Anyone using bells with potty training?

[Kim Elder]

Hi all -

Is anyone using bells to help with potty training? Ellie is 12 weeks and has us trained pretty good! She isn't having mishaps more than about 1 each week inside so we have added bells at the door that we use to take her outside. After just one evening she will nudge the bells and seems to associate that she then gets to go outside. It's not all sinking in yet and she has not once during the past month let us know when she needs to go outside. We're just well trained! If anyone is using bells I'd love some input! Thanks!

 

Kim

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Hi Kim ~ We trained Charlie to ring the bells.  Unfortunately, I did not read the directions which were to place the bells at the door you will be taking through to go out and potty.  They said to use a different door if you are going out to play.  Charlie caught on very quickly, and he was ringing them for everything!  So, we moved the bells to the door off the kitchen that went through the garage and used the sliding glass doors to go out and play.  I love the bells because then they are not barking or banging on the door with the paws.  Good luck. 

[Karen Ruhl]

My labradoodle is 19 weeks and I have been trying to teach him the bell since about 10 weeks. He has no clue. In the basement, he knows to go out the dog door and never has an accident there. Upstairs, he can't figure out how to tell me he needs to go. I have been very consistent in ringing the bells but it doesn't seem to penetrate his brain. My six year old doodle taps on the door to go out. She won't use the bells either! I have no idea what I am doing wrong?!I'd like help too if anyone has any suggestions.
Thanks!

[John and Finn]

Sounds like your doing everything right.  My parents Yorkie wouldn't respond to the bells either.  They terrified the pup.  Not sure it is for everyone.

[John and Finn]

Finn rang the bell the second night and never stopped ringing it.  Eventually he started ringing it every time he wanted attention but by that time he was old enough to hold it so we removed them.  Now its funny because the bells are so engrained in his brain (at 9 months) that he walks up to the door and uses his nose to ring these imaginary bells.  Anyway they work great at first but you eventually will probably have to remove them.

[Lisa O.]

Hi Kim,

We have bell trained our two previous huskies and now our Doodle, Oliver. I really llike to use the bells because if we are downstairs I can still here the bells. I can't always hear scratching at the door if I'm down there. I bring the bells when we travel as well so he always knows where to go out. I wasn't sure Oliver was getting it but we kept at it (having him ring the bells everytime he went out) and it did finally click.

 

Lisa

[Candice & Bailey]

We've had Bailey for a week. If the door is left open, he will go outside every time now. If the door is shut, we are getting him to ring the bells with his nose/paw and then open the door for him. So far he's nosed the bells 2 times today to let us know, but we have to get there QUICK! I think he's catching on...time will tell.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I love the bells! We started out wrong because every time Daphne rang the bells, I would give her a treat and then take her outside. She thought that was a great game and would ring the bells ALOT just to get a treat! So we had to start over and eventually she did get it that every time she rang them, we opened the door. Like Lisa said, you can't always hear it if they scratch on the door but you can definitely hear the bells. I had to buy the ones with the bigger bells because our first set had smaller ones and we couldn't hear them from a room far away. I got "Ding-Dog-Bells" from Pet Supermarket. It has 5 of the larger size bells. Also, I recommend getting a hook to hang them on beside the door. We originally had them hanging on the doorknob and when the door closed, sometimes they would get caught by the closing door and the bells got smashed enough so that the ringer would fall out. When we travel, of course we have to hang them on the doorknob, we just have to be careful. But I like that they are portable and they let the dog know where they can go to get outside.

Good luck with the training!

[Evelyn Sorensen]

We tried the bells when Lexy was 3 months  and  what a pain as  Lexy thought it was a game and was driving us nuts playing with them . She is now 4 months and whines at the door  to go . I would like to try them again  as at times I don't hear her whine .

[Kim Elder]

Big thanks for all of the replies! It sounds like some dogs respond to the bell method and some don't but overall I picked up some really good suggestions and need to stick with it. As with several things it seems like we make some quick initial progress and them BOOM! We're in back-step motion! Thanks again!

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

We are using the bells as well. Monty learned that very quickly, Auggie took a while. At first he would not give us a sign at all, then he would walk up to the bells, but not touch them. He is 19 weeks now and has been ringing the bells consistently for good 4 weeks. Of course, both dogs use the bells when they just want to go outside (I think the big boy more often than the little guy). I guess each dog is different and some get it quickly while others don't want to do that at all.

[Kim Elder]

Very encouraging! Thanks! Are both boys doodles?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

At 3.5 Spud still uses the bells.  I've tried to train fosters to use them.. without a lot of luck, but I swear by them and love them.  Mine are a mess and are hanging by threads and some have been replaced with Jingle Bells from the craft store.  I even sent home fosters with Jingle Bell setups. 

Love them!