# teaching a GR to ASK to go outside



## KatzNK9 (Feb 27, 2007)

I intended to use the doggie door bells as I know others who have dogs who ring to go out. It works great & they swear by it. I was home with Ozzy 24/7 so I took him out round the clock when he was potty training. He was very easy to train & he was already asking to go out in other ways within a couple of weeks.

Good luck with the bell training. I think it is a great idea even though Ozzy beat me to it & I never got around to buying bells.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have bells up with the intention to teach Brady to use them. When he really has to go, he will just scratch at the door. Most of the time I beat him to it by giving him frequent bathroom breaks.

My Great Pyrenees is not exactly trained to ring the bells, but when he leans by the door, he involunteerily rings the bells. I then know he is waiting be the door.


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

I used the bells to train Jazzy to tell us when she needed to go out. She is the first dog I have used them on and I love them. We have a bi-level house and the door she goes out of is in the foyer between floors so I can hear her if I am upstairs or downstairs. She learned pretty quickly how to use them. Every time I took her outside I would ring the bells before opening the door. One day I heard these bells and she was sitting in front of the door waiting to go out! She uses them all the time. Sometimes, she will bat those bells just to go out and play. Since I know her routines now (she is 16 months old) and I know she has recently peed and pooped I will tell her no. Now she has learned if she just wants to play and I say NO she will go lay down. If she really does have to go and I have read her signals wrong she will continue to hit the bells and she'll add a cry to it too! I really think you will love the bells!

Jazzys Mom


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

I used the Poochie bells with Brandy, specifically because she needed to go out constantly due to her excessive water drinking. They worked fantastic! 

One word of caution: teach the pups to ring the bells with their muzzle rather than their paws so that their claws don't scratch your door. 

I took Brandy's muzzle in my hand, rang the bells with it, then praised her with "good bells" and immediately took her outside. It took about a day for her to be trained.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

A lot of people use the bell system.  You might wanna try it. Tucker just learned on his own. If no one is around he'll let out a little "yip!" (we call this his "I gotta poop" bark) and if we're downstairs with him, he goes to the gate, sits, and stares at you. If you ignore him, he'll run over to you, nudge you, run back to the gate and sit. 

If we're upstairs and he has to pee (he only barks for pooping) then he'll let out a little whimper.


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

Once Banner started to "get it" and go to the door when he has to go, I ask him to sit and speak before I let him go out. It seems to be working.


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## RustyDog (Aug 7, 2007)

I know your trying to train a puppy but just FYI for the future:
GRs love it when you talk to them in that high pitched happy voice. Before I take my dog outside, I ask him (in that voice), "Do you want to go outside?!" I get him all rilled up- he begins to lick my leg, backs up, spins in circles, etc. He's done this on his own when he needs to go out. (And yes, there's been a few times when he's misused this just because he's _wanted_ to go outside but hasn't really needed to use the bathroom.)


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

I started teaching Otto to bring me his leash when he had to pee. That worked well until he caught on that if he brought it I would take him outside. He would sit outside all day if he could. Next thing I knew, he was bringing me the leash every 5 minutes. I quickly gave up that idea. I'm a smoker so whenever I go out, he comes with. If he really has to pee, he'll call me.


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## MissNikkisMom (Apr 10, 2007)

I taught Miss Nikki to go outside by ringing a bell atached to our door. She figured it out very quickly. I'll use it on my next pup too.


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## Nicci831 (Aug 9, 2007)

We used the bells on both our dogs and it works like a charm. They go right to the door and ring the bell, if we don't hear it they will continue to ring it =)


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## crnp2001 (Feb 18, 2007)

*poochie bells*

Well, I got the Poochie bells a week ago. No luck so far, but we're trying to associate the "go potty" with ringing the bells. The one resource I found said it may take a month or more , but in the meantime, I'm trying to be vigilant with watching her closely after she guzzles her water.

On days where DH and I both work (three days per week), I hate to continue to crate her in the evenings when we are home. Usually, she is lying next to me, anyway...it's those moments where she creeps out of the room that I need to get up and check on her whereabouts. She also does not have the run of the house--the kitchen, family room, sunroom, and computer room are all that she's allowed to roam while we're home.

It just seems that if she has a day with an indoor accident, there are MANY on that particular day...and no problems other days. No UTI symptoms, either.

This, like most other things that are GR related, will teach me patience, I guess! :doh:

Thanks for all the responses~

~Kim~


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Two things occur to me:

1. Are you sure that you are properly cleaning the areas where she has an accident? You need to use a cleaner that will completely eliminate the odor or she will keep going in that same place. When I first started housetraining Rookie I used Nature's Miracle which is specifically intended to remove pet odors. Regular cleaning products don't remove the scent, especially products with ammonia in them.

2. Don't leave water down for the dog to drink whenever she wants. She may just be drinking too much water. Put the water bowl down a few times a day and then pull it back up again.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I would also suggest you put a leash on her in the house and don't let her wander away from you, you'll need to do that until your confident she is potty trained. Take her more frequently and tell her to go potty, praise, praise, praise when she does (don't just send her outside to potty on her own, go with her so you can praise her when she goes where supposed to.)


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## Ronna (Mar 24, 2007)

Hi everyone:

I have been on vacation for a while and just came back. I really have nothing to contribute to this conversation, but do these bells sound interesting to me. Where do you get these bells or do you make your own? My Karlie is 7 months now and has never been very vocal about going outside. She had a few accidents when she was younger, but now I just can tell when she needs to go out by her mood. If she starts to pace, she is out. I want to get her trained to use these bells as it would really help us out, as our house is a few levels and we are not always watching her.

