# Ringing bell!



## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

We have been teaching Piper to ring a bell to go outside. Last night she reached our her paw and attempted to ring the bell without assistance! YAY!!

I had to post so that I can look back when she's driving me nuts and remember these good little moments.


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## KimmPuppy (Apr 21, 2013)

PiedPiper said:


> We have been teaching Piper to ring a bell to go outside. Last night she reached our her paw and attempted to ring the bell without assistance! YAY!!
> 
> I had to post so that I can look back when she's driving me nuts and remember these good little moments.


Congrats!! That is awesome!! I think we are going to do that too. What age did you start Piper with the bells? Benny was 9 weeks on Saturday.


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

We started a couple days after we brought her home. (She was 10 weeks) We just hung the bell on the door knob for now (as we carry her in and out to prevent accidents) and we use her paw to ring the bell each time we go outside to potty.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

awwwwww YAY!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
NOW comes the hard part ... EVERY single time she rings the bell you HAVE to let her out. HAVE TO LET HER OUT! Even if she was JUST out 2 minutes ago ... you HAVE to let her out. Eventually the excitement wears off and they will start using it soley to go out to potty. and chase cats. and bark at passer byers... lol


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

TilliesMom said:


> awwwwww YAY!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
> NOW comes the hard part ... EVERY single time she rings the bell you HAVE to let her out. HAVE TO LET HER OUT! Even if she was JUST out 2 minutes ago ... you HAVE to let her out. Eventually the excitement wears off and they will start using it soley to go out to potty. and chase cats. and bark at passer byers... lol


Yes, I'm dreading this part. LOL Luckily I have three kiddos to help out. We can take shifts. LOL


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

PiedPiper said:


> Yes, I'm dreading this part. LOL Luckily I have three kiddos to help out. We can take shifts. LOL


lol awesome!! My youngest had JUST started Kindergarten when we got Tillie, so it was all me. all the time. lol At one point I was SO sick with bronchitis that I just propped the door open with my shoe. ha ha


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

TilliesMom said:


> lol awesome!! My youngest had JUST started Kindergarten when we got Tillie, so it was all me. all the time. lol At one point I was SO sick with bronchitis that I just propped the door open with my shoe. ha ha


LOL Whatever works!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Congrats on the bell ringing, and that's a very cute picture of Piper! 

- Jeanne


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

It's really easy when they learn to ring a bell to go out. Prior to my Havs, I had a Bichon who would just go and sit at the back door when he wanted/needed to go out. If I wasn't in the area at the time, he would just sit there forever, until I noticed him and let him out. When I got my first a Hav, Bailey, I vowed that wouldn't happen, so I bought a small cow bell, had my husband affix it to the base of the door frame and, like you, every time we went out from the day he can home (no piddle pads way back then), I would use his paw to ring the bell. He caught on immediately. It was amazing. Tyler, unfortunately is following in the steps of my Bichon and is a door sitter even though the bell is still there. Sigh! How frustrating.:frusty:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Gosh, I remember when Gucci learned the bell..she drove me nuts for a week. ringing it every 10 minutes until she finally drove herself nuts..lol

What a cutie!!!
Kara


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Thumper said:


> Gosh, I remember when Gucci learned the bell..she drove me nuts for a week. ringing it every 10 minutes until she finally drove herself nuts..lol
> 
> What a cutie!!!
> Kara


a WEEK? every 10 minutes!!??? oh man Kara, Gucci let you off EASY!! lol
With Tillie it was more like 3 MONTHS, every 2 minutes... ha ha. or at least that's how I remember it! I KNOW it was at least 2 months for sure though.


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

sandypaws said:


> It's really easy when they learn to ring a bell to go out. Prior to my Havs, I had a Bichon who would just go and sit at the back door when he wanted/needed to go out. If I wasn't in the area at the time, he would just sit there forever, until I noticed him and let him out. When I got my first a Hav, Bailey, I vowed that wouldn't happen, so I bought a small cow bell, had my husband affix it to the base of the door frame and, like you, every time we went out from the day he can home (no piddle pads way back then), I would use his paw to ring the bell. He caught on immediately. It was amazing. Tyler, unfortunately is following in the steps of my Bichon and is a door sitter even though the bell is still there. Sigh! How frustrating.:frusty:


Hopefully Tyler will change his mind and start using the bell.


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

TilliesMom said:


> a WEEK? every 10 minutes!!??? oh man Kara, Gucci let you off EASY!! lol
> With Tillie it was more like 3 MONTHS, every 2 minutes... ha ha. or at least that's how I remember it! I KNOW it was at least 2 months for sure though.


