Bell Training Your Dog
From: Drew Vogel drew@drewvogel.com
Subject: Bell Training your dog
With an early start and concentrated effort, it is possible to train your dog to ring a bell whenever they want to go outside to relieve themselves. Bell training is not difficult, but it requires a great deal of consistency and dedication during the training. Here’s what you need to prepare for the training:
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Get a dog. 😎 (I chose a Jack Russell Terrier and named him Stanley.)
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Get a bell (I got a “Large Brass Parrot Bell” at my local pet store).
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Get a cord to tie the bell to your door (I used an old nylon leash).
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Tie the bell to the cord.
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Attach the cord to the door, at about dog-paw height (for Stanley, the bell is about 6 inches from the floor).
Recommended:
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A crate for the dog. The crate should be large enough for the dog to stand up, lie down, and turn around in. If your puppy is going to grow into a big dog, you can buy a crate for the size they will grow to be, but temporarily partition it down to the correct size for your puppy. There are several compelling reasons to use a crate, but the most relevant to this discussion is that dogs are reluctant to mess where they lay, and this will encourage development of bladder/bowel control. However, be aware that puppies cannot hold their bladders for a full 8-hour work day! They need to be given the chance to relieve themselves frequently.
The Training:
I got Stanley when he was 5 months old and started bell training right away. I’ll be anxious to hear about successes with younger dogs.
At first, I fed Stanley only twice a day — once at 8:30am and again at 5:30pm. (Stanley is now a self-feeder. I don’t meter or time his feedings.) About 45 minutes after each meal, I’d take him to the bell hung on my back door. Then, I’d take his paw, hit the bell with his paw (VERY important — the dog must strike the bell, not you), verbally praise him, and take him outside. We’d stay outside until he did his duty or a reasonable amount of time (5-10 minutes) then it was back inside with loads of praise and a treat if he did his potty while outside.
| Stanley was crate trained as well. I’m a big advocate of crate training — this allows the owner to leave the home without worrying about coming back to find an overturned garbage can, messes on the floor, or other signs of doggy-destruction, and a crate is like a little apartment for the dog — when Stanley is feeling tired or stressed, he’ll go lay down in his private space. I know that he likes having his own space a lot. Crate training assisted in Stanley’s training a great deal since dogs don’t like to mess where they sleep. When it’s time for me to leave for work in the morning, I say “Get in your box” and he goes right in and lays down.
However, some owners do not like the idea of crating their dog. In this case, consider creating a space where the dog stays when no one is home, for example, the kitchen with dog-proof barricades at the doors to prevent the dog from roaming the house. Dogs, when left on their own, feel the need to defend all of their space. If the dog has run of the house, they feel the need to defend the whole home. If they’re penned in the kitchen (for example), that is a more managable space. Even better with a crate. |
If the dog makes a mess in the house, they get a firm scolding over the mess (never EVER push the dog’s nose in it!). Then, clean the mess with paper towels and take the soiled towels outside and set them where you want the dog to potty. Go back inside and get the dog, ring the bell with his paw, praise him for ringing the bell, take him outside, allow the dog to smell the soiled paper towels and praise him. Though this may seem a little odd to a human’s way of thinking, this makes perfect sense to the dog.
The hard part is this — a short time into the training, the dog begins to get the idea that ringing the bell means that they get to go outside. They want to test the idea. Every 30 seconds. I mean it. Every 30 seconds. And guess what? You have to follow the steps listed above each and every time during this, the most critical, training time. This is when the dog is learning and making the bell training their own, and when you’re most likely to get frustrated. You’ll certainly get your exercise opening the door for them! Stay strong and take the dog out each time — a little inconvenience at this point will lead to a well-potty-trained dog.
| During this time, Stanley and I were also doing light Alpha Training — training that establishes the alpha order in the household (essentially, who is the “boss dog”). To accomplish this, I would lay Stanley on his side on the floor in front of me, his back to my crossed legs, and I would gently hold him down for 30 minutes a day each day for a month or so. He could do anything he wanted while laying there — sleep, look around — anything except get up. Once 30 minutes had passed, I’d let him up, give him just a little bit of praise (nothing extravagant since he’s just obeying me, something he’s expected to do anyway), and let him go about his business. This type of training is essential for a well-behaved dog, and especially important if you have a dog that will grow large. |
That’s the gist of this training. The alpha training and bell training is very much worth it — Stanley hasn’t had an accident in the house in a long time, and if he rings the bell to go out and I don’t respond within a minute or so, he rings the bell again. And again. It’s great!
