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  1. #1
    Best Friend Retriever annkie's Avatar
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    Bell training your dog

    Training your dog to ring a bell for potty. That is my next endeavor. Who has done it? How did you do it?

    It sounds simple BUT the first time I hung that bell all Archie wanted to do was play with it so I removed it. I'm waiting until the weather is nicer and we can just keep the sliding door open with the screen closed. That sliding door is hard to open and I'm afraid that I won't be able to open it fast enough. So the method sounds simple. Show dog how to ring bell. Open door to potty. Repeat. How do you prevent or deal with the dog just using the bell as a toy instead? And then... what if I'm in the bathroom and the dog rings bell and I can't get to it?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by annkie View Post
    Training your dog to ring a bell for potty. That is my next endeavor. Who has done it? How did you do it?

    It sounds simple BUT the first time I hung that bell all Archie wanted to do was play with it so I removed it. I'm waiting until the weather is nicer and we can just keep the sliding door open with the screen closed. That sliding door is hard to open and I'm afraid that I won't be able to open it fast enough. So the method sounds simple. Show dog how to ring bell. Open door to potty. Repeat. How do you prevent or deal with the dog just using the bell as a toy instead? And then... what if I'm in the bathroom and the dog rings bell and I can't get to it?
    I think people put the bell on the door and ring it before the dog goes out. If I were going to do it, I'd teach the dog the touch command on a post it note or a BLUE piece of painter's tape. Then I would transfer it to the bell. Start with a large piece and get smaller. I would click and treat for the touch. Once he got the hang of it, I would click and treat for the touch on bell on the door. Then when going outside, ask for a touch, click and treat, open door and go outside. Fade out the cookie and the clicker. Sounds complicated, but for a puppy I think this would take a week, tops. I have a bell but never used it. Maybe I'll try my own method with my dog and let you know! He already knows touch and that took like five minutes. It's a super handy command. He pushes a kids shopping cart around now and next step is putting my friend's little dog in there and then we'll go on the news or something with our stupid pet tricks (kidding!). As far as going to the bathroom, puppy should be with you, crated or being supervised by an adult, and if it's the latter, they should have instructions on what to do when puppy rings the bell.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    I also would be careful to teach a nose touch not a paw touch because your dog will be big enough to do damage to a door with the paw. That might not matter to you now, but it may someday. I find it super annoying when I have friends' dogs over who paw the door (in fact, I told my one friend that he needs to get his dog's nails dremmeled really short to be at my house again as she scratched my newly painted door) and it is a hard habit to break.

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    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Not what you asked but I never did it BECAUSE, once my dogs figured out how to ask to go out they asked for more than just potty breaks. Sometimes, still, I can't tell if they really need to potty or if they just want out to smell the roses or roll in the snow.
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  5. #5
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    Not what you asked but I never did it BECAUSE, once my dogs figured out how to ask to go out they asked for more than just potty breaks. Sometimes, still, I can't tell if they really need to potty or if they just want out to smell the roses or roll in the snow.
    Linus is very honest and that would not be him, but I've had dogs that would totally do that! My sister's boxer did when he was bored, but they did not have a fenced yard, so basically it meant a walk. That could be trouble.

  6. #6
    Best Friend Retriever annkie's Avatar
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    I honestly can't tell if Archie knows how to ask to potty. He has some accidents still after 5 weeks. So that's why I was thinking maybe a bell would be easier.


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  7. #7
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by annkie View Post
    I honestly can't tell if Archie knows how to ask to potty. He has some accidents still after 5 weeks. So that's why I was thinking maybe a bell would be easier.


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    It's worth a try! My dogs never ask to go out, none of them did. They have always just gone out on a schedule and if they were having an "emergency", they would pace or stare or look at the door, look at me, look at the door, etc. I think the bell would be helpful if there are multiple family members and especially kids and a busy household because it's sort of a hard sound to miss. If it's just one or two adults who are honed in on the dog at all times, I don't think the bell is necessarily. Maybe if you have a huge house and people are all over (obviously once the dog is an adult).

    I would not expect the dog to be 100% potty trained until he is about 7-9 months old. If he is having multiple accidents, a bell won't help, supervision and taking him out more and making those potty trips all about doing his business will. However, I'm not sure how your breed is with potty training. Maybe ask your breeder? Some breeds are just faster than others and people say the girls are quicker than the boys (not sure if that is true).

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  9. #8
    Best Friend Retriever annkie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post

    I would not expect the dog to be 100% potty trained until he is about 7-9 months old. If he is having multiple accidents, a bell won't help, supervision and taking him out more and making those potty trips all about doing his business will. However, I'm not sure how your breed is with potty training. Maybe ask your breeder? Some breeds are just faster than others and people say the girls are quicker than the boys (not sure if that is true).
    That long!? Really!? Was Jules an anomaly? I think he learned to knock on the door after like 2-3 weeks. Damn.



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  10. #9
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    I think 7-9 months is long. Both of mine were trained way before that. It can be done with work and patience. I'd never do the bell because it would get eaten.


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  11. #10
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    It's worth a try! My dogs never ask to go out, none of them did. They have always just gone out on a schedule and if they were having an "emergency", they would pace or stare or look at the door, look at me, look at the door, etc. I think the bell would be helpful if there are multiple family members and especially kids and a busy household because it's sort of a hard sound to miss. If it's just one or two adults who are honed in on the dog at all times, I don't think the bell is necessarily. Maybe if you have a huge house and people are all over (obviously once the dog is an adult).

    This was my experience too. Bubba just goes out when I take him out. When it's an emergency (which has only happened with upset stomach), he whines and paces wherever I am, not at the door. Of course it's just me and him so his behavior rarely goes unnoticed, in a larger family it might be more necessary to have a signal.

    With my last dog we had a fenced in yard, she just went to the door whenever she wanted, it had nothing to do with going to the bathroom. And it was really annoying!
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