# How does your dog let you know they need to potty?



## Getting ready (May 4, 2019)

This is suuuch a challenge for us. BB does not have a discernable signal and it is so annoying.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Misha is the same way... if he had a bell he would constantly ring it whenever he felt bored. When he was younger he would jump up and hit the doorknob with his paw to make a clanging noise that was very easy to hear. Now he just walks up to the door and paws it then stares at me. But most of the time he doesn't _really_ need to pee. He just wants to go outside because he is bored. Over time I have taught him that he can only expect to go outside at certain times and thankfully he usually doesn't bug me unless he believes it's walk time.

If it's an emergency he'll make it clear by going to the door then coming to look at me and crying then going back to pawing the door.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Normie stares in my face when he wants out (for whatever reason). If ignored, he gets closer and stares harder. If that fails, he taps me on the arm.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Snarky would go to the door and woof. Pogo would pace. We knew he needed to go out if we woke up to the sound of clicking toenails. I honestly haven't figured out Galen's adult signals, as he gets walked or taken out so frequently. When he was a puppy he would start running around madly before he abruptly stopped to lighten the load. Ritter is showing signs of being a pacer the way Pogo was, but he has also surprised me a few times by crying when he needed to unload and didn't feel he was in the right place.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Getting ready said:


> This is suuuch a challenge for us. BB does not have a discernable signal and it is so annoying.


 How old is BB?

Teddy is still a puppy, 4.5 months. About 2 weeks ago we started to watch him closely for his signal of when he needed to go out to potty. Prior to that we were following Ian Dunbar and taking him out by time or after eating or 
sleeping. I had noticed sometimes he was going to the door and realized that maybe he was trying to signal to us he needed to go potty. We decided to encourage him to make his own choice about when he needed to go out. When we would normally be taking him out, we watched him for any signal and as soon as we saw him go to the door we ran to get him out and praised him. Now he’s consistently telling us when he needs to go. I’m not sure if that means he’s toilet trained or not?


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

My dogs have all gone to the door and waited, then come to stare at us and go back to the door if they weren’t noticed. Our first girl was bell trained, and she for sure took advantage of it, plus the bell ruined the paint on the door.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Starla said:


> My dogs have all gone to the door and waited, then come to stare at us and go back to the door if they weren’t noticed. Our first girl was bell trained, and she for sure took advantage of it, plus the bell ruined the paint on the door.


I’m sure my dogs would take advantage too, same as Raindrop’s Misha.


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## Bailey_Whiskey (Jan 18, 2021)

Whiskey has no signal, he will just stop and go where he is, no sniffing. That's why we have pee pad trained him. Has been that way since he came home at 17 weeks and even now at 7.5 months.

At least he now goes to the pee pad, stops dead in his tracks and just goes (minimal squatting). So I guess his signal is when he walks to the pee pad?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Bailey_Whiskey said:


> Whiskey has no signal, he will just stop and go where he is, no sniffing. That's why we have pee pad trained him. Has been that way since he came home at 17 weeks and even now at 7.5 months.
> 
> At least he now goes to the pee pad, stops dead in his tracks and just goes (minimal squatting). So I guess his signal is when he walks to the pee pad?


 Yes, I agree, his signal is walking to the potty pad. He does have a signal.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

I have a dog door set into the utility room door that opens out to the approved potty area. All our dogs quickly learned to use it, although Molly, the Chihuahua, will pee on the utility room floor if it is raining or snowing outside.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Johanna said:


> I have a dog door set into the utility room door that opens out to the approved potty area. All our dogs quickly learned to use it, although Molly, the Chihuahua, will pee on the utility room floor if it is raining or snowing outside.


 I wish my house had that option to add a doggy door but there’s no place appropriate.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I use potty bells with Asta - when he was an adolescent he tried to use them to just go outside and play. As he has matured there were no false signals.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

She comes and licks my hands/feet, pokes her nose at me, etc, maybe barks if I ignore her. It's really very clear that she wants something.

Unfortunately, I could write the same answer for a bunch of other questions, including:

How does your dog let you know she wants:

a walk?
More dog food?
To go upstairs to bed?
To go to the park?
To play toys?
The ball that rolled somewhere?
And probably a few others I haven't figured out yet. 'I want!' is clear, what is wanted is not. Poodle mind reader is not a skill I have mastered yet.

Annie dreadfully abused potty bells. I don't think I lasted a day.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Asta's Mom said:


> I use potty bells with Asta - when he was an adolescent he tried to use them to just go outside and play. As he has matured there is no false signals.


