I have a boxer/lab mix which i got from the shelter 1 month ago. I have crate trained her from day one, but she can not tell me she wants to go outside. I trained her all the commands in about a week. I can now walk her without a leash (in park only). she is the smartest dog i have ever had (ive had 5 dogs), she learned sit,down,drop it, leave it,etc in about an hour. i am not exagerating she is smart. Now here is my problem she will not tell me she has to go out to pee. She will not go near the door to tell me she has to go. She will not pee in her crate but if you turn your back for one second she will pee. She is fixed and i use a leash to take her to pee. Am i doing something wrong? I have tried everthing and nothing seems to work. I ask her when i let her out "go outside to go pottie" and i get nothing. Any help would be great. jason barnett

Sounds like she has not been housetrained. She hasn't got a clue what 'pee' or 'potty' means. When you are out walking and she pees, say 'good pee' or 'good potty'. Same for poop. Until she learns that she needs to control herself, be diligent in taking her out after she eats/drinks/plays/sleeps/exits the crate. Once she "gets" it which from the sounds of it won't take her long, then ya'll can decide on a "signal" -- either sitting at the door, ringing a bell that hangs from the door, scratching the door, or doing the peepee dance...whatever.

I do all the things you have said. I tell her good potty when she goes outside and when i have to do things i put her back into her crate. Still she just likes to pee in the house.

Does she go at the same spot each time? If so, you need to eliminate the smell that draws her back there.

You may need to work with a dog behaviorist to help figure out why she won't housetrain.

Oh, and if you haven't already, you should have her checked for a UTI -- Urinary Tract Infection or other medical condition that may also be the cause.