Bubbles bursting here! LOL Let's go with a week and call it good. LOL


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

PiedPiper said:


> Bubbles bursting here! LOL Let's go with a week and call it good. LOL


ha ha, POP.  :violin:


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

*Ringing bell*



PiedPiper said:


> Hopefully Tyler will change his mind and start using the bell.


Don't think it's going to happen, as Tyler will be 16 years in July and is mostly deaf. But he has a definite schedule to go out, so I'm ready. Good luck with yours.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

sandypaws said:


> It's really easy when they learn to ring a bell to go out. Prior to my Havs, I had a Bichon who would just go and sit at the back door when he wanted/needed to go out. If I wasn't in the area at the time, he would just sit there forever, until I noticed him and let him out. When I got my first a Hav, Bailey, I vowed that wouldn't happen, so I bought a small cow bell, had my husband affix it to the base of the door frame and, like you, every time we went out from the day he can home (no piddle pads way back then), I would use his paw to ring the bell. He caught on immediately. It was amazing. Tyler, unfortunately is following in the steps of my Bichon and is a door sitter even though the bell is still there. Sigh! How frustrating.:frusty:


Kodi, smart as he is about other things, never got the hang of the bells either, Mary. Fortunately, he found his voice, and has a very particular bark he uses when he needs to go out. ...unless, for some reason, he really REALLY has to go (like if we've been out of the house without him for a while) in those cases, he uses this high pitched little "screeee" noise, that sounds for all the world like the little kid holding onto his pants and crying, "I need to go NOOOOWWWW!!!!"


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

PiedPiper said:


> Hopefully Tyler will change his mind and start using the bell.


I think Tyler is close to 16 (years!) now, so I doubt it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

sandypaws said:


> Don't think it's going to happen, as Tyler will be 16 years in July and is mostly deaf. But he has a definite schedule to go out, so I'm ready. Good luck with yours.


Oops! Should kept reading. I THOUGHT he was almost 16, though! Definitely one of the Forum's "senior members".


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

sandypaws said:


> Don't think it's going to happen, as Tyler will be 16 years in July and is mostly deaf. But he has a definite schedule to go out, so I'm ready. Good luck with yours.


Ah, yes, he's probably set in his ways then.


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## Mommytofour (Jan 21, 2013)

Good for her! We haven't started that phase yet...soon.


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

Mommytofour said:


> Good for her! We haven't started that phase yet...soon.


Her interest still wanes and she will often just look at the bell like she's never seen it before in her life. LOL Occassionally she reaches out a paw to swat at it and we have a "smartest puppy in the world" party.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

keep at it!!

Tillie actually learned to ring it by nose bumping the bell. She isn't very "paw-y", so she never would THINK of hitting it with her paw!


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## Dory (Jan 4, 2012)

Quincy never quite got the bell thing either, although he has different ways of telling me that he has to go and I am really good about noticing his body language. He turned a year old in April and is trained for only outdoors, even though he was pad trained by the breeder. After going outside, he wanted nothing to do with pottying indoors. He is even very fastidious outdoors about where he does his business and where he plays. If I go in the bathroom and close the door, he will go and slam the bells relentlessly with his nose lol. With him it's for attention. I hate to take them down because you never know, one day he may actually use them for the appropriate reason lol. And yes, he would ring constantly to go out even if he had just come in. And out we went every time!


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

Dory said:


> Quincy never quite got the bell thing either, although he has different ways of telling me that he has to go and I am really good about noticing his body language. He turned a year old in April and is trained for only outdoors, even though he was pad trained by the breeder. After going outside, he wanted nothing to do with pottying indoors. He is even very fastidious outdoors about where he does his business and where he plays. If I go in the bathroom and close the door, he will go and slam the bells relentlessly with his nose lol. With him it's for attention. I hate to take them down because you never know, one day he may actually use them for the appropriate reason lol. And yes, he would ring constantly to go out even if he had just come in. And out we went every time!


LOL Piper will pee quickly as soon as we reach her potty spot but she is VERY choosy about where she poops. It's comical to watch.


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

*Ringing bells*



PiedPiper said:


> Her interest still wanes and she will often just look at the bell like she's never seen it before in her life. LOL Occassionally she reaches out a paw to swat at it and we have a "smartest puppy in the world" party.


Bailey used his paw and sometime he would hit the bell so hard that I thought it would fly off the wall and other times he would barely touch it and I'd hear this little tinkle. One thing he did as he was older was ring it for attention and when I opened the door, he would just look at me and not move. After this happened several times, I told him in a firm voice, "you rang the bell so you go out". Boy, that worked like a charm even though he tested me quite a bit.


