TELL BELLS

[Training - Experiences, Challenges, and Mindsets]

I am trying, for the last two weeks, to train Bailey to ring the bell when she needs to go outside.  She just does not get it. I have a bell on both doors that we use for potty breaks.  I was hoping some of you can help me.

I know I should have done this sooner because I thought she would catch on by now.  Anytime we teach her something new, she catches on quickly.  I think it may be that the only thing on her mind when she goes to the door is to going out!

Right now, the way she tells us it's time to do her thing outside, is that she stands in front of us and looks at us.  But, that could also mean that she wants to play.  This is why I want to teach her to ring the bells when she has to potty.

This is what I have been doing, correct me if I am wrong:

She stands in front of me and looks at me.

I put her collar on and say "Do you need to go outside?"

We sit in front of the door.

I tell her to ring the bell!

I take her paw and ring the bell.

Yea, Bailey!  Good girl.

Open the door and take her to do her business.....

Any other suggestions?  

[Julie, Boomer, Milo & Casey]

I still have our potty bells hanging on the door and both dogs ring them.   Here's what worked for us when the dog(s) initially showed no interest.  Try adding just a tad of peanut butter or cream cheese on the bell and let them lick the bell as you hold it. While they are licking you gently let go of the bell and praise puppy! Out you go for your potty time.

 

Neither of our dogs use their paw but do use their nose to ring it.   I don't know if that makes a difference or not.   When I first put the cream cheese on the bells, Milo would lick at it and each and every time, I'd jump up and take him out.   I wanted him to learn that the sound of the bell had me on my feet taking him outside.    Once your puppy has gone outside, you may want to lift the bells up (out of reach, wrapped around door handle) for a little bit of time so that Bailey doesn't continue to lick/play when it isn't necessary.   Looking back, if I knew Milo had to go out, I'd stand next to him in front of the bells and say "ring the bell" and I'd wait.  If he didn't ring it, I'd help him (nose to bell) and once I heard the sound, I'd open the door. 

 

Good luck.   It'll happen one day while you are sitting on the computer...you'll hear the bell and think "what was that" and then you'll realize it was Bailey - you'll jump up and praise her all the way outside.  :-)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This is pretty much how we did it too...both of my guys ring the bells with their nose.  This made me think that they rarely ring the bells now that they're older...they're on such a scheduled routine for potty times that they really don't even let us know they want to go out at other times.

[Bev and Tess]

Our Tess just turned 10 months old and I feel that WE are trained, but that she really isn't at all. We take her out the same door, have the bells, and are on a good routine for potty breaks. She has only had a few accidents this whole time, including yesterday. She started sleeping through the night right away, without any accidents. She just NEVER lets us know if she needs to go during the day. I'm wondering what to do now and did we miss something. This is not our first dog, just our first Doodle.

[Dos Doodles--Sam & Luke]

I taught Sam to do this too...he used his nose, as well.  I didn't stick with it enough to get him to associate it with going outside to go potty.  I did get him to associate it with going outside anytime he wanted to play!  :-)  LOL  Training fail...

[Elizabeth & *Kosci*.]

Hi, I started of when I first got my pup home I rang the bells every time I went out the door with her.
Then I tought the touch command first.... When I say touch she noses my hand. Any hight or angle... Treat, Big jump up and down, party time, hand clap when they get it right
Then I placed the bells on my hand and said touch. Same party time, treat, jump up and down when they do it.
They now do it every time they want to go out side. Even if it's not to go to the toilet, But I leash her so she knows we mean business. I also tought the words 'get busy' when they did toilet so now she can on command. comes in handy when you know they won't be able to for a while Best of luck and stick to it.

[BG and Gavin]

Just be patient.  We rang the bells each time we took Gavin out.  It was several weeks before he did it on his own and then one day he rang them (with his nose) and has continued ever since.

[Cathy w/Shiloh~Cody]

What worked for us -I went to door and rang the bells loudly and said "outside?"

He caught on quickly-I have him sit while I open the door and have him "stay" until I release him. I think

this helps train them not to bolt. It also gives me a chance to see there are no stray cats or something that

he would want to chase, etc. He uses nose only to ring bells.

If he comes to you without ringing bells and stares at you- by you saying "outside?" he should run to door and ring the bell versus bringing you a ball to throw.

[Adina P]

I also taught my dogs to use their nose. Easy when they are pups because you can lift them up and make them nose the bells. I made them nose the bells every time until they started doing it themselves. But the connection isn't necessarily to going potty. It is to going outside for any reason.

[Pat and Traveler]

I honestly don't remember when Trav started 'telling' me that he wanted/needed to go out.  He was very young.  He goes to the door and stands in front of it, patiently for quite a while, then if I don't notice him, he makes a little throat noise, like errrrrrrrrrr...  He has only pooped in the house once, the first night he was here.  He did have a few pee accidents over his first couple of weeks here, but none at all since then.  I'd never even heard of bells for potty when I got him, so no advice from me about that!  He wasn't crated at night.  Think I was just lucky... 

[Moe]

That is exactly what I did. After a week of lifting her paw to ring the bell I just stood there and said out. After a day or so she got it and rang the bell herself. She does ring the bell if she feels like going outside top play though. Not sure you can teach them to distinguish.

In the beginning she tried to ring the bell with her nose but sometimes she would just nudge it and it was so soft that sometimes we didn't hear it. With her paw she really rings it.