Bell training? (Potty)

[Michele Kiss]

Has anyone successfully bell trained their puppy to ring it when they need to go out? And if so, how? 

Our pup seems to understand (most of the time) that the bell means "we're going out to potty" but he doesn't seem to realise that HE can ring the bell. 

The obvious is "reward him when he does it" but I don't want to reward him just for ringing the bell... but rather, reward him for ringing it when he wants to go out to potty. 

Or, is 18 weeks too early to expect that?? 

[Tina McNerthney]

I will be very interested to read people's comments. Baxter is 14 weeks old today and I want to teach him bell training and was thinking of starting out soon. I was wondering if it he's too young.

[Jenny Williams]

We have bells too, and I ring them every time we go out to potty. However, Leia is only 11 weeks, and she is afraid to touch them still. HAHA... I'm curious to hear responses, as well.

[Katie & Roo]

Roo is 18 weeks. I've been using the bells since we brought him home at 9 weeks. Everytime we went out to go potty, I took his paw and hit the bell. He definitely understands now that hitting the bell means to go outside. I would say 80% of the time he hits it to go to the bathroom the other 20% he just wants to go outside - so we're working on that. He gets a treat if he goes potty. If he hit them but doesn't go, he doesn't get a treat.

I think it took him about 2 weeks to start hitting the bells on his own and it's definitely taken him awhile to hit it every time he has to go. He probably has an accident 1-2 times a week.

 

[Michele Kiss]

Thanks Katie. That might be what we're missing... we ring the bell but not with HIS paw. I'll have to try that! The main reason we really need him bell-trained is our house is three stories! So it's not just one set of bells - there are bells on every floor. Thank you!! 

[Judi Kilpatrick]

The bells are great, we started using them when Oscar was 13 weeks, Barkley was 16 weeks, they started using them the same day we got them and no accidents in the house since. They hang on the front door and when one has to go out they just bump them with their nose. They were probably our best 'accessory' purchase to date!

[Sophie]

We started using the bells about a week after we brought him home. The secret is use his/her paw to ring the bell. So I'd use Charlie's paw to ring the bell and then as soon as he went potty he'd get a treat. It took him three days to catch on. And he's been doing it ever since.

He went through a phase where he'd occasionally ring it just to go out but as they get a bit older and don't have to potty that often you can tell when they're doing that. Anyway, we'd just ignore him when we were positive he didn't have to go and he doesn't do that anymore.

The funny thing is, when he'd ring it, I'd often take a few moments before I could actually take him out (stop whatever I'm doing, get a sweater, put on shoes, etc., etc.) So he's now developed two different rings! One ring and lay down means take your time I just have to pee. If he has to poop and is in a hurry, I'll hear ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. If I ignore him (yes, we've done it as a joke) he took the bell off and came and dropped it at my feet!  LOL.

If he's in a room (for example a bedroom with the door closed) and he can't access the bell and he really has to go, he go and paws on the bedroom door underneath the door handle.

I don't think it's ever too early. You're going out anyway, just lift his paw at ring the bell on the way out and he'll get it.

[Michele Kiss]

Hahaha that's really funny!! 

At this point I'd be super happy if he rang it to go out - LOL. But it sounds like the "with his paw" thing is what we're missing. Seems so obvious now that everyone points it out! LOL. 

Thanks so much for the reply! 

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Trained Yogi by touching his paw to the bells on the way out the door. Probably at 9-10 weeks old. Caught on Very quickly. Maybe a day.
We particularly like them because my DH works from home and could be easily distracted if on a call, so the bells were very nice. Got my DH attention. Thumbs up!
We also stayed in a cabin when he was younger, we took the bells there and to friends homes when we visited. I didn't feel as nervous he would have an accident because I missed his cue, he rang them away from home too.

[Cressie Willis and Sadie~Lou]

Sadie is 11 weeks old and she has been ringing the bell to go out, not just to potty but to play, since she was 9 weeks. I showed her 2 times with her paw and took her out to potty and she caught on after that. Every time she would ring them we made her go out. That way she would know what it was for. We never have her a treat for ringing them, just praise when she goes potty.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

We started training Enzo on the potty bells the day she came home @ 8 wks. They hang on part of a French door going out to the backyard. Each time we went out, I'd take her paw or nose and nudge the bells and then went out. Each time we would say" bells". She picked it up in 4 days! ( not the potty training, but the bells part). We still use them and she alternates between hitting them with her nose and paw.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

PS...we did go through a short period where she would hit the bells to go out and play. I was thinking we created a monster! But that was short lived and now only hits the bells for potty reasons.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Same with Lucy. She went through a phase early on of abusing bell privileges, but it quickly passed.