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

sandypaws said:


> Bailey used his paw and sometime he would hit the bell so hard that I thought it would fly off the wall and other times he would barely touch it and I'd hear this little tinkle. One thing he did as he was older was ring it for attention and when I opened the door, he would just look at me and not move. After this happened several times, I told him in a firm voice, "you rang the bell so you go out". Boy, that worked like a charm even though he tested me quite a bit.


LOL


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## dwurms (Apr 17, 2013)

We have been doing the bell for two weeks, but nothing yet from Samoa...will she eventually show interest in using it?

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## wynne (Apr 30, 2011)

yay. Maya learned this quickly, only she uses her nose to ring the bell.


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

dwurms said:


> We have been doing the bell for two weeks, but nothing yet from Samoa...will she eventually show interest in using it?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


We've had Piper for 2 weeks yesterday and her interest just started, and it's still hit and miss, so I'd keep at it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

dwurms said:


> We have been doing the bell for two weeks, but nothing yet from Samoa...will she eventually show interest in using it?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Many do and some don't. But those that don't like the bells, eventually figure out a different way to communicate their needs!


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## Sharonefinkel (Jan 20, 2013)

PiedPiper said:


> We have been teaching Piper to ring a bell to go outside. Last night she reached our her paw and attempted to ring the bell without assistance! YAY!!
> 
> I had to post so that I can look back when she's driving me nuts and remember these good little moments.


That's great! We hung Bosco's leash on the back door and he learned to rattle it to go out. It happened quite quickly, but we were rewarding heavily when he would rattle it, then go outside to do his business. He will rattle it to just go outside and play, but now that he is 8 months old, we know his schedule and know when he just wants to play or he really has to go. Good luck!

PS...I read somewhere NOT to reward for ringing the bell, but to reward right after they have finished their business. Otherwise bell=treats, and they will ring it all day! Lol!!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Sharonefinkel said:


> That's great! We hung Bosco's leash on the back door and he learned to rattle it to go out. It happened quite quickly, but we were rewarding heavily when he would rattle it, then go outside to do his business. He will rattle it to just go outside and play, but now that he is 8 months old, we know his schedule and know when he just wants to play or he really has to go. Good luck!
> 
> PS...I read somewhere NOT to reward for ringing the bell, but to reward right after they have finished their business. Otherwise bell=treats, and they will ring it all day! Lol!!


here's a method that helps differentiate between potty and "parti" ringing. You can reward when teaching at first , and the treat reward becomes the going outside reward ... http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1171


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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

Sharonefinkel said:


> That's great! We hung Bosco's leash on the back door and he learned to rattle it to go out. It happened quite quickly, but we were rewarding heavily when he would rattle it, then go outside to do his business. He will rattle it to just go outside and play, but now that he is 8 months old, we know his schedule and know when he just wants to play or he really has to go. Good luck!
> 
> PS...I read somewhere NOT to reward for ringing the bell, but to reward right after they have finished their business. Otherwise bell=treats, and they will ring it all day! Lol!!


Good to know! Thanks!


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## dwurms (Apr 17, 2013)

So Samoa has finally discovered the bell after over a month of consistent ringing on our way out. Only problem is that she rings to do business but also rings to go outside and either lick grass or chase months. It is driving us nuts taking her out with each bell ring and having more times than not that she does not do business. Any suggestions?

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## PiedPiper (Apr 30, 2013)

dwurms said:


> So Samoa has finally discovered the bell after over a month of consistent ringing on our way out. Only problem is that she rings to do business but also rings to go outside and either lick grass or chase months. It is driving us nuts taking her out with each bell ring and having more times than not that she does not do business. Any suggestions?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Hopefully one of the other members with more experience will chime in. I understand that this is a phase and will pass?

Piper consistently rings the bell when we take her to it, but she will not go to it on her own. If she's in the living room and she needs to pee, she does so. We have been careful to avoid accidents, but they still happen occassionally.


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## swaye (Mar 28, 2013)

dwurms said:


> So Samoa has finally discovered the bell after over a month of consistent ringing on our way out. Only problem is that she rings to do business but also rings to go outside and either lick grass or chase months. It is driving us nuts taking her out with each bell ring and having more times than not that she does not do business. Any suggestions?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


See the link Dave posted above...it helped us. Sofie is 5 1/2 months. We tried several times to teach this (she was a sit at the door and look at us puppy, not a reliable method either) and stepped back from it till she got older (she played with them CONSTANTLY). She caught on when I followed instructions from the above article She does still ring it in between at certain times. After going out every 10 minutes three times in a row, I do put them up. I pretty well know her schedule and replace them within an hour of her next potty and she uses them. I am pretty sure she rings them in-between for attention. I know she will out grow it, but I have a feeling she will be a 3 month dog....  Good luck!


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