How to Teach a Dog to Bark to Go Outside

Housebreaking your dog is one of the most critical steps in its training program, and teaching your pet to bark to when it needs to go outside can go a long way in making sure it does not have accidents in your home. Although there are multiple methods for teaching your dog this habit, the most effective approach is to combine two distinct skills taught during the early steps of training.

Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure your dog is housebroken and knows how to bark on command.

    • 2

      Wait for your dog to alert you that it needs to go outside. Upon alert, escort your dog to the back door. You can also keep your dog isolated in a room in the morning until it barks to further encourage barking to go outside.

    • 3

      Before opening the door, use the command that prompts your dog to bark, such as "speak."

    • 4

      Immediately open the door and praise your dog once it barks. No treats are required, because the positive reinforcement is opening the door to allow your pet to relieve itself.

    • 5

      Continue to require your dog to bark before going outside until it becomes a habit. Before long, your dog will begin to associate a bark with asking to go outside.