Should you need any further help, or want to talk about the finer points of bell or alpha training, please let me know via email. Please let me know how it goes — it went so well with Stanley that I swear by the method. I’m anxious to hear your story.
Hi Drew,
Thanks for your notes on bell training. I think I will give it a shot with my 9 week old miniature dauschund, who is very, very strong-willed. I’m not sure how you crate train and bell train at the same time, though–she is too naughty to run around the house!! Any thoughts?
Hi Drew,
We have a 3.5 month old Pug named Murdock. We have been crate training him since we got him at 10 weeks old. We started working with the bell method at about 11 weeks old. My girlfriend had heard about it. The method is working for us. At first Murdock used the bell only when he had to poop. This was after a short time with the bell maybe a week and a bit. After 2 full weeks using this mether he started working the bell for both poop and pee. He’s still having some accidents in the house as he’s a puppy and we at first thought he could have a bit more freedom with this new found talent of ringing the bell. So we’ve found that we have to re-enfore this still by ringing the bell with him and continuing this for a while longer for him to really understand it. Thank you for the tip on taking the soiled papertowel outside i think that is a great idea.
I have a shichon that is 10 weeks old that I have started on the bell training. She has picked it up so quick. I have been working with her about 5 days now and she has succesfully rung the bell and pottied out side at least 15 times. I am so proud of her and it is a very good training tool. I also use a crate while I am gone or when its time for bed. Wish I would have known about the bell method along time ago. A shichon is a bichon frise/shih tzu mix in case you didn’t know and her name is Ellie Mae.
Thanks Rhea
Hello,
I want to start the bell training with our 9 week old Maltese. I do have a question for you. When using the bell while crate training do you always take them to the bell on the door to the outside? When we are home I confine him to a section of the kitchen with a baby gate. Should I hang the bell on the gate when he is in that area or leave it on the door to the outside? If we leave it on the door to the outside he would need to be free running around in order to ring it. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Hi Cherie… The dog must be able to get to the bell in order to ring it. It doesn’t HAVE to be on the door to outside, but I encourage you to decide on one location for the bell and then LEAVE IT THERE… Moving the bell will confuse the dog. I wouldn’t encourage you to put it on the baby gate since I would imagine that it will eventually be removed. Pick a permanent location for the bell and train your dog to go there.
Hi Drew – need some advice. This is my first time for a dog – I’ve always had cats (less responsibility). We have a 11 week old Goldendoodle. We brought her home at 7 weeks. She does a great job with going potty outside, just as long as we are on top of it (about every 1/2 hour). Although, if we aren’t watching her, she will do her business in the house. Now it seems to me that she should be catching on soon – am I expecting too much too soon? She goes atleast once or twice in the house daily. Incidentally, I’m going to start her on the bell training. When she does have an accident in the house, I tell her no and immediately take her outside, but I’m going to try your idea of taking the soiled paper towels outside.
Hi Sandy! She should be catching on soon if you follow the plan, above! It can be a pain in the neck because you’re very involved with it for a period of time, but once it starts paying off, I believe you’ll agree that the effort is very much worth it.
Please report back on your success!
Drew.
I’d never heard of crate training AND bell training being used together before reading this.
Very interesting.
Hi Drew,
We’ve been trying to bell train our bichon. He doesn’t seem to be getting it! We take his paw and ring it before opening the door. Maybe we need to be praising him more or giving him a treat before we open the door? I do like the soiled paper towel outside idea. Any suggestions for getting Brewer to hit the bell on his own? Thanks!
