Hi everyone! Has anyone else taught their dogs to ring a bell when they need to go outside? I've started training mine! I started by getting them to touch the end of a stick or my finger when I say "Touch" . They'll now move to whatever I'm pointing to with about 80% accuracy haha! Now I've bought a thick pretty ribbon and sewn 2 bells onto the bottom of it. It hangs on the door, and from tomorrow every time they go out in the garden to pee, I'll ring the bell and say "busy busy" which is their command to pee! Hopefully they'll learn bell = outside to pee. Then once they've got that, I'll introduce them touching the bell before they can go out. That's the idea anyway! I'm hoping they'll catch on and it'll make life easier for us, particularly my nan who loves to help out but would find it much more relaxing if she had to just listen for the bell rather than follow them around. Has anyone else trained their dogs anything unusual?! Jess
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! Sounds great! I'd skip the step where you ring the bell and go straight to encouraging them to touch the bell, whereupon you immediately open the door to let them go out. A friend of mine trained her dog to ring one of thoe shop bells (where you hit a little 'button' on the top) to ask to go out. Very cute Actually been contemplating doing this myself as our dog Obi doesn't have a particularly distinctive way of asking to go out - he just kind of stares and whines a bit (but he does that for everything!). Looking forward to hearing how you get on
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! I think it's a great idea, especially if they don't let you know they need to go out let us know how you get on
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! Really good idea - I just hope you have more success than we did with Pongo! He learned very, very quickly that ringing the bell got the door to open. No problem at all. The only issue was that he also learned what a great game it was to ring the bell. Best noise ever. And if you grab it in your teeth and pull, you can tug it off the door handle and onto the floor, and then you can drag it all round the house ringing and ringing and ringing and its the best toy in the world and it rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and..... now why is mummy looking like that??? The good news is that as he's got older he has developed a bladder like a camel, so we really don't need to worry about letting him out on demand - he just comes out with us three or four times a day and that is plenty often enough for him. Bless 'im.
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! [quote author=Rosie link=topic=8737.msg123876#msg123876 date=1415957888] you can drag it all round the house ringing and ringing and ringing and its the best toy in the world and it rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and..... now why is mummy looking like that??? [/quote] Was that another "IlovemypuppyIlovemypuppyIlovemypuppy" moment?
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=8737.msg123879#msg123879 date=1415958613] [quote author=Rosie link=topic=8737.msg123876#msg123876 date=1415957888] you can drag it all round the house ringing and ringing and ringing and its the best toy in the world and it rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and..... now why is mummy looking like that??? [/quote] Was that another "IlovemypuppyIlovemypuppyIlovemypuppy" moment? [/quote] Oh, yes..... there are just so many of them.... :
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! [quote author=Oberon link=topic=8737.msg123845#msg123845 date=1415920352] Sounds great! I'd skip the step where you ring the bell and go straight to encouraging them to touch the bell, whereupon you immediately open the door to let them go out. Actually been contemplating doing this myself as our dog Obi doesn't have a particularly distinctive way of asking to go out - he just kind of stares and whines a bit (but he does that for everything!). [/quote] Okay, that's a good idea! Hopefully they'll get the idea quicker that way. Neither are our girls very distinctive...they just walk over and stand by the door so if you're not watching you don't notice! [quote author=Rosie link=topic=8737.msg123876#msg123876 date=1415957888] The only issue was that he also learned what a great game it was to ring the bell. Best noise ever. And if you grab it in your teeth and pull, you can tug it off the door handle and onto the floor, and then you can drag it all round the house ringing and ringing and ringing and its the best toy in the world and it rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and rings and..... now why is mummy looking like that??? [/quote] Haha oh dear I hope my girls don't work that out!! they do like a good squeeking noise!!! maybe I'll have to get a doorbell button kind of one if this doesn't work! loving the "ILOVEMYPUPPY" moments haha! I have to tell myself that a lot, particularly when Willow is just refusing to come away from things until she is finished! I will keep you updated. Have't done much today as they've been in day care a bit and with my nan so didn't have a lot of time with them. This weekend I'm hoping to make good progress!
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! Hi Jess, I taught our rescue boy Charlie to ring a bell to go outside and to come back in. I also taught him to empty my washing machine giving me each item into my hand, he also collects the post and gets my keys He's rubbish at everything else but at least he helps me round the house : ;D xx
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! Jess, I taught my Daisy, now 7 months old, how to ring a bell to go out to potty when she was about 10 weeks old. It's been great, though she will sometimes ring it just because she wants to go out when she's bored! Mostly, though, it's worked really well. If I ignore her too long, she'll woof at me, very softly, as though to say, "Do you REALLY want to ignore me?" The bell trick impressed my visiting sister no end!
