How to House-Train a Dog With a Bell

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Zephyr Clarke-Dolberg with Miami Dog Training in Miami, Florida. Well, now when we're talking about house training a dog with a bell, you know, most people do want to do that for a specific reason, and that's so that the dog lets them know when it has to go to the bathroom. Now, it can be really good and some dogs don't take advantage of it. Some dogs do take advantage of it, which means that they'll ring that bell when they want to go out, when they want to look outside, when they want to...you know, when they just want... You know, you can become their slave, so it's something to be aware of when using a bell. But there are all different kinds of bells and really, the idea is is that we want...that we're giving them a sound every time the door opens. So by hanging a bell or a series of bells, kind of similar, usually the dog bells that are made for...specifically for that kind of look something like a sleigh bell. And they hang right on the door handle and there's a series of bells that come down so that every time you open the door, the dog hears the bell. You know, so if you start this process, they start to...they start, in their mind, figuring out that the bell is controlling the opening and closing of the door. So you know, they quickly pick up on that and, you know, therefore give you the message or, rather, just start trying to open the door for themself with the bell. But since that doesn't happen, you come, and that's how basically they train you or you've trained them to use that bell. So that's something to think about. So if you don't necessarily have a bell, there are other, you know, things that you could use to hang on there. And it really, it would just be anything that makes a sound when the door opens. You know, it could be silverware strung together. But anything that makes a sound when the door opens or closes. And then as the dog starts using it, you start rewarding their behavior by opening the door and praising them."