. If I knew from the start my dogs wouldn’t abuse the bells I would use them.



For Want of Poodle said:


> She comes and licks my hands/feet, pokes her nose at me, etc, maybe barks if I ignore her. It's really very clear that she wants something.
> 
> Unfortunately, I could write the same answer for a bunch of other questions, including:
> 
> ...


 Sounds like Annie needs those dog talking buttons. FluentPet. Haha but she does know how to get your attention.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I trained for the bells without success for quite a while, or so I thought.

As puppies, I missed their tells or beat them to it, but as adults we have:

ring the bells if the door is closed
sit at the open door and hope to be noticed
jump in a lap and frantically start to lick at a face if sitting at the door wasn't noticed

Ringing the bells hasn't ever really been abused. The early distinction between treating with performing vs no treat for making me get up or stop what I was doing and not performing seemed to help that.

Neo does use the bells as a ploy. Picture Remo ensconced on my lap, Neo eyeing this from across the room. Neo goes to the door and rings the bell. Remo jumps down. Neo rounds the corner of the loveseat and takes over the lap that he _made Remo vacate_!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Rose n Poos said:


> Neo does use the bells as a ploy. Picture Remo ensconced on my lap, Neo eyeing this from across the room. Neo goes to the door and rings the bell. Remo jumps down. Neo rounds the corner of the loveseat and takes over the lap that he _made Remo vacate_!


Haha, what a clever scamp that Neo is.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Noelle follows me into the bathroom. I kind of accidentally trained this by having Noelle tethered to me, so she followed me literally everywhere. After I went to the toilet, I took the puppy out. She made the connection. Now, she just shows up in the bathroom. That thing you are doing now I need to do, too. Silly, but true.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

We have a dog door to the approved potty area. Violet goes through it at about 100 miles an hour most of the time. She is reliably potty trained. However, she rather frequently comes in with a "dingleberry" that must be removed by a person. This isn't her fault, but isn't much fun for anyone. I keep baby wipes around for my dog- is that weird?

Navy is a putz. He will mark in the house infrequently. I think it is related to being cold, so I try to be on top of keeping a sweater on him for chilly days. I am extremely frustrated by this behavior, but here we are. He and the recently departed Spanky would have pee competitions which led to my living with a barrier dividing my house for many years in order to keep these two dogs separated. As much as I love male dogs, I'll never have another while I have Navy.

If we are out and about in the car, both Navy and Violet will make a small whimpering noise and be a bit squirmy if they need to go. Violet will look at me and then look towards the door. She's a pretty good communicator.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Newport said:


> she rather frequently comes in with a "dingleberry" that must be removed by a person. This isn't her fault, but isn't much fun for anyone. I keep baby wipes around for my dog- is that weird?


My boys know the term Butt Check for those Poo on a String moments. Baby wipes are in my back pocket on walks, and by the back door lol.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

Rose n Poos said:


> My boys know the term Butt Check for those Poo on a String moments. Baby wipes are in my back pocket on walks, and by the back door lol.


Ah, not so weird then. Good. I like company.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Winnie stands by the back door and stares at us until we open the door.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Honestly I ask mine, "Do you have to Potty? " it works I have done this since they were pups


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## DNi (Apr 12, 2020)

Loki (typically very quiet unless on walks with other dogs...) sits very still and stares at us with a potty-specific whine. If we miss that, he inches closer and closer until you can't avoid him. Then he confirms this with a mad dash to the cubby where we keep his harness once we make eye contact. It did take a while for us to understand each other though.

@Newport We also kept wipes around for the time when he was still learning how to lift his leg to pee and the wipe-down routine just stuck. He now parks himself at the door for a paws + butt wipe down when we come home.


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## Oonapup (Oct 16, 2020)

Oona walks to the door and looks at me (if I'm on the couch where she can see me) or back and forth between the door and our living room. She comes into the living room and sits politely. If we ignore her she will remind us with a groof (growl/woof vocalization). However, like others have described, she sometimes wants to go out to play or people watch. It was especially clear that she had ulterior motives when the school across the street was in session (they're online now) and she always wanted to go out to watch and bark at the kids walking home at 3:20. So if she's been out recently and I'm pretty sure she's just bored, I will ignore her and tell her to settle or offer her something else to occupy her if she won't.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Click-N-Treat said:


> After I went to the toilet, I took the puppy out. She made the connection. Now, she just shows up in the bathroom. That thing you are doing now I need to do, too. Silly, but true.


