Going outside to potty train

[IzzyTheWhite]

Does anyone have a technique to tell whether or not your dog wants to go out to play or to relieve itself?
Our dog has been doing great with her housebreaking and then she found out she had loads of fun outside and although I don't mind taking her out to play, when she comes back in she will turn right around and ring the bells hanging from the doorknob. I don't know when she wants to play and when she has to relieve herself and if I let her out everytime I will spend everday, all day outside in the snow. Luckily I am still a college student and I don't go back to school until the 17th so I have spare time now. Thanks.

 

[kpowell]

I'd take her out on a leash when she rings and if she doesn't go in a reasonable amount of time, I'd just go right back in! That way, she learns that the bell doesn't mean "go outside," it means "go outside and potty."

 

[gmacleod]

Yes, taking her on a leash is a good idea. She could play after pottying, but if she doesn't go potty, just take her back in.

Thing is, bell training is a means for the dog to let you know she wants outside. It is separate from housetraining. You can't really refuse to take her out when she rings if you want her to learn to ring to go out to potty... But you can cut down the attraction of ringing for reasons other than potty if there's no real fun in it for her (it may not eliminate the false alarms, but it should manage to cut them down a bit).

 

[Evie&Adam]

We use the bell at our house. It's been wonderful becaue we can hear the bell throught the entire house.

Luckily, Evie only rings to go out for potty. But Adam... well, he abuses the poor bell. Ring for a drink, ring for food, ring to play, ring to potty....
I'm so trained now, that I can actually tell what he wants by how he rings!!! LOL

 

[Bridget D]

Bella is fourteen weeks now and learned the bell meant outside INSTANTLY, (or so it seemed). We had (have still on occassion), the same issue.

What I do is I take her out on the leash, talk to her about "Potty" enthusiastically, encouraging her, if she tries to turn it into a play session I bring her right back in. If she goes potty, I praise, etc. and when we get back inside she either gets a treat or a toy to play with from a shelf. If she doesn't potty I just unhook her and walk back into the living room.

If she does not potty twice in a row, I tell her ok, time for you to take a break and I put her in her crate and go do something for at least fifteen minutes, like a time out with a toddler.

Each and every time I take her out of the crate we automatically go outside, and usually then she does her business right away, I bring her in and she finds something else to do or plays with our older dog.

It is less and less frequent that she calls me to open the door for her unless she has to potty, but it really is an ideal way of training them to ask to go out, the bell goes with us to grandma's house, etc., so we just hang it on the door when we visit and no accidents!

This is the first pup I trained this way and it's really great! Good Luck!

P.S. Now when she rings the bell she runs to get me as well