Hi Jackie! Thank you for your message. How long have you been working with Brewer on bell training? It takes some time…
hi Drew,
i have been haveing trubble with housebreaking my 8 month old puppy i just started to bell train her any suggestions!? anyone please
Hi Drew,
We have 2 seven-year-old dogs, one large and one small. The smaller dog, Mojo, is blind due to PRA (within the last year). We have lived for years in a house with a dog door and fenced yard. We’ll soon be re-locating to a more urban lifestyle. Bell-training to potty would be helpful at that time. Any suggestions for doing this with a blind dog?
Hi Karena. I haven’t worked with any blind animals, but would expect that the steps would be largely the same. My suggestion is to give it a shot and see how Mojo reacts, modifying the steps as necessary to accomodate. Please let me know how it goes!
hi Drew,
I have a question about the bell training. I have started it with my 5 month maltese. However, he will ring it 5 minutes after coming in from outside. Should I ignore the rings or take him out each time he rings it? Won’t then he just ring it just so he can go outside even if he doesn’t have to potty? thanks!
Hi Kelly. This is a very important part of the training… The dog is associating the bell with going outside — and that is a very good thing.
So, for the next few weeks, heap verbal praise and take him outside (even for a short time) each and every time he rings the bell. If he pottys while outside, go bananas with the praise!
Please let me know how the training progresses for you! It sounds like you’ve got a success on your hands.
OK great. I am more concerned that he won’t be able to distinguish that the bell is for wanting to go potty only.
Kelly… If he figures out that the bell is to go outside, that’s a good thing. Once he’s outside, he’ll figure out what to do then!
Once the concept is firmly in his head, you can become more discerning as to when you actually let him out.
Please let me know of any additional questions.
Hello. My husband and I have a shichon who we have also bell trained and crate trained – both of which have worked wonderfully. One nice aspect of bell training is that we also have a bell at my mother’s home and take an extra bell with us when we travel. Once at our destination – we show or puppy once where the bell is and where to “get busy” and all goes well for the diration of our visit. The only drawback is that our puppy knows that we also have been trained to come to the door when the bell rings and when our puppy does not feel we are pating enougn attention to him he rings the bell and waits for us to come to his beckoning. A small price to pay as he is adorable and since we picked him up at 8 weeks of age has only had two accidents (not on paper or outside) since he has been a part of our family.
Hi Juanita! If he figures out that the bell is to go outside, that’s a good thing. Once he’s outside, he’ll figure out what to do!
Once the concept is firmly in his head, you can become more discerning as to when you actually let him out.
Reference the place in the instructions (above) talking about “The hard part is this — a short time into the training, the dog begins to get the idea that ringing the bell means that they get to go outside. They want to test the idea. Every 30 seconds. I mean it. Every 30 seconds.”
Please let me know of any additional questions.
Hi Drew…
Me and my wife are soon to be getting a Rat Terrier. I would like to know at what age should the training start with all listed above…Bell, Crate, and Alpha?
Hi Chris! Start as soon as possible! Terriers are smart, so should pick it up fairly quickly. Please let me know how it goes for you, and if you have any additional questions.
My Doberman has no problem letting us know when he wants out, but when he wants in he jumps on the door full force and scratches the door. At 100 pounds, Zeus, is pretty rough on our door. We move every couple of years so a doggie door is not an option. We have tried the “doggie doorbell” but it was cheaply made and didn’t last long. (even with the doggie doorbell he didn’t use it all the time) We need something loud enough to hear throughout the house (at least downstairs) and tips for teaching him. Its harder when he’s already outside scratching to get in. Any suggestions??
We adopted a 9-month-old Cairn a few days ago and started bell training yesterday. (He was already crate-trained and mostly housebroken.) He caught on quickly and is already at the “ringing every 30 seconds” stage (although it’s actually 5-10 minutes). Could you provide some advice about transitioning him to ringing only when he needs to relieve himself? Since he’s older, we know that most of the time he doesn’t “really” need to go. He just wants to be outside, which is fine, but right now is he getting the idea that he’s the boss instead of us? I know it may take a few days, especially since he’s also getting used to a new family and surroundings, but I’d appreciate some suggestions. Thanks!
Hi Drew,
I have a question. We have two shitzu puppies (only 8 weeks old) and I’m wondering if the steps are any different when trying to train two puppies at the same time? I do have them in a crate during the day while I’m at work…and even with that I come home at lunch to let them run around and go potty. Is four hours at a time too long for a puppy to hold it?
