Sure sounds like you've got the problem well on the way to being mastered, especially at 5 months! The only signal I get from my dogs is they sit at my feet and stare at me when they want out. Then I 'ask' them "Do you want to go outside?" and they respond with a 'speak" reply. Bark!! If they don't bark then I ask the next question, "Do you want food?", and if that gets the response then we go from there. So I guess I'm pretty well trained too, but they do tell me what they want with bark responses to my questions. They even tell me the water dish is empty that way! So the key in my training is 'outside?', 'food?', 'water?' and a bark to tell me. With lots of repetition it works...
I have such talented puppies.....gotta love the smart little babies.
Try it and tell me if it works for you.
Trish |