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## geomana (Oct 15, 2011)

You can teach him to ring a bell that hangs from the door.
This takes about 1-2 weeks to learn but is extremely helpful
since you can hear it from other rooms and it is different sound
that only signifies one thing.

Hope that helps.


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## Discoverer (Feb 3, 2011)

We too have the door bell and Oscar learned to use it at about 9 weeks old. The only issue is that he rings the bell every time he wants to go out to play not just for potty breaks. E.g. yesterday night after drinking lots of water he rang that bell three times in about 40 minutes, I let him out and he went all three times. So I would rather have some false "play" rings, than missed the real call even once.


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## Bogart (Nov 14, 2009)

I would set the alarm clock and let him out every couple of hours I bet he'll go every time and they do get used to a set scheduale.
Cooper will bang against the windowshades and makes them move around which I can hear also. You can try the bell but my friend's dogs will ring the bell just to go out not to go pee LOL.


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## TheCrewAndUs (Sep 11, 2011)

Discoverer said:


> We too have the door bell and Oscar learned to use it at about 9 weeks old. The only issue is that he rings the bell every time he wants to go out to play not just for potty breaks. E.g. yesterday night after drinking lots of water he rang that bell three times in about 40 minutes, I let him out and he went all three times. So I would rather have some false "play" rings, than missed the real call even once.


how did you teach him that?


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## Discoverer (Feb 3, 2011)

Lolote said:


> how did you teach him that?


We hang the bell on the door from the day we got Oscar home and every time we took him out he was hearing the sound of the bell. Actually we used the wind chime to make the sound more pleasant, but let's call it bell anyway. After several days when he came to the door, I didn't open it right away, but get him to nudge the bell with his paw or nose. As soon as he rang the bell I open the door. I didn't give him a treat for ringing the bell, but he receives lots of praise and a treat for successful elimination at certain potty area. He learned to ring the bell fairly quick and was happily using for several months now, but sometimes he's abusing the potty bell. When he realized what the bell could do for him he started ringing it a lot more than he should have. He would ring it ten minutes after coming inside. He wanted to go back outside for play not business. When he rang the bell I always took him out, let him sniff and goof around. If he didn't relieve himself within 2 minutes he would go right back inside without praise. This lets him know that the bell is not to be used for play time. But this guy is very smart, sometimes I hear the bell's ring and I know he doesn't need to do his business as he just did, so I tell him "No", but he rang that bell again, like he really means it. I open the door, he goes out, play a little, then go to a potty spot and makes a few drops, proudly got a treat and got that look "See, I told you I needed to go out"


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

I personally wouldn't use a bell... unless you like hearing it all day. Our friends had (key word) puppy bell-trained but he had THEM trained because each time he rang it he could go outside... even to play. He was ringing it all. day. long. Even into the night. So... they took it off.

Mojo and Missy will just go by the back door and stand there, staring at us, when they have to potty. If it's been a while and they haven't "asked" I'll usually just let them out, just in case. 

We didn't train them to do this... they just learned that the back door was the potty door... and eventually learned that when they stand there, they get to go out.

Sometimes, if there was a bunny or something in the yard, they will stand and stare every ten minutes. Times like that I'm glad we don't have a bell.


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## Discoverer (Feb 3, 2011)

Mssjnnfer said:


> I Mojo and Missy will just go by the back door and stand there, staring at us, when they have to potty. If it's been a while and they haven't "asked" I'll usually just let them out, just in case.


They could go by the back door and stare at you when they just want to go to play. can you really distinguish "potty staring" and "play staring"? I don't see much difference with bell training to that matter. But the huge difference is when they are really need to go, you'll hear the bell from anywhere in the house, but their standing by the door may not be noticed if you are in the other room.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Mine will give me the "stare" when they need to go out. My sheltie and first golden always bang the door with a foot to go out but I could not get Darby to do this and Kirby learned from him. She will go to the door, pace to me an drive me the look, go to the door and back. It is pretty clear she wants out, but out isn't always to potty. She will stay out for hours if I let her.

Darby ~sigh~ never wants to go out, he will hold it for EVER and then come lean against me and I have to determine if it's for pets, to play, needs water, or to go out. :doh: Sometimes It will take a minute or two to figure out. I send them out regularly through out the day and sometimes I swear he does a 5 minute pee.

Thought of using the bells but Kirby would drive me crazy, with the "look" I can ignore her or tell her 'No, go lay down', with bells..... it would never end!! And Darby would probably never use them.


