Do bells that are hung on doors really work for potty training a puppy?
Posted on April 25th, 2010 by admin
My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is 6 months old and he is still not getting the hang of potty training. Anyone have any suggestions?
The bells don’t do the potty training. The bells are just for them to let you know when they need to go out. That is, after he knows he is suppose to go outside to do it. Here is my house training method that absolutely works if you are consistent:
Take them out very often including in the middle of the night. Especially after eating. A full stomach puts pressure on their bladder & colon, which give them the urge to go. When you take them out side and they don’t go within 10-15 minutes then go back inside. But offer to go out again soon.
Look for the signs of them needing to go out. Look for them walking in circles, sniffing the floor and, of course, squatting. If you see the beginning signs hurry to take them out but try not to hurry in a scary way that may make them run from you. You can be very intimidating to a young pup.
Every time they potty outside praise them as soon as they are done going. Don’t praise them during the act as that can distract them and make them stop. But try to time it as well as you can. As soon as their butt lifts praise like crazy. Verbal praise with petting is sufficient but you can give a small treat too. Also say a cue word like "potty" when you see them go outside. In the future they can be trained to potty on command because they know that cue word. Try to avoid saying the cue word inside as that is confusing.
If they have an accident in the house do not punish them. Just clean it up thoroughly and asap. Dogs instinctively avoid defecating in their living quarters. If they are forced to live in it for too long then they will eventually lose that instinct. This can also be ruined by rubbing their nose in it. NEVER rub their nose in it.
If you catch them in the act you can make a startling noise, not too scary, but just to get them to stop in the act while you run to pick them up and put them outside in the right spot. Again, praise like crazy when they go in the correct spot.
Reasons not to punish them for accidents:
If they get in trouble for going potty in the house they don’t necessarily know that you are mad because they went in the house. They just think it is bad to go at all. This causes them to hide it from you, including not going in front of you outside. If they hide it in the house then it is much harder to catch them in the act too.
If you catch the mess after the fact then start punishing they don’t make the connection that you are mad because of the mess. They will think it was what ever they were doing in that moment you found it, say just sleeping. This is just confusing and can cause other behavior problems, including being scared of you in general.
As stated earlier, rubbing their nose in it goes against their natural instinct of going potty away from their living quarters. You could actually be teaching them that this is where it smells like a toilet and this is where they should go.
Bell training: Hang bells from your back door. Every time you open the door ring the bells. Ring the bell every time the door opens, not just to potty. This is so they see the association of the ringing bells to the door opening. If you can get your dog close enough to even accidentally ring it them self then praise them as you open the door. Some people bell train for the dog to paw at the bells (in which case the training is slightly different). But I train them to use their nose to ring them. That way their paws aren’t scratching up the door. Even glass can get scratched up over time.
April 25th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
yep it does
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April 25th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Lol no especially if he ISN’T potty-trained. Try crate training, or being active and taking your dog outside and not being lazy..
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April 25th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
It does work with patience. I got Sam from the humane society when he was 7 months. They said he was trained but he wasn’t. So I put bells on the doorknob and everytime I took him out for a pee I rang the bell and before long he was ringing the bell when he wanted to go out. Good Luck.
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April 25th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Not if he’s not fully trained or at the very least not very far from being fully trained. It wont help because 1st you need to get the idea in his head that he must go out side THEN you work on how the dog tells you he needs to go outside if he doesn’t already.
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April 25th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
i never heard of using a bell.
you can try taking the dog out on a daily routine/schedule. use treats and a catch phrase such as "big boy" at potty time. when he goes, say "big boy", immediately give the treat. after a couple days you can encourage him to go by saying "big boy" once in a while.
food is the great motivator, so it won’t take your puppy long to associate going to the bathroom with getting his praise and a treat.
i would work to continue the schedule for up to six weeks. as the pup gets older, you will notice he won’t have to go to the bathroom as often.
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April 25th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
We trained my dog to do that. We hung a set of bell and when he wanted to go out he would whack them with his nose. You can always carry him out at certain hours and let him sniff and when he goes potty reward him.
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April 25th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Make outdoor "going" a rewarded behavior with lots of positive praise and perhaps a treat. Ignore the indoor going. Bells are a neat accessory, but they don’t help per se.
References :
April 25th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
The bells don’t do the potty training. The bells are just for them to let you know when they need to go out. That is, after he knows he is suppose to go outside to do it. Here is my house training method that absolutely works if you are consistent:
Take them out very often including in the middle of the night. Especially after eating. A full stomach puts pressure on their bladder & colon, which give them the urge to go. When you take them out side and they don’t go within 10-15 minutes then go back inside. But offer to go out again soon.
Look for the signs of them needing to go out. Look for them walking in circles, sniffing the floor and, of course, squatting. If you see the beginning signs hurry to take them out but try not to hurry in a scary way that may make them run from you. You can be very intimidating to a young pup.
Every time they potty outside praise them as soon as they are done going. Don’t praise them during the act as that can distract them and make them stop. But try to time it as well as you can. As soon as their butt lifts praise like crazy. Verbal praise with petting is sufficient but you can give a small treat too. Also say a cue word like "potty" when you see them go outside. In the future they can be trained to potty on command because they know that cue word. Try to avoid saying the cue word inside as that is confusing.
If they have an accident in the house do not punish them. Just clean it up thoroughly and asap. Dogs instinctively avoid defecating in their living quarters. If they are forced to live in it for too long then they will eventually lose that instinct. This can also be ruined by rubbing their nose in it. NEVER rub their nose in it.
If you catch them in the act you can make a startling noise, not too scary, but just to get them to stop in the act while you run to pick them up and put them outside in the right spot. Again, praise like crazy when they go in the correct spot.
Reasons not to punish them for accidents:
If they get in trouble for going potty in the house they don’t necessarily know that you are mad because they went in the house. They just think it is bad to go at all. This causes them to hide it from you, including not going in front of you outside. If they hide it in the house then it is much harder to catch them in the act too.
If you catch the mess after the fact then start punishing they don’t make the connection that you are mad because of the mess. They will think it was what ever they were doing in that moment you found it, say just sleeping. This is just confusing and can cause other behavior problems, including being scared of you in general.
As stated earlier, rubbing their nose in it goes against their natural instinct of going potty away from their living quarters. You could actually be teaching them that this is where it smells like a toilet and this is where they should go.
Bell training: Hang bells from your back door. Every time you open the door ring the bells. Ring the bell every time the door opens, not just to potty. This is so they see the association of the ringing bells to the door opening. If you can get your dog close enough to even accidentally ring it them self then praise them as you open the door. Some people bell train for the dog to paw at the bells (in which case the training is slightly different). But I train them to use their nose to ring them. That way their paws aren’t scratching up the door. Even glass can get scratched up over time.
References :