How to House-Train Your Dog/Puppy - The SECRET to the Easiest Way Ever

We have a proven method for house-training your dog, whether puppy or old-timer, that you will find to be the easiest way in the world! It teaches your dog how to TELL YOU when he/she needs to go outside. We've trained two Rottweilers, a Keeshond, a couple of whoknowswhats and some mystery puppies with this method. Every single one had the same great results. You CAN teach this to your puppy or dog!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A STURDY STRING OF 6-12 BELLS; you may be able to buy this during the winter holidays; otherwise, just pick up the bells and cord at a crafts store and make it yourself.
• The STRING OF BELLS will hang over the doorknob and must be long enough for your dog to reach.
• You will need a string of bells for EACH DOOR YOUR DOG WILL USE (Are you seeing the plan yet?)
• Some doggie treats, yes? And certainly some treats for you, too!
• Note: The string must be very sturdy & the bells must be fastened securely. We can't have the dog thinking this is a new toy.

1. 
   If you share your home with cats who might sabotage the training, don't despair!

   Note: I'll be using the terms "dog" and "him" most of the time, and those terms are intended to represent dogs of both genders, all ages, etc. It's only to keep the article short, honest.
   
   PREPARATION FOR TRAINING: PLAY SAFE & DEFINE THE RULES.
   1.) Double-check the security of the bells on the rope; if any are loose, re-sew or re-tie to reinforce them.
   2.) Never, ever wiggle the bells at the dog playfully, or the plan is sunk. Make sure your dog has plenty of doggie toys, and that he knows the difference between those and the bells on the door.
   3.) If you also share your home with cats (or ferrets, badgers, whatever) who think they can take over the string of bells as their own plaything, don't despair! Pick up a plastic spray bottle at a dollar store, fill it with water, & select the "stream" setting. The next time the non-dogs put their little paws on the bells, give them a loud, verbal rebuke as you tag them with one squirt of water. You'll learn that a cat can indeed gasp in horror at your betrayal ("MoTHER! How COULD you?").
   4.) You may also find that your cats learn that the ringer of the bells gets to go outside - and they may be sorely disappointed to discover that privilege doesn't extend to them, no matter how much they ring the bells. (Just a word of warning on that.) Personally, I figured that's why God gave us the sense to move the litter boxes and food dishes into the spare bedroom and confine the cats in there while doing this dog training. The cats get cranky about it - I think; honestly, with some of mine, it's hard to tell. I love them all anyway. Okay, let's move on to the actual training part:

2. 

   DAY ONE OF TRAINING:
   1.) Hang a string of bells on each door your dog will use. (I bet you knew that already, huh?)
   2.) Acquaint your dog with sound and smell of the bells; show him where they are hanging. Every time you take him outside, reach down and ring those bells, so he will associate the sound of those bells with going outside to relieve himself. PRAISE HIM LAVISHLY if he manages to pee even a drop outside - it's a milestone in his short little life, and he wants desperately to please you. The Overall Guideline: especially with a puppy, take him outside AT LEAST every two hours, no matter what else is happening. (If you get busy and forget, don't blame the dog! Just start again.) And please - positive reinforcement only. More on that later.

3. THE SPECIFICS:
   1. Take your dog outside as soon as he wakes up each morning, every time he wakes up from a nap, after vigorous play, and before bed. And, of course, don't let more than a couple of hours pass without ringing the bells and taking him outside. Yes, I know it seems like you'll be doing nothing but training your dog - but it's usually only for a few days, and if you do it correctly, you will be SO GLAD you invested the time and effort to really train him.
   2. Remember, house-training your dog is YOUR responsibility. IT'S UP TO YOU to wake your pooch up, ring the bells, and carry him or gently scoot him out the door and close it behind the both of you, quick, then encourage him to relieve himself before you both freeze your behinds off. Don't forget: LAVISH PRAISE if he manages to go at all outside!