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! [quote author=charlie link=topic=8737.msg124316#msg124316 date=1416094340] Hi Jess, I taught our rescue boy Charlie to ring a bell to go outside and to come back in. I also taught him to empty my washing machine giving me each item into my hand, he also collects the post and gets my keys He's rubbish at everything else but at least he helps me round the house : ;D xx [/quote] Oh wow! that's amazing! How on earth did you train the washing machine?! My girls would take one sock each and run off to eat it!! [quote author=npcarpenter link=topic=8737.msg124326#msg124326 date=1416101762] Jess, I taught my Daisy, now 7 months old, how to ring a bell to go out to potty when she was about 10 weeks old. It's been great, though she will sometimes ring it just because she wants to go out when she's bored! Mostly, though, it's worked really well. If I ignore her too long, she'll woof at me, very softly, as though to say, "Do you REALLY want to ignore me?" The bell trick impressed my visiting sister no end! [/quote] I'm thinking they might catch on to this! thinking there's no way of stopping it really? Except bringing straight inside when they don't pee? Haha yes you don't really want to ignore her! Training wise, they sometimes will walk over and ring the bell to go out, but if we're making them go out (eg last thing at night) it's hard to convince them to touch it! It takes a while but we're getting there!
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! Hi Jess, I did one clicker training session with the washing machine and that was it, he helps me when I ask him, which is more than the other males in my house : xx
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! I've had a bell on my door for at least the last 8 years....it's a wonderful housetraining tool, and it doesn't take them long at all to figure it out....since every time the door opens or closes, the bells jingle. My older dogs still jungle the bell to go outside...Bella hasn't quite figured out the bell yet, but she has stolen it a time or two...LOL
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! They've got it!! They ring the bell when they want to go out! I'm so pleased with them I wonder how long it is until it gets chewed though. It's firmly tied to the door but that may not stop them. They ate a pen today, and tried the oven gloves. I was only out the room for 2 minutes!! Wondering what to train them next. Maybe sit on a target, fetch a beer or identify a colour? I fancy a challenge haha
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! I am hoping to do this with Zac. I saw the bells and a DVD at the pet store for $20. HA! I found a Christmas bell at the dollar store for - you got it - a dollar! We ring it as we open the door and hope he makes the connection. but so far, he just sits at the door and whimpers softly. And if you miss it, you clean it... Should I try the clicker training to get him to touch it? And do I do the training only when he is asking to go out? (I am thinking no, because all he will be thinking about is "gotta pee gotta pee gotta pee". Sorry if these are simple questions - I am new!
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! With my previous dog, and now with Piper, I just hung the Christmas bell on the door from the very start. And now she just rings the bell to go outside. On my other door, with no bell, she jangles the blinds. I'm going to get another bell.
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! We have always had a bell, and we just rattle it everytime the door opens and closes....we do generally spend a bit with the exercise of ring the bell in play - toss the bewildered puppy out the door....pretty quickly they realize if they ring the bell they get tossed out.... Bella is mildly consistent with the bell, since she doesn't have a bell at the winery during the day....we just watch for her to alert as well as the bell....she stops what she is doing....looks at us directly in the eye...and plops a sit down....and STARES at us. we then know no matter where we are to beat feet to the door and take her out.
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! [quote author=chrism link=topic=8737.msg130755#msg130755 date=1418711483] [/quote] LOL!! That picture says it all!!
Re: Teaching dogs to ring a bell! [quote author=Zacbrownpup link=topic=8737.msg130648#msg130648 date=1418659903] I am hoping to do this with Zac. I saw the bells and a DVD at the pet store for $20. HA! I found a Christmas bell at the dollar store for - you got it - a dollar! We ring it as we open the door and hope he makes the connection. but so far, he just sits at the door and whimpers softly. And if you miss it, you clean it... Should I try the clicker training to get him to touch it? And do I do the training only when he is asking to go out? (I am thinking no, because all he will be thinking about is "gotta pee gotta pee gotta pee". Sorry if these are simple questions - I am new! [/quote] Sorry for my slow reply! I would do it any time you let him out. If he's waiting by the door, start by just ringing it yourself as he goes out. Then start asking him to touch it (teach the "touch" command first). Good Luck! [quote author=Zacbrownpup link=topic=8737.msg130793#msg130793 date=1418739214] [quote author=chrism link=topic=8737.msg130755#msg130755 date=1418711483] [/quote] LOL!! That picture says it all!! [/quote] Hehe so far they haven't chewed ours - even though our bell hangs on a delectable ribbon!
