Poochie Bell Advice

[Mommy2Max]

I want to start by saying - I have a lot of nerve complaning but, I'm going to (a little) anyway.

Max is now using the Poochie Bells without a problem. It took him 1-2 weeks to get it. Week one, I rang the bells. Week two, I would ask him to ring the bells and this week he is ringing them on his own. The best part is, he has had no accidents.

However.....and I know you experienced people know what is coming.....besides ringing them for potty, he rings them to go outside and sniff around for a half minute (aka puppy fun). My backyard is not gated yet - it's unfinished. So, it's often muddy thanks to the beautiful northwest weather. As you can see it can be a hassle which I don't mind once or twice a day but, I fear he is increasing his love of ringing the bells for fun.

My questions are:

Will this get better?

How do I approach it?

Should I give him a time out in the crate when he rings them for fun or should I just suck it up and hope it passes. I always take him out because I don't want him to fall back into having accidents.

~Danielle

[Mommy2Max]

Living in the Seattle area gives me lot's of rainy weather. I took a Boeing tour last summer and our tour guide said, "Seattle has two seasons, rain and August". LOL

Maybe I need to stop complaining about the rain because I just figured out a benefit besides the gorgous summers. :)

[Jackie]

Hi, I had the same problem with Beckett. Once he learned that the bells meant outside, he started ringing them A LOT ! But he did settle down. It took alittle while though. But I always took him out when he rang them. But it was out to potty and then right back in. Until the novelty wore off. Now he's great (has been for awhile) he just rings them when he needs to go. Hang in there. It does get better.

[Mommy2Max]

Update:

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice. I truly appreciate it. Doodle Kisses is the best!

I'll continue taking Max out when he hits the bells no matter what he does or doesn't do outside. As many have mentioned he'll most likely get bored of going out for two minutes when he wants to be out playing instead. I guess he will realize he isn't getting playtime when he hits the bells or at least playtime only. When I have the time, I put him on the tether outside to play AFTER he goes potty. I have the tether fixed so he can roam most of the backyard or make it to the mat at the back door. As he gets older and as our bakyard gets finished, he'll get more freedom. He usually doesn't want to be out there for more than 5 minutes. It could have something to do with the fact that our backyard looks like the moon right now - LOL

~Danielle