Thanks!
Shelly
Drew – Actually I have one other question…
My sister has a two year old toy Yorkie that, to this point, has been trained to go on her puppy pads. She is wanting to stop the puppy pads because not only is she no longer going on them, but she feels she is too big to be going in the house. She tried to crate train the dog and the dog will go in the crate every time. What do you do in this case? Is the bell training even possible? Is it too late to train her to change her potty habits?
Thanks!!
Hello,
I have a 6 month old Cav. King Charles, she is bell trained. I was delighted by how easy this was to do since I had never had a pet before. She is also crate trained. My problem is we live on the third floor without an elevator. I am a student so I am home quite a bit. Sometimes she will ring the bell less than an hour after I had just taken her. I am sure she does not have to go and this is confirmed when I take her down and all she does is sniff around and watch people walking around the apartment complex. This is very frustrating since we like to follow through with “if you ring the bell we will take you out to potty” but I am beginning to think she will use it just to go out and play. I recently took her down waited ten min. came back up, she rang the bell less than 20min. later so I took her down again waited ten min. again. etc. Do you have any suggestions? I am trying to make her hold it longer (and I know she can because she holds it all night) but she has free reign of her bell. Is she bored?
Hi Drew!
Started bell training 3 days ago after reading your article. I have an 8 mo old pem. corgi. I know she is smart, but have had accidents often. We brought her home at 13 wks, and she had been “going” in a stall at a barn…..thinking not a good start. Also, doesn’t “ask” to go out, hence the bell. My concern is she seems a little frightened by the bell. Do I just continue doing it? Doesn’t seem to like me picking up her paw a hitting the bell.
Thanks,
AJ
To Tracy:
I asked a similar question earlier but didn’t receive a response. Now, two months later, I can tell you that when we take our dog out and he does his business, we clip the bell out of his reach for a while and then lower it later. Once you learn your dog’s schedule, it will be easier. We still have the occasional “let’s go explore” ring, but it’s getting better.
Hi everyone! Thanks for the great discussion about bell training going on in this thread. I’ve been out of town quite a bit recently.
I like Brenda’s idea of clipping the bell up for a while after “business” is done. I found with all my dogs that they eventually calm down with superfluous rings and therefore I suggest just hanging in there.
Lots of dogs are scared of the bell at first and I’ve found that all of mine (except for one) finally got over that fear. Dolly, my dog that has never gotten over that fear, is a fearful little mutt overall (she is scared of our tile floor) though she goes out when someone ELSE rings the bell.
I’m back now, so let me know of questions and success!
Hi again!
I am pleasantly surprised to say that after 5 days, Trixie the Corgi will ring the bell! She hasn’t initiated yet, but when prompted to “go outside and potty”, she has done it!!!! Hopefully the initiating will come next!
AJ
HI DREW,
I HAVE A 4 MONTH OLD FLAT-COATED RET. THAT IS NOT UNDERSTANDING THE BELL TRAINING. I HAVE USED BELL TRAINING ON ALL MY PAST FLAT-COATS WITH TOTAL SUCCESS, IN FACT, I BROUGHT BACK TWO PUPPIES ORIGINALLY ONE A BOY AND THE OTHER IS THE GIRL I AM E-MAILING YOU ABOUT….THE BOY PUPPY CAUGHT ON WITH IN A WEEK AND WAS A SLAM-DUNK WITH BELL TRAINING. THE BOY HAS GONE HOME TO THIER NEW OWNERS AND NOW I AM LEFT WITH THE GIRL PUP AND HER MOTHER WHICH IS 4 YEARS OLD! IS THERE A MORE IN-DEPTH ROUTINE TO GET CLUED-IN ON THE USE OF THE BELL? RYAN
Hi Ryan… The training above is quite complete… Just follow it precisely and you will hopefully see good results with your girl. Sometimes it takes longer for certain animals! Hang in there!
hi i just herd about bell training i have a bordercollie/golden mix 2.5 months he is just starting to be trained i am going to start bell traing . he still has a few accidents per day and i wanted to get a way so we can tell when he has to go .i just started pulling up puppy pappers as he was using them as a convience.not doing much except small amout of urine.
