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]

Ditto for the grass clipping clumps and I leash for potty. :)

[The Berry Oaks Doodle Ranch]

WELL, my advice is to suck-it up!! And it does get a little better as they get older, Guinness got to where he would ring the Bell..just as we sat down to dinner "lol...and beleive me not just once. So we give him his kong filled with peanut butter and crate him until we are finished. Good luck!

[fergie11]

I find this to be a problem. Actually I don't even think Lucy know they mean go outside. She just likes to play with the bells. Anyway just be glad potty training is going so well. Could be worse. I can't wait until she's older so she can learn the invisible fence. She gets tied outside and I can see her from inside. Fergie babysits her sometimes but she hates being tied up. She wants to run the yard with Fergie but at 11 wks she's gotten quite independant and visits everyone nd everything. I'll teach her the fence at about 4 months. All just puppy stuff.

[Diane Dolphin Rocker]

Hi Danielle - It's a just phase that most dogs go through when they learn the "power of the bells"! It will get better. Don't put him in his crate when he rings them...that will just confuse him. If you suspect he just wants some fun, take him to his potty spot on a leash and wait for him to do his business...NO playing. Praise him if he potties, then come right back in. If you really KNOW he is just doing it for fun, you can say "not now" and try to ignore him ringing frantically, but then it's your own fault if there is an accident ;). It's hard to know for sure what they really want, but they do normally grow out of it... just wait it out.

[Mommy2Max]

I just wanted to clarify (since I wrote that post late last night) that by giving him a time out - it would be after an attempt to go potty as opposed to assuming he doesn't need to go (even though at times it is obvious he doesn't need potty) :)

Thankfully, Max doesn't waste time during potty. He plays with the leash 'til we get to our potty spot but, once I say "Max Potty," within a minute he is doing his thang - LOL.

Thanks for the advice!

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

I would avoid punishing him. It’s a complex connection for a puppy to make and he might make the wrong connection and develop a problem (e.g. refusing to go inside because he thinks going inside = a time out.)

My puppy does the constant “in and out” thing too sometimes, drives me nuts! I have noticed that she only does it when she’s bored though. So I try to wear her out (going for a walk, playing, giving a stuffed Kong) and that usually works. She's no longer bored and she just wants to nap or hang out. Going outside would be too much effort, hahaha! Hope that helped a little! :)

[Tamara & Giada]

Yes, I agree! DO NOT give a punishment!! I think ALL puppies go though this even those that do not use poochie bells. Once Giada knew standing by the door meant she could go out, she did this ALL the time ( she would LOVE to go out just to eat snow!!!) It drove me nuts, but I also knew that she had just learned this skill and was "testing" the cause and effect of this new skill. It does tapper off, so just wait it out!

[Mommy2Max]

I took Max for a long walk yesterday and he didn't hit the bells unless it was for potty. You are spot on about the boredom.

[Yvonne, Riley, Murphy and Luca]

I am going throught the same thing. It is annoying, but it is getting better. Riley is finally not batting them around constantly. He is 4 and 1/2 months old and he is finally ringing them and sitting by the door and waiting to go out. He not always potty's but 75% of the time he is.

It will get better- just keep being consistent.

[Melissa, Samson & Shelby]

I agree with the advice above. I have trained both mine on the bells. My 19 month old passed through that puppy phase of ringing the bells to go out to play quickly. My 7 month old does it still. I never punish for ringing the bells. I do ignore it sometimes if I am fairly certain that it's just to go out to play. I think ignoring is your only option if you want to continue using the bells, but you have to be very careful and not ignore too much or you will have accidents on your hands. I have to say that I love my bells. Except for once in a while when I'm ignoring the bells. They will occasionally begin "beating" on the bells and ringing and ringing them until someone responds and they get attention!! Goodluck!!

[Mommy2Max]

LOL!

Max will swing those bells like nuts if he is in a hurry. You would think I lounge around taking my time! I feel more like a butler jumping to my masters whim.

I guess I shouldn't complain too much. He only hits them 2-3 times a day for the fun of going outside.

[nonnie browne]

I cant wait to see others' advice! I also use poochie bells and Buddy does the same thing when the weather is nice - and the weather is obviously improving. When it is cold and rainy, he has plenty of control, when it is nice, he wants to go out all the time. He does pee each time, but sometimes only a few drops and only as "a show" I think for me, cuz he really wants to just be out unsupervised. Recently I have just "ignored" him (no eye contact or anything) when I know he has gone recently, and he will give up and come back and lay down or play for a while. Sometimes he does something else for a while and tries again, and then I usually take him out . This seems to have worked.