using a bell to housebreak a puppy

Can someone tell me how to do this? how to get him to ring the bell when he needs to go out?

Thanks!

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

I have the bell on a string hanging on the doorknob, I actually got it as a jingle bell during the holidays and when she needs to go out, she just hits it w/ her paw-:)

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

We taught our puppy to use a bell. In the beginning we would watch for signs that he needed to go to the bathroom and take him outside. each time we did this, we said lets go potty and rang the bell as we were leaving. eventually he picked up that ringing the bell was associated with going outside and he started to ring the bell himself. it didn't take him that long at all do learn this-he was totally potty trained within two months but learned to ring the bell after two or three weeks (during which time he also had surgery and was not himself-so i think he learned rather quickly)

unfortunately in the beginning he did ring the bell anytime he wanted to go outside, even if it wasnt to go to the bathroom! you have to bring them out every time they ring the bell to reinforce that behavior so it was kind of a pain, but as soon as we saw he didnt have to really go, we brought him right back in so he didnt think that he could just decide to go out whenever he wanted to feel a cool breeze!

it has been so easy now that he can tell us with no problem that he needs to go out, it is really worth doing if your dog can pick it up!

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

I didnt train her with it, she just hits when she wants to go out :)

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

isn't that the pavlov theory?

basically, if everytime you take the dog out to go to the bathroom you ring the bell-- she goes, you ring the bell, praise praise praise and ring the bell. after a long time and repitition she will be able to associate that bell ringing with going to the bathroom and, i believe, that then she will ring the bell when she needs to go out.

i think that is how it works.

we didn't do the bell method. we just use a code word "piddle" and she goes-- when she wants to let us know she has to go she either goes toward the door and scratches or scratches at our legs/arms-- whatever-- to get attention.

good luck - try asking your vet. we asked ours and he was VERY helpful in how to train her and she was just about 100% after like 2 weeks! amazing!

ooh! make sure your doorbell doesn't sound like the bell you are using LOL i could imagine that would be quite confusing.

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

We did this too.

My girl doggie would hit the bell when she wanted to go out.

But sometimes she would hit it to play....so it didn't work fool proof. But at least I knew when she was at the door, since the door isn't visible from most rooms.

Re: using a bell to housebreak a puppy

we have xmas jingle bells hanging from the door knob, whenever we opened the door we made a lot of noise with the bells, and he just started pawing them on his own whenever he wanted to go out.