House training help please

Question
I have a one yr old rat terrier/pomeranian. First thing in morning we go outside to potty and he does really well and gets praised and a treat.The problem i am having is he doesnt let me know when its time to go back outside to potty. Do youhave any suggestions on how i can get him to let me know its time to potty.

Answer
You can teach him to "target" touch objects with his paw or nose. Put something directly in front of him and most dogs will examine it out of natural curiosity - which gives you a chance to mark (click or word)and treat. Then you would hang a bell off the door handle, or use an easy button (sometimes those are hard for a very small dog to make go off) and he learns that when he targets that, the door opens. Of course, the easiest thing is to take him out every few hours, and keep a record of when he eliminates so you can anticipate his needs. In order to be able to figure out his pattern, you'll need to feed him regularly scheduled meals as opposed to leaving food down and letting him graze all day. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com