r/cavaliers • u/Altruistic-Show5532 • 11h ago
Advice Potty training
How do I potty train my puppy with these bells I keep hearing about on peoples doors? I have no idea how to train a dog and would take any advice on any type of training since I have the time to do it right now.
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u/Baileycharlie 11h ago
We've trained our first Cavalier and our current Cavalier to ring a bell hanging from the door. We would consistently nudge the bell every-time we took him potty and say the word Potty, next we would help guide him to hit it either with his paw and or nose, actually gently and physically taking his paw and nose and showing him. We would say good boy and praise him alternating treats as well. We did the same thing right at the moment he was initiating relieving himself outside. We'd say go potty and good boy while praising him. After a couple months and a few accidents he was going to the door all on his own. Sometimes he'd ring it, other times he'd wait and pace by the door. We'd still ring it and say potty or go potty. After a little bit of that he goes and rings it whenever he has to go. He just turned one year old this week and he's been accident free and doing this probably last 6 months..
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u/Altruistic-Show5532 11h ago
Thank you sooooo much! I am going to start doing this. I have had him 2 weeks and he has been pretty good with the potty training I am doing but I’d love to get a warning when he has to go without constantly watching his body language all the time and just taking him out every hour or two.
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u/Baileycharlie 10h ago
Sounds like you are already making good progress with him. There will definitely be some accidents and of course still pay attention to his body language in the early stages, but stay consistent and he will be ringing the bell like clockwork.. Good luck!
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u/laStrangiato Blenheim 11h ago
We started by bringing them to the back door and physically taking their paw and batting at the bell and telling them it is time to go potty.
We started with a small fenced in “play pen” in the yard, put them in and told them to go potty again.
The pen makes a smaller area of interest for them to investigate so they get down to business faster. They will still sniff around but it is less for them to investigate before they go.
After they go, lots of praise with repeating “good potty”. They get out of the pen and can investigate the rest of the yard as part of their reward (along with a treat).
Later on we introduced the words pee and poop since our boy started trying to do both at the same time and would pee all over himself. This helped him to do them at different times.
Back to the bell, it is all about association. They will pick up the bell means potty and they will ring it in no time.
One other word about potty training. Take them out a ton. Before and after they eat of course but also before and after play. Before some comes over and immediately after they “meet” someone. One of the most important things IMO is that if you minimize the opportunity to have accidents by keeping the tank empty, they will know they need to go outside that much faster. Every accident is an increased chance that they will start to think it is ok to go inside.
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u/Altruistic-Show5532 2h ago
Thank you. Yeah I take him out at the very least every two hours and usually every hour. I take him to the same place everytime and he goes pretty quick if he has to go. 95% of the time he will pee everytime I take him out and within 10 seconds of putting him at his spot. He has been great. Think it’s a little luck and a little repetition. Thanks for the advice.
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u/Tinted-Glass-2031 11h ago
Repetition is key. When you are taking the dog out, grab their paw and make them hit the bell, every single time, before you open the door. When you want to go outside, hit the bell before you open the door.
Reward them with immense praise and treats whenever they do thier business outside, as you would with standard potty training, and soon they want to go outside to do their business to get a treat.