Did I miss a step in bell training or do some dogs just not get it?

[Cammy Todd]

Hi everyone - posting here since I think this is really a training issue more than a puppy issue - if you think I need to post it Puppy Madness instead, let me know!

I'm wondering if I missed a step somewhere with bell training Izzy to let us know when she needs to go out.  She is now over 10 months old. 

We started out right when we got her at 8 weeks.  Got bells and put them on the door we use to go out (deck door) as well as the front door at the office (she comes to work with me a couple days a week).  At first I rang them for her and said "Izzy-outside," took her outside to do her business, treated and praised after she did her business outside, and then came back in.  A month into her training, we discovered she had a UTI that took about a month to clear up.  During this time, we still rang the bells (most of the time) when we took her out, and were still taking her out regularly.  At about 5 months, we weren't getting anywhere, so I gave up and didn't use the bells for a while.  I decided to try and watch for other signals that she needed to go out. 

Fast forward to 9 months old and she has two accidents (one at work and one at home) in two days time.  I was with her both times and caught her in the act, startled her, and took her outside to finish.   I honestly do not believe she gave me any signs that she needed to go.   She hadn't had an accident since just over 3 months old so I knew something was up.  Took her in and she had another UTI.  Cleared up right away with antibiotics and no accidents since.  I also recommitted to the bell training.  This time I trained her to ring the bells herself which she does about 95% of the time I take her out.  But I can't for the life of me get her to ring those bells on her own without prompting. 

Am I missing something somewhere with the training?  Maybe I just let her out often enough that she doesn't have to let me know?  I boarded her through DogVacay right before Christmas for 4 days and she had no accidents there.  The lady who watched her said the only sign she ever gave her was that she kind of paced in front of the patio doors but mostly she just wanted to go out and play with another dog. 

I've tried tethering her to me and furniture for several weeks so I am always close enough to see her signs - and nothing!

Would love any advice you might have.  Thank you!!!!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I love "bell abuser"!

[Emery & Watson]

For a few weeks it was really bad.. he would ring the bell 5 times/hour and that is after he pottied and played outside all day.  I finally got him to stop ringing the bell while I was cooking, only by giving him little niblets of chopped veggies while I was cooking (which caused a different bad habit of being underfoot while we're in the kitchen)

He's dramatically better now but still rings the bell 70% of the time in protest if we are eating dinner and he hasn't gotten his dinner yet.  

Honestly the only reason I've left the bells by the door is that I prefer the sound of bells over barking. Since he isn't a barker I don't want to give him a reason to start :)

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I have never used bells.  But I have had a lot of dogs.  Outside of when they have a UTI of are on a diuretic, most grown dogs can "hold it" for a long time.  Many dogs really need to go only 2 or 3 times a day.  So from your description I think she doesn't need to go because you are letting her out often enough.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Both of mine caught on to the bells within a few days.  That being said, my breeder told me that only about 50% of her dogs ring the bells, the others either bark or paw at the door, so I guess the bells are not for all.   Charlie barely touches the bells with his nose, if I do not hear it, he will use his paw on the door - my ears are tuned into that paw! LOL . When Beau  needs to go out I can hear the bells from any room in the house - he loves to ring the bells and will not quit until someone lets him out! It sounds like Izzy is in the 50% who does not want to ring the bell.  If you notice she is pacing, and hang nearby and do nothing, will she eventually bark if it becomes emergent?  I find it interesting that there is no other sign other than pacing.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack won't even pace; he just stares at you intensely. 

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Kona is pretty light with the touch unless I miss it.  But Maggie has knocked out several bells with her very hard ringing. Almost like a boxer practicing with a punching bag.  I always know which one is ringing!

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

I absolutely SWEAR by the bells.  I also grew up with lots of animals of all kinds (lots of cats, dogs, horses and even pigs and chickens that we sometimes brought in the house due to -40 weather) and they all managed to learn how to be housebroken without using the bell, but wow.....when I had a new puppy on my own for the first time 3 years ago and heard about the bells, I gave it a try and will definitely use it with any future puppy or dog.  Such a huge convenience since I'm in my office most of the day and the sound from across the house is what lets me know they want out. 

The key for Kona was 100% consistency. Every single time I saw him sniff as a little puppy (I started the bells at about age 10 weeks old), I grabbed him and hit the bell with his paw and then followed by opening the door and taking him a few feet into the lawn and saying "Hurry up!"  Within the first day, he sort of learned to hit the bell on his own when I carried him to the back door.  Within another 2 weeks, he was 100% on his own using the bell when he had to pee.  That was 3 years ago and he still uses them every time, and he still responds very quickly to the term "Hurry up!" 

When he was 10 months old, I adopted Maggie who was also about 10 months old.  She astounded me by watching Kona ring the bell one time, and from then on has used the bell every time she  she wants to go outside.  She was obviously already potty trained when she became a runaway because in the 2.5 years with me, she hasn't had a single accident.  Since she wasn't originally potty trained with the bell, she doesn't just associate the bell with potty time like Kona does.  She also uses it when she wants to go out to play ball.  Very interesting how that worked out for them.  

I wouldn't give up on the bell training.  Just makes sure every human in your house is on the same page and consistent 100% of the time.  That is always the key with any training.  And of course, you already know to check for UTI's if she is having accidents.  Poor thing!  

[Shari Becker]

We use the bells, but it all kind of happened on its own. When we first got the bells, we tried to teach Lexi how to use them. She was about 3 or 4 months old, and she seemed more afraid of the bells than anything. She is a potty "pacer," so for the most part, when she has to go out, we all kind of know. She'll begin walking back and forth from a human to the door. But because I wanted to bell train, I just left the bells on the door, thinking I'd try again later. Four or five months later we were all sitting at the dinner table when the bells began to ring. We assumed it was an accident, so we ignored it. A few seconds later, the bells rang again and then again. And then Lexi came into the kitchen stared at us, went back to the door and rang the bells again. She basically taught herself just by hearing the ring each time the door opened and closed. She DEFINITELY abused those bells for the first few weeks. She loved her newfound power, but it all settled down after a few weeks. 

When she had her UTI, all bets were off. She was having accidents in her sleep, on the floor, and I don't think you can consider that anything but illness. 

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Daphne was trained with bells and it worked great for a while. Now she is "too good to ring that damn bell" so if she really needs to go she just stands in front of the door and makes noises. Pippa on the other hand loves the bells and rings them just to go outside. Im OK with that because we have a fenced in yard and usually Daphne will go with her to play. Lucy doesn't give me any signs that she needs to go, however if Pippa rings the bells, she knows I will go to the door and if she needs to, she goes outside too. She is not a fan of the great outdoors so she doesn't make any unnecessary trips outside...Lol!

[BG and Gavin]

Gavin took a while to catch on. I did not try to make him ring them with his paw or anything, just rang them myself to create an association and one day the coin dropped and ne touched them with his nose. I think the whole goal though is to get them to go on your schedule -when you have the opportunity to take them out, so I would just stick to a regular schedule and ring as you go.  They are helpful in an emergency. Gavin now will usually go layby the back door if he wants out for any reason. if we are slow to respond and needs out he will hit the bells. if he is going to throw up he runs and bangs those bells to get out. We have a washable mat at the back door for when thehumans are too slow ;)