Crying Wolf

[Cara]

Winston has a new trick. He goes to the door and whines (his signal for needing to go out) but when I take him out, he just wants to nose around and enjoy the fresh air. Since I work at home, this is very disruptive. I am tempted to ignore it, but he learned this during a recent bladder infection that set back housebreaking, so I don't completely trust him not to go indoors.

Any suggestions? We did have a repeat test done, and the bladder infection has cleared, if that helps.

Thanks,
Cara

[gmacleod]

No guarantees, but one thing you could try is taking him out to do his business on a leash. If potty trips are always "business only" trips - meaning you go straight to the potty area, wait for him to do his thing, and then go directly back indoors - that can help to dissuade him from giving a potty signal when what he really wants is just to go outdoors and play.

No need to restrict his playtime, of course. But if you take him back in after pottying, and then take him back out to play 10 or 15 minutes later, that can help him to understand that the potty signal will only get him outside to potty, not to play or smell the roses. And if he understands that, then it should cut down on the false alarms without risking him failing to let you know when he needs to go.

[Cara]

Thanks, everyone. I'll try these suggestions and pass them along to my mother, who is having the same problem.