Thanks for the tip!:

Ronna


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## crnp2001 (Feb 18, 2007)

*Poochie Bells*

Thanks to all for your comments.

I do use Nature's Miracle; she goes in different areas of the house (kitchen, family room, dining room when she had access to that room).

I did hook her leash to my belt for a while--she stays dry if I let her out every 2 hours, and she doesn't go when leashed, either.

I try to only give her water at designated times of the day, then make sure she empties out well after about 1 hour. I'm trying to figure out how much water is "enough" for her. I stopped refilling the dish repeatedly because she will drink like a camel.

The biggest times that she does it is if I get distracted with chores and don't think to let her out. No luck on the poochie bells yet...but I'm hopeful. :crossfing

Here's the link to the poochie bell website: Home

~Kim~


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## MissNikkisMom (Apr 10, 2007)

What worked for Miss Nikki was having her sit by the door, taking her paw and batting the bell (it is on a string hanging on the door) and saying, "potty outside?" Then we'd go directly outside to her spot. I'd tell her "go potty" and she'd go. (Sometimes after quite a bit of sniffing).

Even now, when we go outside specifically for a potty break I tell her to "go potty" and she goes.

Keep at it -- she'll learn!

If you can't supervise her 100% of the time you should crate her, or leash her to you. I couldn't depend on my husband to watch her.


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Ronna said:


> Hi everyone:
> 
> I have been on vacation for a while and just came back. I really have nothing to contribute to this conversation, but do these bells sound interesting to me. Where do you get these bells or do you make your own? My Karlie is 7 months now and has never been very vocal about going outside. She had a few accidents when she was younger, but now I just can tell when she needs to go out by her mood. If she starts to pace, she is out. I want to get her trained to use these bells as it would really help us out, as our house is a few levels and we are not always watching her.
> 
> ...


 
The Poochie Bells are great but they cost around $25.00. I copied their design (shhh, don't tell) and made my own for about 3 bucks! Go to Hobby Lobby or Michael's and get about 2 yards of 1 1/2" or 2" wide ribbon. Get several rings like you would use on a key chain and get a package of bells. Oh, also get some of that iron on hem stuff. It comes in a roll for about a $1 for a roll of it. It also comes in different widths.

Then plug in your iron and make a loop at the top of the ribbon that will fit around your doorknob, put a piece of the iron on tape there and iron the loop closed. Then slide a ring up the ribbon to a spot you would like some bells. Fold the ribbon on itself and use the iron-on tape to close a loop with the ring inside. Make another loop at the bottom with a ring in it. Wait about 5 minutes for the iron-on tape to set well and then just pop about 3 bells on each ring. Hang it on your door and every time you let your little darling outside, ring the bells and say "outside" or whatever word you use to go out. She'll look at you like you have lost it but one day, maybe a month down the rode - just when you think you are ringing those bells for yourself, you'll hear them ring and she'll be sitting there waiting for you to let her out. We nearly had a party the first time Jazz rang them! I think I had been ringing those darn things about 4 or 5 weeks - then wal-la ------- JAZZYS RANG THEM HERSELF! 

I have made several bell sets now. I would never buy one when I can make them so cheap. I have seen them at the dog shows and mine look the same as theirs do!

Jazzys Mom


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## Summerfield (Aug 21, 2007)

Great idea.....do you suggest taking the dogs nose or muzzle to rattle them each time you take her out and say whatever your cue word is for "outside" or "got potty" and then go out? Or do you rattle them at first? I assume you don't want to use the paw since I don't want her to scratch the doors at all......what a great idea.....I NEVER imagined potty training would be THIS much work, I mean I actually think it is going well but man it sure is constant! I think the hardest part is when you take her out but she does not go then next thing you know she is peeing on the carpet! So we are keeping her crated a lot more...man it sure is hard to keep her crated more when you want to have her around but don't want a mess if you turn my attention away!

Thanks for the bell suggestion I needed that. Jules


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## paulbridges02 (Jul 2, 2007)

I started making Molly bark right before I would open the door about 4 weeks ago and she picked it up real quick. As long as she is not to busy playing with another dog (when we dog-sit) she will go to the door and bark when she has to go potty. As GoldenLover84 said, there is deffinately a difference in urgency when she has to poop as opposed to pee, cracks me up.:roflmao:

I may have to try this bell thing though...


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## Nicci831 (Aug 9, 2007)

Ronna said:


> Hi everyone:
> 
> I have been on vacation for a while and just came back. I really have nothing to contribute to this conversation, but do these bells sound interesting to me. Where do you get these bells or do you make your own? My Karlie is 7 months now and has never been very vocal about going outside. She had a few accidents when she was younger, but now I just can tell when she needs to go out by her mood. If she starts to pace, she is out. I want to get her trained to use these bells as it would really help us out, as our house is a few levels and we are not always watching her.
> 
> ...


I just put 2 jingle bells on a shoe sting and tied it to my back door knob. When I first started training, I pointed to the bell and rang with my hand and said "bathroom", soon after every time he had to go he would ring with his nose and I would inforce the positive reinforcement of giving him a treat and tell him "good bathroom". His younger brother learned from his older brother and he was potty trained at about 3 months, of course we had to lower the bells so he could reach them. Now when I hear the bells, I let them out and they do their business


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