Drew,
I have a 4 month old Bichon and am praying all rumors that I have heard regarding potty training are false. I am home all day & am working over time to get her potty trained. She has mastered # 2 , I have 2 bells at 2 doors and she will not ring it, and also will go out and come right back in and pee on the floor , HELP!
Hi Drew, I have a 4-month old chocolate lab and I just started bell-training him 2 days ago, but I have one question: How long does bell-training usually take for labs? My puppy, Baloo, isn’t really interested in the bell and every time we go to the door (I just sort of hang out there until he touches the bell) he just lies down. Should I keep lifting his paw up to the bell? And should I give him a treat before I open the door? He has been going #2 outside, but that’s only when I go with him and when he’s on a leash, if not, he doesn’t really know what to do (there are 2 big dos in our neighbors house). Any suggstions on how to get him to ring the bell himself? Or am I just expecting too much of him?
It took my chihuahua mix puppy George over a month to finally get the bell down, but when he did….totally awesome. He was completely accident free at four months old. He’s now six months old and he adores ringing his little bell to communicate his needs. The best thing I did was force him to ring that bell every…single….time even if it seemed like he was never going to catch on. Thanks for the tips. I included a link to the youtube video of him ringing it.
Becky… CONGRATULATIONS on a bell-trained dog!
I think that a month’s inconvenience of training him is a small price for a lifetime of a bell-trained animal and no inside messes!
(note to readers: the link to Becky’s youtube link is accessed by clicking on her name, above her note.)
Thanks, yes it was definitely worth a month’s inconvenience. A few more notes on the training I did, I did a combination of ringing the bell myself and lifting up his paw to ring it. I tried to train him as soon as I got him when he was less than eight weeks old, but at that point he just really seemed oblivious to the bell and I often had to rush him outside anyway so there was no time to ring it, so I put it aside for awhile.
I didn’t start really training him in earnest until he started to catch on that the bathroom was outside, at about two and a half months. I figured first he has to figure out where the bathroom even is, then he can start associating it with the bell. What a triumph it was the first time he went to his bell by himself! By the way, if I remember right the first several times he rang the bell he didn’t really have to go. But I praised him anyway for just figuring out he could ring it on his own. When he finally went after ringing, he got loads of praise and a treat.
Sometimes I need to take him out when he hasn’t rung it, such as right before I’m about to leave him home alone for awhile. I usually ring the bell for him just to keep the idea in his head. Also in the morning where he tends to just run for the door and not bother with his bell, I still ring it for him. It’s almost not necessary to do that anymore since he really has the process down, but I think the consistency helped with EVERY time he went “potty”, he heard that bell.
One thing he tends to do is get “bell happy,” for some reason ONLY in the evenings when he is the most wired. Sometimes he really has to go, sometimes he’s just ringing it because he can. This was frustrating at first and everything I’ve read says take him out anyway, which I did for awhile. But recently when he’s repeatedly ringing it, I take him out once, then take his bell away for an hour or so, or distract him with toys and playtime. And after awhile I’ve kind of learned to tell when he really has to go, and when he’s “lying,” as I call it. 🙂 And the older he gets, the less he’s “lying” when he rings his bell.
Drew,
We have a 2 year old maltipoo which I feel is not completely housebroken. She gives us no sign when she needs to go out, so we’re always having to watch her and take her out every few hours. Do you feel the bell training would help out or is it too late for this? Please help!
Thank you!
@Valerie… My suggestion is to try the training with your Maltipoo. If you don’t try it, she’ll never learn. If you DO try it, she might learn!
Drew…I recently adopted a 2 year old mutt, and have had no problem crating her or getting her to “go” outside when I’m home using the bell technique. However, after 2 months I’m wanting to give her a little more freedom while I’m gone rather than keeping her crated all day except for her lunch break. I’ve tried leaving her alone for as little as two hours with taking her out right before I leave. Even in that short of time I will come home to a mess. Unfortunately, she never messes when I’m home so I can’t even catch her in the act for appropriate scolding. Any hints on the the transition? Or is it a hopeless case with an older dog.
