How to teach your dog to use a potty training bell

Over the last several years, my focus as a dog trainer shifted from teaching group lessons and working through behavioral problems to exclusively offering puppy raising programs. I take puppies into my home straight from the breeder at 8 weeks old and give them a head start on all things puppy related before they go to their new owners.  While some trainers don’t enjoy the puppy phase and prefer to work with more mature dogs, puppies are my passion and I see it as getting to start with a blank canvas.

 So to say I have house trained a few dogs is an understatement. Every month I have new puppies starting the program and we begin the house training routine again. When I first started offering puppy training camp, bell training was something that was optional if owners were interested in it. Now, every puppy that stays with me is worked with on bell training. I have found that adding bell training to my house training program speeds up the house training process and even if the owner doesn’t continue it, it teaches the puppy to learn to communicate their needs.

Before introducing the bell, I like to have establish the foundation for a good house training program first. (You can read my house training tips here) Depending on how fast the puppy is progressing on house training, I normally introduce bell training after about a week of preventative potty training. The first week the puppy is taken outside so frequently, he doesn’t have an opportunity to really ask to be taken out. When I first introduce the bell, I am still taking the puppy out as frequently, the only change is that I am showing him the bell and ringing it myself each time we go out.

Tips to bell train quickly

1. Establish which door will be used for potty training and hang the bells at nose height. I prefer to get a bell that is adjustable so it can easily be raised as your puppy grows. Some people prefer to teach their dog to ring the bell with their paw, for me, I do not want to teach the pup to scratch the door and potentially damage wood or paint with their nails so I like a nose bump to ring the bells.
2. Each time you take the pup outside to use the bathroom, ask if he needs to go potty as you gently ring the bells. Take him to his spot outside and tell him to go potty and treat and praise when he goes. Do not praise or treat when ringing the bell, the reward is the door opening and being taken outside. You do not want to train your dog to ring the bell for a treat or they will be ringing it all day long.
3. Begin encouraging your pup to ring the bell himself by pointing to the bells when you ask if he needs to go potty instead of ringing them yourself. If your dog touches the bell with his nose, even if its barely enough to ring them, open the door and take him outside and repeat outside procedure. First thing in the morning when your pup comes out of his crate and needs to go outside in a hurry, I don’t wait for him to ring the bell. I ring it myself as I am opening the door to prevent any accidents. Then during the day when it’s not such an emergency to go out, I take my time and really encourage him to touch the bells.
4. As your potty training progresses, as long as you are not having accidents, begin to lengthen the time between potty breaks slowly. Ideally your pup will then begin to indicate when he needs to go out rather than you initiating the potty breaks. Remember, the key to house training is prevention, so if your pup is not ready, don’t try to rush this step.

One of the problems I hear most with bell training (other than the dog training the owner to give them a treat every time they ring the bell) is that the dog rings the bell just to go outside to play. The way I combat this in my training program is by using one door for potty breaks and another door when we go out to play, go for a walk or ride in the car. If a puppy rings the bell and we go outside and they do not potty, I bring them back inside and crate for 10-15 minutes and then take them back outside to try again.  If they ring the bell and do potty when they go outside, I make a big deal out of it and really praise them for the potty. The praise is never for ringing the bell, only when they have completed the job.

I hope these tips help you! Let me know what works for you and where you need more guidance!

Need a bell to get started? Here is a link to the bell that I use. As an amazon associate, I earn commission for qualified purchases.