We have the same plan - I potty then take dogs out to potty - so I'm surprised Theo doesn't head to the bathroom too.



Newport said:


> We have a dog door to the approved potty area. Violet goes through it at about 100 miles an hour most of the time. She is reliably potty trained. However, she rather frequently comes in with a "dingleberry" that must be removed by a person. This isn't her fault, but isn't much fun for anyone. I keep baby wipes around for my dog- is that weird?
> 
> Navy is a putz. He will mark in the house infrequently. I think it is related to being cold, so I try to be on top of keeping a sweater on him for chilly days. I am extremely frustrated by this behavior, but here we are. He and the recently departed Spanky would have pee competitions which led to my living with a barrier dividing my house for many years in order to keep these two dogs separated. As much as I love male dogs, I'll never have another while I have Navy.
> 
> If we are out and about in the car, both Navy and Violet will make a small whimpering noise and be a bit squirmy if they need to go. Violet will look at me and then look towards the door. She's a pretty good communicator.


 Those silly dingleberries. I'm lucky my dogs don't have them, but one of my Ragdolls did need bum baths from time to time. I wasn't always diligent about keeping her bum area fur short, my bad. That's what's great about smaller dogs and cats - you can do a quick mini bum bath in the sink which if prefer to a wipe. With a spoo, that wipe is awful handy.

I hope Theo isn't like Navy. My daughter lived with cats for several years that couldn't be in the same space safely and it was quite the hassle having a divided house. Ironically the severally aggressive cat was the last cat to pass away and she had to wait until he went over the rainbow to bring new cats into the house. Funny when people ask about whether to have two females or two males - no one mentions your problem.

I also like the idea of a dog going and getting it's leash and bringing it to you as a signal to go out - except we keep our leashes up on a high counter so that's not going to happen unless we change and train.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Merlin will look at the door, then at me. He rarely asks, only for number 2 after dinner. Beckie will jump on my lap, put her paws on my chest and look me in the eyes until I ask the desired question : do you want to go outside ? Them she jumps down the couch and runs to the door, lol !


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## Poodle2021 (Mar 14, 2021)

I taught my puppy to use potty bells and I don't think I'll ever go back to the "stare at me and hope I read your mind" method. I'm okay with him using them to tell me he wants to go outside to hang out in the back yard, not strictly for potty time. It's a fenced yard and he is very good at entertaining himself while I work at home. He has graduated to sleeping out of his crate at night in my bedroom, so I also have a set of them on my bedroom door. I appreciate that he has a very clear way to communicate what he needs.


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## Jo-DeV (May 13, 2021)

I am struggling with this as well with my toy poodle Lila. She is 6 months old and will SOMETIMES sit by the door to show me but no other signs. I bought a bell but she won’t ring it. And although I know she can hold it and wait to go outside, she will just go on the floor


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Poodle2021 said:


> I taught my puppy to use potty bells and I don't think I'll ever go back to the "stare at me and hope I read your mind" method. I'm okay with him using them to tell me he wants to go outside to hang out in the back yard, not strictly for potty time. It's a fenced yard and he is very good at entertaining himself while I work at home. He has graduated to sleeping out of his crate at night in my bedroom, so I also have a set of them on my bedroom door. I appreciate that he has a very clear way to communicate what he needs.


 Would you take them if you visited someone, say for a couple of hours or overnight? Or do the bells stay at home?




Jo-DeV said:


> I am struggling with this as well with my toy poodle Lila. She is 6 months old and will SOMETIMES sit by the door to show me but no other signs. I bought a bell but she won’t ring it. And although I know she can hold it and wait to go outside, she will just go on the floor


 oh no, that’s a frustrating problem. Theo, if I don’t see him going to the door will paw at the door to get my attention. Tpoos are small, do you think the bell is too heavy or hard for Lila to ring? Maybe a different type of bell would work or changing how the Bell hangs? There’s also buttons dogs can paw. Maybe taking a step back with potty training and tethering her to you would help?


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

FWIW re bell size and consistency in training 

_Some weeks after bringing our boys home I decided to try hanging a string of bells from the knob on the door to the backyard.

Every time I brought them to the door I'd jingle the bells and say my potty speech to them, "ring the bells, go outside, go pee, go poo". (Some people use a concierge bell on the floor.)

As they got a bit older, I'd take their paw and use it to jingle the bells, always giving the potty speech. I did this for weeks but with no results. I thought about giving up and did become less consistent, but still did this periodically.

