House training assistant.

watts300

Yesterday I received my eBay purchase.



Last week I missed Xena because I was semi-asleep on the floor and she peed right next to me.
If she had made some sort of noise I would have known about it.

I've seen on YouTube and even America's Funniest Home Videos people having success training dogs to ring a bell(s) to go outside. Most on YouTube, though, use jingle bells tied to a string hanging on the door knob. I don't like that because I don't want to hear the bells every time I open my apartment's front door.

After I got it yesterday, I sat down with her facing me doing the whole training and conditioning thing. "Bell," *ring* "good bell," etc... Lifting her paw to touch the top of it.

Today she once again has amazed me. After about a dozen more times, she actually started hitting it on her own. She used her mouth for most all of it. Mouth, foot.. I don't care. She can SIT on it for all she wants, as long as she rings that bell! Two different times she lifted her paw onto the bell (missing the button, though) in an attempt to get that treat. It's not carved in her mind yet and it's no where near perfect, but I'm amazed at her rapid progress.

I always put the bell back back in it's SPOT over by the door after I'm done with the training session and I ring it every time we go outside together. When she can ring it consistently on command, I'll leave it there for good and ask her to ring it when she shows me she wants outside -- right now she just sits very quietly in the same spot.. looking at me.



She's such a good little girl.

pawzaddict

sounds awesome! Its smart of you to ring the bell before you go outside too. Let us know how it goes

watts300

I've been working with Xena and her bell. Unfortunately I haven't been doing it every day.

(Definition of my "training session," sitting down with Xena in front of me and the bell at the ready.)
This is training session number four:
Mobile video with #qik | United States | By TempUser061c802fe22e0b48f20927b82844b33
Pardon my extreme enthusiasm. I've noticed it helps her.


The first two sessions were back to back days. About two days later we did number three, followed by number four the next day. The fourth was now about 2 days ago also.

I've still followed through my with plan to ring the bell every single time she and I leave the apartment together. In fact, I haven't swayed from my plan at all with the exception of not doing a training session every single day. Even that exception doesn't seem to make a difference... at least in regards to her possibly forgetting her training. Bottom line: it's working like a charm.

Two times so far she has rang the bell to go outside and crap. It has been sparse, but nevertheless it happened. Maybe that indicates an accidental ring and me coincidently taking her outside. Ha. Who cares. I'm immensely happy with her progress.

pawzaddict

Amazing! And cute btw!!!! So ignore my other comment on your other thread aboout people picking her up lol.

If you dont mind, I would like to make 1 suggestion. As I went through training with each dog I learned to not repeat commands. The only reason I say this is because if you tell her to ring her bell, especially multiple times she will wait for you to give the command. I have not trained this so please excuse me if I am stepping on toes! Instead stand by the bell silently, when she rings it tell her "yes" or "good girl" whichever you use, then take her out, this way she will put the two together "ringing the bell gets me outside!"

Criosphynx

oh my GOD. that is the cutest dog EVER. I want her now.

ditto paws on the repeating. No more than twice or they begin to associate it with the wrong thing. Either way she seems to understand that the bell is for ringing and isn't afraid of it...so awesome there...I could see all of mine being afraid of the bell

pawzaddict

Same here....my dogs would either eat it or bark at it. Peyton used to bark at soda cans like they were gonna get him LOL Anywho I double the cuteness part! I think she has got to make peoples hearts melt!

watts300

Seems like a valid point. I'll work on repeating "ring the bell" less.

On occasion she will ring the bell to get some one's attention; be it me, or even the cat. She LOVES to play with the cat, but Xena can't chase Garfield up the stairs. Once or twice she has hit the bell because he has eluded her that way and the bell is at the foot of the steps.
She has done it with me, too. Those occasions are easy to figure out, but I still take her outside afterwords. I don't think it will take long for this to be worked out. I predict no more than a month until she consistently rings it when she's supposed to.

watts300

She seems to have this bell down pretty well already.

She's come to use to go outside pretty much whenever. There's a rock bed outside my apartment door. She likes to sniff around like the little hound dog she is and hunt for crickets. (She gets them, too.)

At least she has it figured out though that I want to hear the bell actually ring, and not just the bell scooting on the tile or her claws on the bell housing. She'll try again making sure she hits the button when she needs to.

Times like this I think, "Damn she's a genius."
Then she'll do things that just don't make ANY SENSE. hah. "Dumb dog."

Criosphynx

oh I have these moments too...you should check out the thread on embarrassing stories...