# How does your dog tell you it is "Potty Time" time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731 "2010-02-04T22:30:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/1 "2010-02-04T22:30:39Z")
Hopefully, your dog is house-trained. My [bulldog](http://www.flickr.com/photos/37453327@N06/3672237847/) sits right in front of me and stares when she needs to do #1, and will start panting very loudly if she needs to do #2. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/2 "2010-02-04T22:58:14Z")
My dog goes to the door and stares at me. But she sometimes does this if she is bored, so I am never really sure. I don’t mind thought, she won’t run away, so I let her out whenever she wants. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/3 "2010-02-04T23:04:11Z")
We have a doggie door, and sometimes they just go out and do their business. But for some reason, when we are relaxing for a bit in front of the tv, they will stand at the base of the stairs (tv room in the basement) and just stare at us. “Fine then - go outside” and everyone runs up the stairs and out the doggie door. Or one of them will stand right inside the doggie door, and stare at you, until you tell him to go out. I really don’t understand why they get confused about it. There’s a doggie door - go out it already. They are happy to run out it sometimes, but not always. I love my dogs, but sometimes they just aren’t that bright. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/4 "2010-02-04T23:08:32Z")
My little dog barks at me. For some reason, in the evening, she needs to go out 4 or 5 times - drives me crazy!! The old dog will sit next to me and put her paw on my knee. She doesn’t have to do it that often, tho, because she usually goes out with the little idiot. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/5 "2010-02-04T23:13:15Z")
They stand by the back door. When we’re sleeping and one of them has to go out, she’ll come sit next to my side of the bed and give just the tiniest, softest, “woof.” It’s cute when the bulldog does it, it’s doubly cute when the Italian mastiff does it. They’ll do it until I wake up. I’ve played possum on them before, and they’ll keep it up without getting any louder, repeating every five seconds or so. The bulldog will, rare, give a growl rather than a woof, but it’s just as soft, and the cutest of all the ways they wake me to go outside. When we moved into the current house, one of the things I was pleased about was it had a dog door. Unfortunately, the cat figured out how to use to get outside pretty quickly. She couldn’t, however, figure out how to get back in and would yowl outside until either my wife or I lifted the flap for her. That got locked down pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![hende](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/aca169/32.png) [@hende](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hende)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/6 "2010-02-04T23:26:23Z")
My pup rings a desk bell that we have sitting on the floor next to the patio doors. She will keep on ringing it over and over until she is let out. Within 5 seconds of being let out, she will generally bark or stare back at us wondering why the hell we let her outside. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/7 "2010-02-04T23:30:15Z")
My two just trundle out the doggie door to the backyard, unless it’s raining really hard, in which case they need encouragement from me. The smaller of the two has a touchy stomach (and is a beagle, so she eats everything and anything) and is usually kind enough to come to me and put a paw on my arm/leg/face to tell me she needs to barf. I scoop her up and trot to the toilet or sink for the hornking. It’s fun. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/8 "2010-02-04T23:37:35Z")
Our old dog was the awesomest. He would come up and bow at you (butt in the air, front paws stretched out) and make a long, loud yawn that sounded exactly like, “Out?” The best part is, he developed this behavior on his own. We certainly reinforced it, but we never tried to train him to do it. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/9 "2010-02-04T23:59:00Z")
He’ll run back and forth from wherever I am to the door. Sometimes if I’m not paying attention he’ll bark. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/10 "2010-02-05T00:33:02Z")
Mine won’t tell me. She gives no clue. I’ve been trained to let her out often enough to prevent problems. The other dog in the house will stare at you and whine. If you look up, he’ll trot a few steps toward the door, then look back expectantly. Some day I’ll ask him if Timmy’s in the well. Fortunately, his bladder is smaller than her bladder, so if we let him out, she gets out often enough. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/11 "2010-02-05T01:07:25Z")
I’ve found that squatting is a “tell”. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/12 "2010-02-05T01:20:30Z")
