House training.  There is little more frustrating than this small window in your new dogs life.  If done wrong, you could end up with a lifelong habit that will drive you crazy and ruin your carpets and home.  Prevention is the key, but providing a way for your dog to communicate is also essential.  Some dogs are not afraid to let you know what they need by barking, whining, grumbling, or even staring a hole in your head.   Other dogs are not so confident or pushy.  If you have a dog who doesn’t clearly communicate, this topic will change your life.  You can use this with any age dog, from 8 weeks to 15 years.  It is never to soon or to late to start.

I’ve been using the “Bell Method” for 15 years on various dogs.  It was especially handy with my Shibas, as they are not really vocal communicators.  This is a great method for small dogs, as they tend to not be as pushy or as picky about where they go potty.  And let’s face it, we tend to be serious about house training a 50 lb dog who can peeing a gallon or more, but we will let it slide with a 5 lb dog who leaves a fist size spot on the rug.  Lina is almost house trained, but she has the occasional accident right in front of my doors.  She is not grasping the concept of “I need someone to open this door for me, I should go get the human”.   Instead of waiting for her to gain confidence and start communicating directly with me, I am going to give her a tool where she can have the control but not the fear of reprimand.  This past weekend I picked up some Christmas bells at Hobby Lobby.  They come in a package of 2 each, so I bought two packages.  I have placed 2 bells on each string and tied them to my front and back doors.  Watch the video for a full explanation of why I have done this and how to start teaching your dog this method for communication.

The camera was full and cut off near the end, but there wasn’t much left to be said.  Give it a shot, see how quickly your dog takes control of their own potty habits.

~Becky