How to Teach Your Dog to Let You Know When He Needs to Go Out
Dogs inherently do not know how to ask to bring them outdoors when they need to go to the bathroom and must be trained to do so. Pavlov, a founding father of Psychology, discovered the method of classical conditioning in dogs. You can easily train a dog to ring a bell when he needs to go out by classical conditioning -- that is, pairing a positive stimuli such as an edible treat, with a neutral stimuli, such as the sound of a bell, and having the dog associate a certain behavior, particularly going outside, with the food and the bell together. This technique can be used for dogs who are already potty trained, or even for dogs who are just learning. By using this method, you can train your dog to let you know when he needs to go out.
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Instructions
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Buy a string of large bells at a craft or hobby stores. Tie them onto the doorknob that the dog uses to go outside with a string or rope at the dog's eye level. Cut off any excess sting.
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Ring the bells every time you take your dog out to potty. He will begin to associate the bells ringing with going outside.
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Give your dog a treat when he uses the bathroom outside, even if he is already potty trained. This will encourage him to want to let you know when he has to go out.
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Be consistent. The most common mistake people make is forgetting to ring the bells or not giving treats. Dogs easily forget, and if the cycle is broken, the dog may falter. Within a few weeks of consistency, your dog will be ringing the bells on his own with his paws or nose to let you know he needs to go out.
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Respond to your dog immediately when he rings the bells, especially in the beginning. This will reinforce his good behavior. Praise the dog and bring him out, giving him a treat when he does his business.
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