PSA: doggy potty training door bells

[IfIOnly]

We haven't had one potty accident in the house since putting this up. It's neat how quickly our gal caught on with not much help from us. The bells are nice and loud, which is important in our noisy home. $10. Worth a try if you're having issues.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CBZ8KQC/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[LifeLovePassion]

I attached some jingle bells to ribbon for our yorkie. He would just stand at the door and not make any noise. It saved many a mess! Eventually he transitioned away from them and came to find us or would bark. Best invention in the why didn't I think of that category.

[Paige]

I have a bell for my dog that we've had for 6 months (got her as a puppy) and she still hasn't learned! I'm starting to think she's a doggy idiot. Every time she goes out we make her ring it, praise her, and tell her to go potty, praise more. It doesn't matter. She looks at us like she's clueless every time. How did you get your dogs to make the connection?

[IfIOnly]

I can't take credit. When we got her at age 5, she already would shake beads on a door. We kept missing her letting us know though, so I tried making my own with bells like LLP and she acclimated well to them only to have them keep breaking on us. Hence, we bought the sturdier bell set up. Hopefully someone else can help you though!

[J-rap]

Our first dog figured this out all by himself.  It was actually Christmas jingle bells on a string hanging up on the back door at Christmas.  He would push it with his nose, and we'd let him out.  Eventually we caught on and kept it up year-round, and even took it on trips (or wherever we were, with him).  From then on we taught that to our other dogs as well.

[Pawz4me]

Our first dog figured this out all by himself.  It was actually Christmas jingle bells on a string hanging up on the back door at Christmas.  He would push it with his nose, and we'd let him out.  Eventually we caught on and kept it up year-round, and even took it on trips (or wherever we were, with him).  From then on we taught that to our other dogs as well.

 

When I got my first dog I started leaving her leash hanging on the key holder beside the door.  She taught herself to give the leash a good whack to make it swing when she needed to go out.

 

(She'd also push her food bowl around the kitchen if we didn't feed her right on time.  :lol:)

[Sammish]

I have one of those bells for parrot cages hung on our door for our dogs. The older one (who is very pretty, but not the brightest bulb in the pack) understands and rings the bell when he wants to go out. Sometimes repeatedly, if we don't get up quickly enough.

 

The younger one, who is ridiculously smart, refuses to use it. We've taught her and taught her, and she just won't. She'll stand at the door and look at it, and look at us, but not ring the bell. (Except if it's a potty emergency- she has rung it a handful of times over the past five years, but not many.)

 

BUT, if the older one rings the bell, the younger one will immediately go into whichever room we're in, and STARE at us until we take them out. Like, "Did you not hear the bell? Get up and let him out, people!" She clearly knows what it means, but just refuses to use it herself. Dogs are weird.

[IfIOnly]

I have one of those bells for parrot cages hung on our door for our dogs. The older one (who is very pretty, but not the brightest bulb in the pack) understands and rings the bell when he wants to go out. Sometimes repeatedly, if we don't get up quickly enough.

 

The younger one, who is ridiculously smart, refuses to use it. We've taught her and taught her, and she just won't. She'll stand at the door and look at it, and look at us, but not ring the bell. (Except if it's a potty emergency- she has rung it a handful of times over the past five years, but not many.)

 

BUT, if the older one rings the bell, the younger one will immediately go into whichever room we're in, and STARE at us until we take them out. Like, "Did you not hear the bell? Get up and let him out, people!" She clearly knows what it means, but just refuses to use it herself. Dogs are weird.

LOL. What a character.

[KatieJ]

I have a bell for my dog that we've had for 6 months (got her as a puppy) and she still hasn't learned! I'm starting to think she's a doggy idiot. Every time she goes out we make her ring it, praise her, and tell her to go potty, praise more. It doesn't matter. She looks at us like she's clueless every time. How did you get your dogs to make the connection?

We trained two dogs to ring the bell. However, it only took a .few days of us ringing the bell as we let them out the door for them to figure it out.

We did have issues with our second dog. He learned that ringing the bell meant outside and play time.

[AK_Mom4]

We have two dogs (sisters from the same litter). Dog #1 learned the bell trick really fast and still uses it if people don't move to let her out right away when she goes to the door.

 

Dog #2 trained dog #1 to ring the bell for her when she needed to go out. She dances around until Dog#1 gets nervous and rings the bell.

 

Whatever works. We were just consistent about ringing the bell when we let them out and dog #1 figured it out.

[Guest]

We did have issues with our second dog. He learned that ringing the bell meant outside and play time.

This is why I haven't attempted the whole bell thing. I see it becoming a major PITA when a couple of the dogs just want to go out and play.

[IfIOnly]

This is why I haven't attempted the whole bell thing. I see it becoming a major PITA when a couple of the dogs just want to go out and play.

We have a fenced back yard, so we don't kind our gal going out just for play too. I could see that being a pain otherwise though.

[wonderchica]

Yup, mine figured out the bells on her own. I just hung them on the door so they rang each time it opened, and after a couple days she started doing it herself. If I'm down the hall, she'll ring the bells then stand in the hallway looking in my direction like "Hello! Did you not hear that??". We take them when traveling because she really doesn't know any other way to tell us.

Edited May 18, 2016 by wonderchica

[dirty ethel rackham]

We did have issues with our second dog. He learned that ringing the bell meant outside and play time.

 

We hung a bell on the door as soon as we got our dog (18 month old rescue.)  Every time we took him out, we made him sit, then we too his paw and hit the bell and said "potty."  He began to ring it on his own after a few days.  Then he tried to use it for "I want to go out and play."  We would take  him out, but he would lay in the grass and be stubborn.  We don't have a fenced yard, so I couldn't just leave him there, so I made him come inside.  Then I would know that he did need some play time.  He how sometimes rings the bell if his water bowl is empty (near that door.) 

[Laura Corin]

My dog barely pees.  However many times I let her out.  She just sits on the patio and stares at me when I force her outside.  She only usually pees and poos if I take her for a proper walk (at last two miles).  It's good for me though and the vet isn't worried.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Laura Corin

[ktgrok]

I have a bell for my dog that we've had for 6 months (got her as a puppy) and she still hasn't learned! I'm starting to think she's a doggy idiot. Every time she goes out we make her ring it, praise her, and tell her to go potty, praise more. It doesn't matter. She looks at us like she's clueless every time. How did you get your dogs to make the connection?

 

Don't praise, just open the door! You want her to know that bell=door opens, not bell=praise.