How to Use a Bell for Puppy House Training

Bringing a new puppy home is an exciting time. Puppies are cuddly and fun to play with, but it is important to invest a lot of time into training your puppy so that it grows up to be a well-behaved dog. One of the most important training aspects is house training your puppy. A dog must learn that its bathroom is outside and it must also know how to ask to be let outside. A creative and effective method for teaching your dog these ideas is to use a bell.

Things You'll Need

  • Hammer (optional)
  • Nail (optional)
  • String or ribbon
  • Bell
  • Puppy
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Instructions

    • 1

      Hammer a nail into the wall near the door your puppy will use to get outside to do his business.

    • 2

      Tie a bell to the end of a string or ribbon and attach the ribbon to the nail. Make sure the bell hangs low enough so that the puppy can reach it with his nose or paw.

      If you don't want nail holes in your walls, you can tie the string or ribbon around your door knob.

    • 3

      Before you take your puppy outside to use the bathroom, have the puppy hit the bell with its nose or paw so that the bell makes a noise. Repeat this every time you take him outside for the duration of the training process.

    • 4

      Reward your puppy. When it starts to paw the bell on its own, take it outside and reward it with a treat so that it knows this is a positive action. Eventually you and your puppy will associate the sound of the ringing bell with is going outside to use the bathroom. Each time you hear the bell, you will know that the dog is asking you to take it outside.