Potty Bells are a fun dog training tool that promote mental fitness. They let dogs signal their need to go outside by pawing or nudging at the bells instead of barking or scratching at the door, which is why they are typically hung from either the front- or backdoor (or both!).
You could really hang them anywhere that works best for you though, think on your home office door if your pup happens to hang out in there a lot while you’re busy working.
Potty Bells are used quite a bit by dog trainers, but also by regular doggie people just like you and me.
The ones we currently use are Potty Bells from Caldwell’s Pet Supply that retail for $19.95. What I love most about them is their charming tartan design that’s pawfect for the Holiday Season 🙂
Disclaimer: Caldwell’s Pet Supply provided us with a free Potty Bell. Here on K9sOverCoffee, I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers & always provide 100% honest reviews. Caldwell’s Pet Supply is not responsible for the content of this blog post.
Now, as mentioned above, Potty Bells are a common feature in dog lovers’ homes. I did a little digging for you on YouTube to showcase different doggies using the bells…so without further ado, real people such as the following actively use these bells:
Dog Trainer Zak George (2016)
Blue The Red Viszla (2016)
Arya Von Winterfell GSD (2016)
Dog Trainer Katie McGuire (2015)
Your Perfect Pup (2015)
Browning (2013)
Bono (2011)
Bottom Line
Regardless of breed and age, it seems like any dog can be taught to ring the bell when they need to go outside. Most dogs seem to quickly make the connection between ringing the bell and getting rewarded.
I used freeze-dried lamb treats from Nature’s Variety when practicing on the front door, and air-dried pork heart treats on the back door. There was no particular reason why I chose those treats other than they were handy at the time of practicing and Missy loves both.
What gets mentioned in many of the videos is to be patient and not to rush. I personally think that’s really important – I know I don’t learn well when an instructor is frustrated and expects wonders in no time. So remember to keep training sessions short and fun.
What has worked well for us is to practice 3-4 times a day whenever teaching a new command or trick, with each session lasting about 5 minutes.
Has your pup been introduced to Potty Bells or a DIY version of them? As always, we’d love to hear from you in our comment section!
4 comments
We may have to give one of these a try. While we usually notice when Charlie has headed to the back door to be let out, every once in a while we stumble upon him sitting there patiently waiting! He doesn’t make a peep!! I’m sure he could get the hang of one of these potty bells in no time at all.
That’s exactly how Missy would behave when she needed to go outside – sit by the door and wait without making a peep. Her brother Buzz would bark to let me know he had to go out. I really like the classic model of the Potty Bells, too. I think it’s super charming. It’s the one shown in video #2, with Blue the red Viszla.
We have these! Ours our white but they are still very pretty. I haven’t spent too much time working with Luke on them yet, but I just have him touch them when he is at the door sometimes. I figured eventually he’d catch on, but I was wrong, I think he’s holding out for the treats to learn this one! It’s just been hard to work on it because it’s so darn cold outside I don’t want to keep opening the door! I think he’ll get it pretty quickly once we really work on it though, and then I’d love to get another set for our other door.
Yay for white ones, I can see myself liking those as well 🙂 Missy is just like Luke (I’m thinking about the roll over trick.. haha) – she definitely needed the treat motivation for the bells.