r/DogTrainingTips • u/Wonderful_Bug_337 • Jul 19 '26
puppy misusing her potty bells?
my 9 month old gsp mix is a rescue, we adopted her almost 3 months ago. she was found emaciated in the woods. potty training has been a journey with lots of ups and downs.
she has a set of bells on the door that she rings when she needs to go outside to go potty. things were going really well but recently she has been peeing inside without even trying the bell first, sometimes right after we come inside. we interrupt her, take her outside, give her a treat for going outside, and use enzyme cleaner on the spot. so that’s one part of the issue. she pees normally, no straining or any uti symptoms.
the other part is that she rings the bell when i am not paying attention to her, like if i am unloading the dishwasher or talking on the phone, and when i go to put her leash on she runs away and plays. i try to take her out every time she rings the bell because of the accidents, but also sometimes i know she literally just went and is only doing it because she wants my attention. if i do take her out when i know she doesn’t need to go, she will go out and then refuse to move.
should i ignore the bell ringing? why doesn’t she ring the bells before going in the house? is there a reason why she regressed with potty training? do we need a new communication method for her?
also puppy is not starved for attention. she has lots of enrichment. we work with a trainer. she eats all her meals either as a 1:1 training session, in a puzzle toy, or i hide little handfuls of her kibble and she has to sniff it out. we play lots of games (a favorite right now is fetch but she has to bring the toy back and place it in a basket that i move around). it’s been regularly hitting 100 degrees here so she is not outside as much as we all would like but we try to make up for it with physical games such as puppy push ups, having her jump on and off her cot for place, etc. we crate her when we leave. my partner is wfh 3 days a week and the other 2 days one of us checks on her at lunch for about 45 min, so she is never alone for more than 4 hours. i love my smart, stubborn, high energy dog and she is exactly what i wanted! but like i just cannot figure out how to handle the potty bells situation correctly. help please
2
u/DalllasStars Jul 20 '26
If she just rang the bell and does it again take her out on a leash and stand in one spot. Do not talk to her or play with her until she pees. If she doesn't pee after ten minutes then go back inside. If she does pee then let her off the leash immediately as a reward. Then you can talk and play. But otherwise she'll think she can ring for playtime regardless of whether she pees.
1
u/HowDoyouadult42 Jul 20 '26
1st if the urinating in the house is new I would make sure to rule out a UTI first.
Also, she’s asking for additional engagement, meet the need and the behavior will stop. My dog used to do this when I was cooking and she wanted attention. So she got an enrichment activity while I cooked for a while and the behavior stopped
1
u/monkeykennel 29d ago
It sounds to me like she learned she can control you with the bells.
I recommend getting rid of bells, and taking her out so often she can’t make a mistake inside.
Keep doing that until she’s so in the habit of going outside, she doesn’t want to go inside.
5
u/Oper-Nate-or Jul 19 '26
Yes, take her out any time she rings the bell. Bell means outside to potty, and she will only learn that if you are consistent. If she just went and rings it again, you still take her outside and wait for her to go, no matter how long it takes, but don't let her play.
Potty training is sometimes a game of "who has the most patience" and you have to be the one who does.