Mine goes to the door and growls. He doesn’t do an angry or aggressive growl, just a little growl which is his way of vocalizing. He rarely barks (thank goodness!) so this is his way of telling me something. ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/13 "2010-02-05T01:30:04Z")
Mine goes to the back door and sits and leans up against it. If I’m sitting on the couch where I can’t see him, he’ll give a little whine. As soon as I get up, he’ll jump up and stretch like he’s trying to turn the knob himself. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/14 "2010-02-05T03:34:49Z")
We have no yard (condo) so we walk our two numerous times a day – 4-5 is the minimum. So they don’t often have to ask, except middle-of-the-night crises. [Sadie](http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinfeatherphotos/2127329636/), the older (six-and-a-half), is very undemanding, and will hold it a long time just to be polite. She will mostly just look meaningfully at us…_extra_ meaningfully, if she _really_ needs to go. Finally she will lie down near the front door and get excited if you get up or come near. [Simone](http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinfeatherphotos/540823436/), three-and-a-half, has three different behaviors for different circumstances: [ul] [li]I’m within sight and awake: she will go stand at the door and huff breathily[/li][li]I’m in the bird room with the door closed (she can’t get in): she will bark once, excitedly, then wait a minute or so and try again[/li][li]I’m asleep: she will whine and whimper until I get out of bed – then she will lie down and sometimes fall back asleep while I get dressed to take her outside.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/15 "2010-02-05T04:08:21Z")
We have a doggie door that two of them use at will. The old man (almost 14) rarely asks to go out. He’s too arthritic to use a doggie door, and too old to “learn new tricks.” I try to take him out often because he has a tendency to just pee anywhere these days. When he has to poop, he sits in front of the back door and stares at me. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/16 "2010-02-05T05:30:03Z")
Nordberg woofs and wags her tail a lot . She will stare at me until I get it. Winston whines. I prefer Nords method. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/17 "2010-02-05T07:06:32Z")
[My](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/Majak/IMG_0086.jpg) [black lab](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/Majak/IMG_0038.jpg) will run to the side door and make a light growling/sighing noise. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/18 "2010-02-05T07:24:30Z")
My Corgis stare. If you’re sleeping, two of them will climb on you and stare in a more effective manner while the third just sits on the floor and lets his telepathy do the walking. Corky, the female, always goes quite a ways to make sure she marks the biggest territory she can. She’ll run you ragged if she’s in the right mood. When it’s cold out, she still goes a long way, but she will stop partway back, raise one paw, and look at you most piteously. That’s your sign to do your monkey duty and pick her up and carry her back to the nice, warm house. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/19 "2010-02-05T08:41:57Z")
[Brewster](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/cochrane626/Brewster02.jpg) has a few different tells. If I’m in bed, he’ll put his paws on my bed and lay his front half next to me. If I’m at my computer desk, he’ll give me an intense sad-eyed look and put his paws on my leg. If I’m in the recliner watching TV, he’ll lay patiently until I get up, than he’ll do a series of donuts between me and the door. He always gets my attention one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![Mlaw\_ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Mlaw\_ca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mlaw_ca)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731/20 "2010-02-05T14:34:42Z")
We have two Australian Shephards, 7 year old brothers, who do everything together. Hubby and I are both smokers, though we don’t smoke in the house, so we head outdoors every hour (ish) and the boys will come with us. We live in the middle of no where, on two acres, have no neighbours, and surrounded by farm land, on dirt road that sees very little traffic. Our boys have free reign of the great outdoors and they also get let out frequently just because we’re passed by the door. Its very rare that they need to ask to be let out. Though, I imagine they think us quite daft since we don’t catch on too quickly. It can take several minutes of strange behaviour for it to dawn on us and ask “you wanna go out?” at which time excitement erupts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-tell-you-it-is-potty-time-time/527731.md?page=2)