Teach Your Dog To Ring A Bell When They Need To Pee Or Poop
Teach your dog to ring a bell when they want to go outside with this dog training exercise, taken from the Dog Training Planner. It’s a useful trick for your dog to let you know when they need to pee.
There are two parts to this trick. The first part is teaching your dog how to ring the bell. The second part is teaching them to understand that when the bell rings, it means they get to go outside. You’re responsible for both parts, but your dog does the first part which requires ‘clicker training’ (to teach your dog to target the bell). It’s similar to hand targeting, but you’re going to have an object (bell) in mind.
You will need plenty of treats and a clicker to teach your dog to ring a bell. Remember to be consistent when training your dog and ensure that you have good timing when clicking and rewarding.
The 4 Steps
If you scroll down a bit, you’ll see that I’ve written out all the steps from the video for you. I know. I know. I really am that nice (lol).
Videos are great if you’re a visual learner!
Most people learn dog training drills best by first watching a video tutorial, and then having the written steps available during the training session, so they don’t get confused (Hey, if you want to completely avoid confusion, you might like to get your paws on my Dog Training Planner).
To make this blog post a more visual experience for you, I’ve snuck in some dog art that I created, in Quentin Blake’s style (if you’re curious, you can take a look at all my dog art here).
Step 1: Target The Bell
The first thing you need to do is target the bell. To do this, put the treat by the bell and click and reward as soon as they take it. Repeat this several times.
Step 2: Click And Reward
Observe your dog for any interest they give to the bell. Every time your dog goes up to the bell, click and reward. They will soon start to understand that they get a reward if they engage with the bell.
Step 3: Ring The Bell
Space out the clicks and rewards and try to target the top of the bell (and therefore the ringing of the bell). You should click only when the dog sniffs or paws at the top of the bell, and then advance to only giving a reward when your dog paws at the bell and makes a sound.
Step 4: Bell By Door
Place the bell by the door and ring it just before you let your dog out. Your dog will begin to make a connection between the bell and going out. When your dog rings the bell on their own, reward.
Note: Once your dog has mastered this trick, he or she may start to ring the bell a lot and not always just when they need to go out. Use your discretion to determine when they do need to go out, and only reward this behaviour.
Before you go, read on to discover the secret sauce to dog training success...
Loving Leadership
Have a philosophy of loving leadership when training your dog.
As a loving leader, you should be constantly working on the communication pathways with your dog. At the bare minimum, your dog should also have some basic commands such as the lie-down command, sit command, and stay command.
When your dog knows a few basic dog obedience commands he or she will feel loved because they know what you want and have no anxiety or fear about what they should be doing and when.
Once your dog has a few commands under his or her belt (I mean, collar), practice behaviour dog training, command dog training and tricks dog training regularly to ensure your dog is physically and mentally healthy. As you are probably acutely aware, untrained dogs have a way of taking over the control of a home if not taught otherwise (which can be a nightmare). A trained dog, however, will bring years of doggie love to your household.
Pssst. Don't tell anyone, but you can become a loving leader by getting your paws on my Dog Training Planner. You can get my Dog Training Planner for a limited time at a 70% discount.