4. ONCE YOUR DOG SEEMS FULLY HOUSE-TRAINED:
   It's your choice whether or not to keep the bells on the doors. We always keep the bells on, because if everyone is the family is busy and nobody seems to be catching the signs our already-trained dog is sending us, she'll always revert back to ringing the bells to get our attention. And it always works. So now I'd say that we're all well-trained!

Tips & Warnings

• TIP #1 - DISCIPLINE RE: Training Your Dog.
• Yes, everyone has their own style, but there are important guidelines for training dogs, and the most important one is: positive reinforcement only.
• (a) When house-training, please be kind. Shouting at your dog is ineffective; he doesn't know what you're saying. You'll scare him, which will only make him pee at that moment. A total backfire. And hitting your dog is abusive - and useless; he won't know why you're hurting him or what he's done wrong. He will become afraid of you - and that's NOT the kind of relationship a responsible owner wants with his/her dog. Fearful puppies grow up to be fearful dogs - and that's a whole new BAD ball game. Oh, and don't even THINK of rubbing your dog's nose in any inside "accidents" to teach him a lesson! Besides being abusive and cruel, it's completely ineffective. He won't associate what you're doing with anything he's done, because it has nothing to do with going outside to him. So don't do it!
• (b) Treat your dog with love, kindness, and only positive reinforcement, and you'll get better results than any negative methods could ever produce: a loyal, well-trained dog whose heart is yours. And once he's trained, feel free to brag to your friends about how easy it was to train him. You can tell them it was all your own idea. ('cause it just kinda made sense, ya know?)
• TIP #2 - DOG CRATES: Now, this is a prickly subject, and people have strong opinions about it. You're about to hear mine:
• 1. Some people "crate" their dogs at night (put their dogs in a special dog cage) overnight, or anytime they're not home, to prevent them from roaming the house and getting into trouble. Personally, I think this is somewhat lazy and selfish - you wouldn't stick a child into a cage like that. Okay, some people might, but YOU wouldn't, right? However, many dog experts support crating. I just think it's easier to teach a dog manners if you spend the time to do it right from the start, instead of sticking the dog in a cage all the time.
• 2. If you insist on crating your dog, you must take care NOT to get in a hurry and forget your dog in the crate the next morning! I've always preferred to just gate off a small area, make it child-safe, er, I mean, puppy-safe, and put him in there for the night. But everyone has to do what's right for themselves; whatever you choose, be sure you put your dog's welfare first and your convenience second.
• YOU HAVE A NEW LITTLE LIFE DEPENDING ON YOU NOW. It's important that you don't forget about your dog. You'd be surprised how easy it is to rush out of the house and realize halfway to work that you've forgotten to take care of your dog - especially if he's in a crate. At that point, you HAVE to turn around and go back to do it! You must make sure your dog is fed, has water, has been walked, and is in a safe, secure area for the time you'll be away.
• 1. Put sticky-notes up around your house/apartment to remind yourself that you have a new dog. Don't worry about how it looks. Not forgetting your new puppy is much more important.
• 2. Put a large note over the front door deadbolt, so you can't miss it: "DOG FED? PLENTY OF FRESH WATER? IN A SAFE, SECURE AREA? HAS HE BEEN TAKEN OUTSIDE? IS THERE AN AREA (PAPERS, ETC.)WHERE HE CAN RELIEVE HIMSELF WHILE I'M GONE FOR 8-10 HRS? ALL WINDOWS & DOORS SECURE? WILL THE TEMPERATURE BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE ENTIRE TIME? HAVE I LEFT THE RADIO ON SOFTLY FOR HIM?" The sound of human voices talking calmly will keep your dog company and keep him from being so lonely (so no howling). I suggest National Public Radio (NPR) or a classical station; most animals enjoy both.
• In summation, You CAN do this!

[anitapotty]

on 7/6/2009 I have bells hanging off all the doors. It works!
No more "accidents" in the house.

[abbynormal1]

on 7/6/2009 Now I know what to do! Thanks for writing this "how to".