Ring a BellDog presses a bell with nose or paw to signal a need
A practical communication skill. The dog presses a bell to go outside or signal a need. Built on target stick: the bell is just a new target. Hang the bell at nose height by the door and shape nose-to-bell contact.
Also known as: Bell, Ding
At a glance
- Tier
- 3 · Advanced
- Time to fluency
- 2–5 weeks
- Practice
- 5× per week, 3 min each
- Equipment
- A jingle bell or service bell, String or hook for mounting at nose height, Small soft treats
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach ring a bell
Lure
Hold the bell near the dog's nose and reward any contact
- Start with the bell in your hand at nose height
- Mark any nose or paw contact that makes the bell ring
- Move the bell to its permanent location (door frame) gradually
- Every time the bell rings, open the door. This is the whole point
Hand Signal
Point at the bell to direct the dog to it
- Point at the bell, wait for the dog to touch it
- Once the bell is on the door, point becomes unnecessary. The door IS the context
- If the dog rings the bell, always go to the door even if you think they do not need out
Verbal Cue
The cue reminds the dog to ring before going out
- Before opening the door, say the word and wait for the ring
- Once the dog rings unprompted, the word becomes unnecessary
- If the dog starts ringing for attention (not to go out), only respond by opening the door. Ring = outside, nothing else
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Ignores the bell
- In progress
- Rings the bell on the word before going outside
- Mastered
- Rings the bell unprompted when they need to go out, with no false alarms
Common mistakes
- Not opening the door every time the bell rings, which kills the association
- Hanging the bell too high for the dog to reach comfortably
- Responding to bell rings with anything other than going outside, which muddies the meaning
- Punishing false alarms instead of just making bell = outside and nothing else