Potty bell?

[Jarena]

I have a 6 month old Corso named Lettie. I have been considering putting a bell on the back door and training her to ring it to go out to potty. My mom did this with her dog and had some trouble because the dog would ring it all the time because he just wanted to go out and play.

The reason I have been considering it is because she’s a ninja! She is the sneakiest, most stealthy dog I have ever had. She is potty trained with the occasional accident (always our fault, of coarse). She “asks” to go out but she does it by sitting at the back door. So sometimes I don’t notice that she needs to go out for awhile because she is so quiet!!

Does anyone here have any advice or experience with bell training? Anyone think it’s a bad idea or a good idea? Any specific tricks or tips on the correct way to start the training?

 

[Smokeycat]

I tried it with my older dog. That bell is now one of Jiggers favorite toys. Turns out he loves anything that makes noise. I do know people who have successfully trained their dogs to ring one however so I know it can be done.

 

[Boxergirl]

All of my dogs except Ella are bell trained, including my daughter's 10 month old boxer that I watch. Ella kept missing the bell and hitting the wall so she just barks to go out. I love the bells. We also have bells that hang off the towel rack in the bathroom. I have one dog that prefers to drink from the tub faucet so if they want a drink from there, they ring. (Spoiled maybe? Lol) I don't really have a problem with them ringing to go out and play. Maybe because when I potty train I take them out to potty and play separately, no playing after potty. I only rang the bell when we were going out for potty time, not for play time.

 

[Jarena]

Thanks for the responses! I think I’ll do some research then maybe give it a try, she is such a fast learner

 

[Courtney H]

Axel is bell trained and we trained cano, too, with great success. Cora..not so much. She’s super smart but just didn’t want anything to do with it. She prefers to stand in front of me and growl/bark. But, at least she tells me!

 

[Nik]

Diesel is trained to use a potty bell. When he first learned it he did use it to go out and play as well. He does that less now that he has matured. Now he typically uses it only if he needs to potty and also occasionally when he is worried there is an "invader" in the yard (ie a rat, squirrel, bird).

I am trying to teach Kahlua the potty bell now also because she like your's is super quiet and just walks away quietly. If you don't notice in time that she walked away she will go in the kitchen. So I need to teach her to ring the bell as well. She doesn't seem to learn as quickly and easily as Diesel though she is much more of a people pleaser. With Diesel it was all about proper motivation but with Kahlua I have to work harder at getting her to learn what I am teaching.

 

[DennasMom]

LOVE LOVE LOVE having a bell-trained dog!

Denna took to it quickly, we started by ringing the bells every time before we opened the door, and then moved on to having her bump her head/nose on the bells before the door opened (not her paw! no feet on doors here!), and one day she tried it for herself - and BOOM the door opened! She LOVED this as a puppy when she found out the humans would come RUNNING when we heard the bells. She'd ring them when she got bored and wanted us to go outside with her to play.

In the middle of the night, it's nice to know your dog can ask to go outside when they need to vomit or have other bodily activities to take care of - which helps minimize any deposits on the carpet.
I'll hear the bells even if I miss her dropping out of bed and clomping down the stairs. Must be my "mom" ears. HA!

We've also successfully taken the bells to relatives homes, and she knows exactly what they're for even on a strange door.