House Training a Dog – How to Teach the “Ring a Bell” Method
Do you believe that house training a dog can be stress-free? Well, I do. If you can teach your dog how to tell you when he needs to go outside, house training a dog becomes simple and fun. Teaching your dog to ring a bell when he needs to go out is one of my favorite methods.
…All dogs love to learn tricks and play games.
The “Ring a Bell to Go Outside” method helps you to get your dog to do exactly what you want but for him to think that it was his idea all along! Here are the easy steps you should follow if you want to teach your dog how to ring a bell when he needs to go outside.
(By the way, if you want to see a full step-by-step video on how this is done, check out this house training a dog entry on the Best Dog Ever website. It’s amazing!)
*Step 1. Find a bell. Use a light-weight bell. (You want to make sure you don’t use something too heavy, like a cow bell.) Remember to consider the size of your dog when you’re choosing the size of the bell. (For example, a dachshund will need a bell that smaller than a Labrador retriever would need.)
*Step 2. Hang the bell from a door knob …within easy reach of your dog’s nose. (Remember, nose level is going to be more than a bit different for a poodle vs. a labrador.)
*Step 3. Each and every time, you should say “Outside” before you take the dog out? Do you want to go outside?” Now, go out through the door, and manipulate the string so that the dog can’t help but bump into it and make it ring. (You can also shake the bell if you need to so that it rings.) All you should have to do is repeat this for a few days. So obviously what happens is that eventually there will be an association in your dogs mind — the sound of the bell will mean that he goes outside to do his business.
*Step 4. When the dog is not watching you, place a little peanut butter or soft cheese on the bell.
*Step 5. Now what? Well, wait and watch. There are generally two things that might happen …and both of these are good! ?Some dogs immediately smell the peanut butter, go to the bell, and ring it.. ?Perfect! Say “Outside?” …open the door, walk over to the potty area, and say “Go potty.* Make sure to always give the dog a treat and praise when she does what you want.
Other dogs might need a little encouragement to find the bell. If this is something that happens to you, there’s a way around it — simply hold the bell close to your dog’s nose so that he wants to lick it, and rings the bell.
You might have to shake the string tied onto the bell so that the bell makes a couple of rings if the dog’s tongue barely moves the bell.) As the bell rings, in a happy voice say “Outside?” … Now you want to open the door, lead your dog to the potty area, and tell her to “go potty.”
While the dog is pottying, softly repeat saying “go potty.” Then, make sure to give your dog praise and a treat as a reward.
*Step 6. When the dog rings the bell without a problem, without help from you, you should ask him “Outside?”…and now it’s time to wait patiently by the door until your dog figures out what you want and rings the bell. Then, of course, you want to take the dog outside to have her do her business.
Knowing smart techniques for house training a dog is great for dogs of all ages! Don’t forget that older dogs will often times need more frequent bathroom trips. …But the bell reminds us.
Rescue dogs, for example, find it fairly easy to pick up on the difference between an acceptable inside behavior and an acceptable outside behavior because they may have never lived inside of a house before.
If you don’t have a doggie door, this can be a great trick that will help you prevent or eliminate accidents in your home. I love to use this trick whenever I’m traveling with my dog as well.
Simply bring the bell with you the next time you go away and attach it to the door of your room. …accidents won’t be something you have to worry about!