One day I was sitting on the loveseat with my back to the door and I suddenly heard the bells jingling. I turned to look and there was Remo with his paw on the bells! We had a major party and got him outside asap .

(He actually had just rung the bells in this photo!)_


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

I've been trying to bell train Elroy too. Twice now he has rung the bells on his own, so I think he's starting to get the picture!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Rose n Poos said:


> One day I was sitting on the loveseat with my back to the door and I suddenly heard the bells jingling. I turned to look and there was Remo with his paw on the bells! We had a major party and got him outside asap .


Very clever Remo, good boy.


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## PowersPup (Aug 28, 2020)

We tried to teach Topper (8 months old) to use the bells, but I think he believes the bells are for people to use. Hmmm. We take him out on a schedule - first pee when he wakes up in the morning, then a short walk of visit to the potty area for P&P at about 11. Many opportunities for P&P on afternoon walks. Pee after supper and at 10:30 or 11 before bed - so he hasn't had to learn that he needs to signal us when he has to go. He often stands by the door and looks at us, then the door, then back to us. Or he licks our faces very vigorously. I would love to have him use the bells!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Well I just ordered bells. We’ll see what happens. Either my dogs will use it as intended or the bells will be donated to the local humane sociery.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

PowersPup said:


> We tried to teach Topper (8 months old) to use the bells, but I think he believes the bells are for people to use. Hmmm. We take him out on a schedule - first pee when he wakes up in the morning, then a short walk of visit to the potty area for P&P at about 11. Many opportunities for P&P on afternoon walks. Pee after supper and at 10:30 or 11 before bed - so he hasn't had to learn that he needs to signal us when he has to go. He often stands by the door and looks at us, then the door, then back to us. Or he licks our faces very vigorously. I would love to have him use the bells!


I taught Annie bells by teaching her a paw target ( a nose target would work too). I had her target my hand (click, treat) a few times, then put my hand behind the bells and asked her to target it. Bells rang, huge celebration, ran outside. After 2 sessions, she figured it out. I had tried holding her foot and helping her hit it for several days, without success, but when I taught her to use her paws by herself, suddenly if clicked. It wasn't just part of the outside routine that she should be passive for, like putting on the leash, it was a job for her to do.

Anyway, might be worth a try if you haven't already tried that.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

For Want of Poodle said:


> I taught Annie bells by teaching her a paw target ( a nose target would work too). I had her target my hand (click, treat) a few times, then put my hand behind the bells and asked her to target it. Bells rang, huge celebration, ran outside. After 2 sessions, she figured it out. I had tried holding her foot and helping her hit it for several days, without success, but when I taught her to use her paws by herself, suddenly if clicked. It wasn't just part of the outside routine that she should be passive for, like putting on the leash, it was a job for her to do.
> 
> Anyway, might be worth a try if you haven't already tried that.


 Yes that’s what I’m planning to do. Dogs don’t learn very well when you try to force them to do something. Both dogs know to touch the hand, we’ll morph it to touch the bells.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I pretty much take mine out to potty on a schedule. 5:30-6 AM, noonish, maybe around 4 and lastly at 8. Some days on 3x. If he has to go in-between he gets up and will be annoying to the point he will bark at me and I ask do you need to go potty and he jumps all around. Then out we go. He is always in a hurry at that point. I should say this has been the easiest dog I've ever had to potty train, we go out, he potties almost immediately then back in, Not much of a sniffer just finds his area and goes.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Mufar42, my 6 yo minipoo goes out on a loose schedule based on our convenience. She can hold it in for hours but we take her out 4 times a day.

The bells are for our puppy to amplify his signal that he needs to go out. He’s signaling when he needs to go potty; we’re responding to and taking him on his request rather than on Ian Dunbars recommended schedule. He’s 4 months so his neuromuscular control is still developing. I assume eventually he will mature enough that he can hold it in and go on the same schedule as his sister.


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## desertpoodles (Feb 15, 2021)

Our Kula will stand and stare at us. If that doesn't work,then she will jump up on one of our laps and start kissing wildly. I tried the bell when she was a puppy but she seemed afraid of it. She is 3 years old now. I let out her out several times a day to go potty or just to walk around in our fenced yard. Luckly, we are retired so we are home most of the time.