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## SeaMonster (Jul 4, 2011)

We used the bell for a couple of weeks and stopped because she started ringing the bell constantly. She would ring the bell, go out, sniff a plant, come right back in.
so we just installed a pet door. problem solved


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Discoverer said:


> They could go by the back door and stare at you when they just want to go to play. can you really distinguish "potty staring" and "play staring"? I don't see much difference with bell training to that matter. But the huge difference is when they are really need to go, you'll hear the bell from anywhere in the house, but their standing by the door may not be noticed if you are in the other room.


I can definitely tell the difference between potty staring and play staring. They just have a certain... expression. The way they look at you. 

I'd rather miss a few silent stares than hear a bell all day.


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## Discoverer (Feb 3, 2011)

The bell is just one of the many house training methods
We all do (or at least try) the things, which work best for us. Some our decisions based on the personal experience, the other influenced by reputable book or advice from the friend / breeder / instructor. There are different dogs out there, with their own temperament, different surroundings, environment, life style, etc.
If for whatever reason you feel the bell is not right for you - don't use it  and stick with a method both you and your dog are happy about.


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## AnimalLuver (Oct 13, 2011)

A dog door is of coarse the easiest solution like SeaMonster said, but I see that the OP lives in Vancouver...and in Canada, a dog door doesn't work all year round due to cold weather.

I too have a 4mth old pup who's been potty trained and "bell" trained. I think that the bell is a great idea if you need an idea for the winter. In the colder months a dog will generally not WANT to continue going outside over and over again, because it's cold (this is my experience anyways). There is a chance that the dog will abuse the bell, but mine don't, so why not try it and see how yours does?

To Train: hang a set of bells (or chimes or whatever, I tied shoelaces to those jingly cat toy balls, those are our bells  near the door. Any time you see your pup sitting by the door (like he does already when he wants to go out right?) ring the bells and say "good boy outside" and let him out. Continue to ring the bells (either you ring them, or you take the pups paw, and hit them, or you can encourage him to touch them with his nose) every time you let him outside. Eventually you will be sitting somewhere in the house, and you will hear the bells...GO RUN and say "good boy, go outside"....and he's trained 

I would understand the frustration some people have with the bells if the dog is over using/abusing the bell....but for whatever reason, some dogs don't, so I highly suggest you give it a try. I LUV the convenience of them, I never have to guess when they need to go out.


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## Discoverer (Feb 3, 2011)

It's not that cold in Vancouver during winter, but the main reason not to use the dog's door is that many unwanted critters, especially racoons will be more than happy to intrude your house. 
One more thing about the dog door - because the dog will so get used to go outside at any time, it would difficult for him to deal with a full bladder if there is no immediate access outside (nights in hotels, staying over at friends' places). Well, other than to pee in the house.


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## TheCrewAndUs (Sep 11, 2011)

i will try the bell and see if it works out. if not, i'll take it away 
thanks!


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## luvbuzz (Oct 27, 2010)

Buzz goes to my bedroom door and barks. I thought this was GREAT...I take him out and he pees. But at 2am, 3 am and 4 am it is NOT GREAT. He doesn't have to pee, he just wants to play. Glad I never did the bells.


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## AnimalLuver (Oct 13, 2011)

luvbuzz said:


> Buzz goes to my bedroom door and barks. I thought this was GREAT...I take him out and he pees. But at 2am, 3 am and 4 am it is NOT GREAT. He doesn't have to pee, he just wants to play. Glad I never did the bells.


This is a whole new training topic, training pups to sleep through the night. Whether it's bells or dogs barking at you in the middle of the night, it's not pleasant, and is a bad habit that should be broke all together, bells or no bells. The bells don't have to be an annoying sound that everyone's making them to sound.  Even if my pups did ring the bells a lot, it's not like a doorbell sound, I don't find it annoying 

If your pup is waking up all hours of the night to wake you to go out, water should be removed a couple hours before bed time, and go outside to potty before bed. If you find him/her waking in the night to go outside to play, this should be stopped, it's a bad habit, I'd say "go to bed!" and don't let them out (of coarse you run the risk of pee/poop in the house in case they DID need to pee or poop) , eventually they understand that night is for sleeping. Young puppies (8wks-14wks ish) usually need to go in the middle of the night, they cannot control their bladders, but anything older can be trained to sleep from night til morning.


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

Bogart said:


> I would set the alarm clock and let him out every couple of hours I bet he'll go every time and they do get used to a set scheduale.


I like this idea  Sienna does the stand by the door and stare, but she also comes to the doorway of the office if I am on the computer and stares : if she needs to go out. Many times if she seems to be pacing around and not settling, we let her out.


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