House Training a Dog – How to Teach the “Ring a Bell” Method
…All and dogs enjoy playing games and learning new tricks.
The “Ring a Bell to Go Outside” method helps you to get your dog to do exactly what you want but for him to think that it was his idea all along! In order to teach your dog how to ring a bell to go outside, simply follow these simple instructions.
(Also, if you want to see a full step-by-step video on how this is done, visit this house training a dog entry on the Best Dog Ever website. It’s fantastic!)
*Step 1. Find a bell. You want to be using a light-weight bell here and. (Don’t use a heavy metal cow bell.) Of course you need to choose the right size for your dog’s breed. (For example, a poodle doesn’t need a bell it’s as big as a German shepherd would need.)
*Step 2. Hang the bell from a door knob …it should be within easy reach of your dog’s nose. (Don’t forget that what exactly nose level is is going to be different for different breeds.)
*Step 3. Now, make sure to say “outside” before you actually take the dog out through the door? Do you want to go outside?” ?As you go out the door, hold the string so that the dog bumps into the bell and it rings. (If you need to shake the string so the bell rings, shake it.) Repeat for a few days. ?This step associates the sound of the bell with a behavior – go outside to do your business.
*Step 4. When the dog is not watching you, place a little peanut butter or soft cheese on the bell.
*Step 5. Wait and watch. There are a couple of things that could happen …both of them good! Some dogs will smell the food on the bell instantly, and go to it and ring it right away.. ?Perfect! Say “Outside?” …Okay, now open the door, take your dog right to the potty area, and tell her to “go potty.” Reward the dog when she potties with praise and a small food treat.
Other dogs might need a little encouragement to find the bell. If this is something that happens to you, there’s a way around it — simply hold the bell close to your dog’s nose so that he wants to lick it, and rings the bell.
It’s possible that you may have to shake the bell at first if your dog’s touch is too light to make it actually ring.) As the bell rings, in a happy voice say “Outside?” … Okay, now open the door, take your dog right to the potty area, and tell her to “go potty.”
While the dog is pottying, softly repeat saying “go potty.” Then, make sure to give your dog praise and a treat as a reward.
*Step 6. Once the dog can ring the bell easily without assistance from you, that’s when it’s time to ask him “Outside?”…now simply wait by the door for the dog to touch the bell and ring it. Then, take the dog outside to do her business.
Learning proper methods for house training a dog is great for dogs of all ages! Don due to bladder problems, some older dogs will often need to make more frequent bathroom trips. …But the bell reminds us.
Rescue dogs, for example, find it fairly easy to pick up on the difference between an acceptable inside behavior and an acceptable outside behavior because they may have never lived inside of a house before.
If you want your dog to live in your house with you, and you don’t have a doggie door, this trick will keep your home accident free. As an added bonus, this works great when your dog goes away with you for a vacation.
All you have to do is bring your dog bell when you go away and tie it on the door. …you won’t have to worry about any accidents!
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