Potty Bells 101

"Potty bells" are bells tied to a string that act as a means of communication between a dog and the owner. The dog is taught to ring the bells to go outside for elimination. It can be beneficial in many ways: to help with housebreaking, to tell the dog how request to go outside regardless of where he/she is, and to make sure the dog's communication is loud and distinctive enough to be heard (thereby preventing accidents).

STEP 1: Prior to letting your dog out to eliminate, put a small dab of peanut butter or cream cheese on one of the hanging bells (preferably the bell nearest his nose height).

STEP 2: Take the dog over to the bells - do not shake the bells at the dog! Gently cup the bell smeared with the treat in your hand and show it to your dog. Your dog will lick the treated bell, causing it to ring. As he/she is licking the bell, release it from your hand. Your dog will keep licking the bell. Tell the dog "Good!" (or whatever your bridge word may be), and open the door.

STEP 3: During early training, you may need put the bells up (out of reach) until their next use. Since you want your dog to touch the bells only when he/she needs to eliminate, put the bells back down later when you think your dog probably needs to eliminate. Check to see if there is any treat on the bell before each use and recoat if necessary.

STEP 4: Your dog will soon start going to the door and ringing the bell to get out. (With some dogs, this starts happening the same day as the training starts!) When your dog can go to the bell reliably without prompting, do not put treats on the bell any longer as your dog now has the idea. To enforce the training once the treat has been removed, simply lift the bells in your hand and guide them toward your dog so they touch his nose. (Sometimes even pointing to the bells will help your dog get the idea.) You want to make sure the bell gets rung every time your dog goes out, regardless of whose idea it was to go out. Praise your dog and immediately take him out to do his business. The idea is to work towards getting the dog to ring the bells on his/her own each time he/she needs to eliminate.

Every dog learns at a different rate, so don't get discouraged if your dog takes a week or two to learn how to use the bells. These methods can be altered to work with any signal - scratching at the door, barking at the door, pressing a button with a paw, etc. To avoid having the behavior associated with play/walking and not elimination, make sure eliminating is the first thing done after exiting the door.

Good luck and happy training!