't put a leash on your puppy and take them to a designated potty spot and teach them to "get busy". Trust me when I say I know it's not much fun in the middle of winter snow and blow to have to don boots, hat and coat and accompany them into the elements, but I feel that it is essential to train them to use the area you designate as the "spot".
> I always used a longer "training lead" and controlled how much I let out so I could control how much area they would be able to wander around in, which speeds up the process. Left to his own choices my Duffy would sniff the entire yard before picking the exact spot. There are times when I have to leave the house for a while that I can take both of them out and have them potty on command and I don't have any worries that they won't be able to hold it while I'm gone.
> Finally, I just don't believe it's ever safe to let a puppy loose in the yard, no matter how well it's fenced unless I am watching them 100% of the time. It's no fun when you end up at the vet with a sick puppy and you aren't sure what it was that they swallowed when you weren't looking. Where I'm at we have opossums, skunks, raccoons and the occasional coyote wander into the property. It's no fun dealing with a skunk sprayed golden in the middle of the night.


I would go outside with my golden on leash every time for her first year so she knows the potty command. I would wait until she was pooping or peeing, then i would say the command while she was doing it. Then i would treat her lots afterwards. I feel that it’s totally OK for her to go outside alone in the backyard now unless i know that there could be something bad.


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## 136497 (Apr 23, 2016)

Anyways, if anyone could provide me with info on how then I would appreciate it.


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## Wicky (Aug 27, 2015)

How old is she? Am I correct in saying that your problem is your dog does not want to go out the door to spend time alone outside rather than a problem with training her to eliminate in a specific area?
Do you want your dog to go outside potty alone and come straight back in or are your just sending her outside?


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## 136497 (Apr 23, 2016)

Wicky said:


> How old is she? Am I correct in saying that your problem is your dog does not want to go out the door to spend time alone outside rather than a problem with training her to eliminate in a specific area?
> Do you want your dog to go outside potty alone and come straight back in or are your just sending her outside?


She is about a year and seven months old.

Apologies if I wasn’t clear enough. The issue is that she will sit in between door and the frame of the door for a while before she decides to outside. When she’s sitting in that spot, i can’t close the door so during the winter cold air will get in and during the summer wasps and bees can get in. I think she’s fine with going outside alone, its just that she doesn’t go out right away. I’m fine with her eliminating in any area in the backyard. Whenever she sits in front of the backyard door, it means that she wants to go outside. Could be for potty or just for fun.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

pt3407 said:


> She is about a year and seven months old.
> 
> Apologies if I wasn’t clear enough. The issue is that she will sit in between door and the frame of the door for a while before she decides to outside. When she’s sitting in that spot, i can’t close the door so during the winter cold air will get in and during the summer wasps and bees can get in. I think she’s fine with going outside alone, its just that she doesn’t go out right away. I’m fine with her eliminating in any area in the backyard. Whenever she sits in front of the backyard door, it means that she wants to go outside. Could be for potty or just for fun.


For a while you need to go out first and call her out, use a leash if she still hesitates at the door. Lead her out with you until it becomes a habit.


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## Julie Timmons (Dec 16, 2016)

pt3407 said:


> I would go outside with my golden on leash every time for her first year so she knows the potty command. I would wait until she was pooping or peeing, then i would say the command while she was doing it. Then i would treat her lots afterwards. I feel that it’s totally OK for her to go outside alone in the backyard now unless i know that there could be something bad.



Same here and I would never ever ever leave him out there when I wasn’t home and I always check on him every 5-10 min. But this is what 10 min alone can result in . He’s channeling his inner German Sheppard.










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## Julie Timmons (Dec 16, 2016)

For the summer months, I bought one of those cheap screen “doors” that you attach to the doorframe with Velcro and the panels are held together with magnets. You just pull it down in the winter. I put it in one of our doors to the backyard and when I’m home, we leave the solid door open and Riley can come and go as he pleases. It’s the worlds biggest doggy door. I put it up as a temporary thing for keeping bugs out until we got a proper screen door but it worked so well with the dog that I’m keeping it. 
It cost about 35-40 US on amazon. We had about 5 min of training to show him how to go in and out. He had no problems with it. 
Not much help for your winter issues though. If it were me, I’d just help him out the door with a gentle push. 


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## 136497 (Apr 23, 2016)

Julie Timmons said:


> For the summer months, I bought one of those cheap screen “doors” that you attach to the doorframe with Velcro and the panels are held together with magnets. You just pull it down in the winter. I put it in one of our doors to the backyard and when I’m home, we leave the solid door open and Riley can come and go as he pleases. It’s the worlds biggest doggy door. I put it up as a temporary thing for keeping bugs out until we got a proper screen door but it worked so well with the dog that I’m keeping it.
> It cost about 35-40 US on amazon. We had about 5 min of training to show him how to go in and out. He had no problems with it.
> Not much help for your winter issues though. If it were me, I’d just help him out the door with a gentle push.
> 
> ...


Whats the name of the product you mentioned here?


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## Julie Timmons (Dec 16, 2016)

pt3407 said:


> Whats the name of the product you mentioned here?




You can search online for magnetic screen door and will get lots of hits. Some are really cheap so shop for a quality one. Make sure to measure your outside door opening correctly to buy the right size.


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## Julie Timmons (Dec 16, 2016)

Julie Timmons said:


> You can search online for magnetic screen door and will get lots of hits. Some are really cheap so shop for a quality one. Make sure to measure your outside door opening correctly to buy the right size.



This is what it looks like.


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