I just started letting my 6 month old puppy stay out of his crate while I am gone. At the most he’s been allowed to roam for 45 minutes. But when I’ve peaked at him in my window to see what he’s up to, the poor thing is just waiting at the door for me.
Have you tried Kong Toys? These keep my puppy occupied for quite awhile, and when he’s done he often will settle down and go to sleep and forget about destroying things. I think it gets the chewing out of their system. Also I don’t know what he is chewing, but you can try to puppy proof the house as much as possible. My puppy usually just prefers paper, shoes, or clothes, so if I make sure nothing like that is on the floor, he’s usually pretty good.
Hi Drew,
I have a five month old Italian Greyhound and I’ve been trying to bell train her for about two months now. She just isn’t catching on AT ALL. She gives no signal when she needs to go out, and I’m getting very frustrated. She goes when we go out, but I need to stay on top of her or she will go inside, I’m going to add the paper towel thing in to reinforce where she needs to go, but I’m pretty sure she identifies her area, she just can’t communicate her need to go out. She hates going outside in the cold, and it’s cold out, I have to drag her outside, this might be why the bell isn’t catching on? I’ll tell her it’s time to go outside, and I’ll ask her to ring the bell, and she just sits there and looks at me, so I take her paw, ring the bell, and praise her, then we go out. I’m begining to wonder if she’s been eating lead paint chips or something, because her stare seems so blank, I’m very frustrated expecially after reading about people bell training their dog in a week or less. Is there anything else I can do?
Hi Drew,
I think we are going to try the bell training for our pup. We have a 5 month old male dachshund that will poop outside just fine but find puddles everywhere in the house. When we walk him he will go a few drops and then come in the house and go a huge puddle!!! Do you know why that might be?? And do you think the bell will help break this??We have 2 other dachshunds that are housebroken but the pup just doesn’t seem to get it yet.
@Virginia… He’s peeing in the house because he doesn’t understand yet where he is supposed to pee. Give the bell training a shot!
@Jennifer… Keep working with your dog, lavishing praise on her. She’ll get it. Some dogs just take longer than others!
Keep it up and let me know of your success.
Hi Drew, We just brought home a mini goldendoodle puppy last week. She is now 9 weeks old. We have a bell by the door and put her paw to it each time we go out, which is OFTEN as she is only 4 pounds. My question is should I wait by the door for her to ring it, (I even put a treat on the bell and when she went to eat it the bell rang and I praised her then took her out) or just put her paw to it, she thinks this is a game and bites my hand when we do this?? Also, she HATES her leash. Anyone have ideas on how to help her with that. I have tried encouraging her to walk with it, now I am frustrated and almost pull her along, probably not good. Deb
Hi Drew,
Can you tell me if its to late for our 6 month old shit zu puppy to be bell trained? I’ve noticed a lot of other people started much earlier than we’re able to, but I’m hoping this can still work.
Thanks,
Shelly
@Deb: It is very important that the dog’s paw rings the bell (even if your hand is holding the dog’s paw), so I suppose that means that you’ve got to be by the door by the bell!
@Shelly: It’s never too late! Get started!
Drew, I can’t believe how well this is working. In just one week our little puppy (almost 10 wks old) is GETTING IT!!!!! So far today, no accidents. we are keeping her water down and I pay attention when she drinks and expect her to need to go out about 15-20 minutes later and sure enough, she rings the bells (on her own now, I no longer have to put her paw to the bells) and we go out!!! For the first time today I was not watching her and heard the bells, I ran to the door and we went out and she pottied!!!! When we are home during the day she tends to ring the bells very frequently but we are going out every time and 90% of the time she does actually potty. Sometimes just wants to play in the snow but thats ok. Thank you!!! Deb
Hi Drew, my 14 week old dachshund puppy was getting the bell training with minimal accidents. For some reason out of the blue, she just stopped ringing them. We make her ring them every time she goes out, but she will no longer ring them herself. She’s even gotten to the point where she won’t even whine to let us know she has to go out. I take her out when I know she should need to go only to sometimes have her come in and do more of her business no matter how long we kept her outside. I’m unsure of what to do at this point. Any pointers? I could sure use some. Thanks you!! Tara