Why You Should Teach Your Dog to Use the Doorbell?

If you walk your dog daily, mainly for his potty business; all the more your dog should learn to use the doorbell. So that he can tell you

1. when he needs to go potty.
2. when he’s ready to come in after his business.

When house training our puppies, we are always on the lookout for signals to tell us when our pups need to go. And if you catch it in time, you are able to bring him outside before he soiled it at home. This is the most common housetraining process. Usually within a week you should be able to establish a housebreaking routine. However, there will be times when routine won’t work. How so?

Before I answer that, let me ask you two questions…

• When you consume more water than usual, do you frequent to the bathroom more?
• When you consume more food especially food that your stomach isn’t accustomed to, do you frequent to the bathroom more?

If your answer is yes to both questions, naturally our dogs will have the same behavior. There will be days when your dog is thirstier because the warm weather demands it. Another possibility could be that he was trying out your new dog food recipe or ate an extra doggie treat. This is the time when those three daily walks aren’t enough to satisfy his nature calls.

Why should I teach my dog to use the doorbell?

Rather than checking up on your dog constantly for that signal, why not teach him to use the doorbell as a signal to indicate his toileting needs. This technique isn’t revolutionary; it was introduced since 1950′s if I remember correctly, the twist here is that the gadget is much more improved and simpler to train.

It all started was using a bell hang around the doorknob and adjust the length to the height of your dog’s nose. When your dog needs to go out, make him physically nose or paw the bell before you open the door. Do likewise when he is through with his business provided you hang one bell at the front doorknob. Most dogs will learn this very quickly within a day. Smart dogs only need to watch other dog do it once to get it registered in them. And for those stubborn dogs they will figure it out if you are consistent.

There are two downsides to this gadget:

1. Whenever someone enters or leaves the house, the bell will somehow ring. This can be quite a nuisance when you have oncoming guests at home.
2. And when there is strong wind, the bell will keep ringing until the wind stops blowing. Your poor dog will probably wonder why there are so many toileting to do.

With Pet Doorbell

All you need is to place the pet doorbell on the ground or table or mount at the side next to the door. When he needs to go out, get him to paw on it. Wolah the bell rings, the door is opened and Fido is heading towards the fire hydrant.

Actually this pet doorbell can be used both ways and not just for potty reason. You place another pet chime outside front door. However though, this is best used when you have your own garden with good fencing. You don’t want Fido to wander off somewhere else after his business. Maybe your dog wants to have a little solitary time under the sun or rolling on snow before coming in to be with you again.

One warning, some smart dogs will abuse this wonderful system and take every opportunity to get out of the house more often. Be discerning but never yell or punish your dog for sounding the false alarm. Otherwise, he will hold it in and soiled it indoor. When false alarm happens, do take him outside but make it a quickie (after all there is nothing much to release). And if he does it again after returning for 20 minutes, just ignore him. Your dog will probably go off to play or sleep.

I highly recommend this housetraining technique. Not only your dog is properly housetrained but you also train him to communicate better with you.