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## vandog (Mar 30, 2019)

I taught my spoo to ring a bell to go outside. She did ring a bit just to go outside and play but she quickly learnt there is no play on those potty trips because it’s straight to the dog run (fenced in area with a gate) and then back inside. I’ll do the same with my next puppy. I taught the bells with “target” which she clicked onto pretty quickly because I taught her target (nose on hand) before.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

We got a button a while ago, but Peggy’s only needed to use it once. We take her out so regularly, sometimes she looks at us like, “I’m just gonna sniff around and make the most of this outside time, but don’t expect anything from me.”


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

PeggyTheParti said:


> We got a button a while ago, but Peggy’s only needed to use it once. We take her out so regularly, sometimes she looks at us like, “I’m just gonna sniff around and make the most of this outside time, but don’t expect anything from me.”


We were at a point in toilet training when we were taking Theo out so often that he sometimes didn’t have to potty. But I also noticed him pulling towards the front door. That’s when a light bulb went off and I realized he knew when he had to go out and I needed to switch strategy to letting him tell me as part of his maturing and starting to be in control of his bladder and bowel. Now when he goes to the door, he needs to potty


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## PowersPup (Aug 28, 2020)

For Want of Poodle said:


> I taught Annie bells by teaching her a paw target ( a nose target would work too). I had her target my hand (click, treat) a few times, then put my hand behind the bells and asked her to target it. Bells rang, huge celebration, ran outside. After 2 sessions, she figured it out. I had tried holding her foot and helping her hit it for several days, without success, but when I taught her to use her paws by herself, suddenly if clicked. It wasn't just part of the outside routine that she should be passive for, like putting on the leash, it was a job for her to do.
> 
> Anyway, might be worth a try if you haven't already tried that.


That's the way I tried to teach Topper, too. He figured out hand/nose target and transferred it to the bells, but doggy daddy couldn't get it so here we are. I feel like I'm constantly nagging DD about stuff.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Testing, such as it is, so far. 
I have not tested the audibility or low level sounds from live stream and have not listened to the continuously running video clip. I'll update that later. 

5 level split level house
pupcam on main living level (3)

Decibel meter app on Lumia 950xl giving range of sounds









Wyze Cam Pan (pupcam) set for Sound Sensitivity of 91 (high level of sensitivity) 
 Event Recording
Push Notifications
The sound of rustling plastic airfilled packing bags rated about 60-70db 

Received Push Notif Alert and video of event recorded to Event File (2 sec lag from sound to seeing action)


Wyze Cam Pan (pupcam) set for Sound Sensitivity of 35 (lower level of sensitivity) 
Event Recording
Push Notifications
The sound of rustling plastic airfilled packing bags rated about 60-70db 
No Push Notif alert generated. Video still recording normally but no clip sent to Event File


Bonus info
I have an Echo Show 5 at the top level to access the cameras via Alexa. Camera access great, sotto voce boofing from Peanut Gallery 2 levels below very mildly distorted. Full throat barking audio was very badly distorted.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks Rose n Poos. I think that’s a useful discrimination of noise after all you don’t want notifications driving you nuts for nothi, but notification if they start to bark or wrestle.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Rose n Poos said:


> Testing, such as it is, so far...


Completely wrong thread, sorry. No more fixing dinner and PF at the same time for me . 

This should be here








What is the best camera to watch your dogs when out of...


I need to train Theo for when we aren’t home. I’d love to have a camera hooked up that I can watch remotely to see how he is doing as we train. I‘m not tech savvy, have iPad/iPhone products I’d love something easy to set up and has security to block unwanted viewers. What are you using and do...




www.poodleforum.com


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Dianaleez said:


> Normie stares in my face when he wants out (for whatever reason). If ignored, he gets closer and stares harder. If that fails, he taps me on the arm.


That sounds like my Spoo. His direct stare is very intent!


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

I successfully use the potty bells for Lacey and they work well for us because of how our house is set up. If she went to the front door I’d have no idea since the main living level is upstairs and I can’t see the downstairs foyer level or front door without physically going down a long flight of stairs. she was not allowed unsupervised access to that level until she was 6 months old (for potty accident reasons. It was still puppy proofed). 
But...
From the moment she came home at 2 months old, the bells were on the front door. Before going out I’d physically take her paw, have it hit the bells, say “outside” and then we’d go out quickly. Since she didn’t have regular access to the door and didn’t yet have a “tell” I was just taking her out at regular intervals and increased the time more and more. 6 months was the time I trusted her access to the downstairs front door and therefore the bells. I wanted her to try being in charge of letting me know she had to go out instead of me just taking her at regular intervals. Since she had no other “tell” at that point but also had no potty accidents for almost a month. 

She knew right away what they meant and hit the bells to let me know she had to go potty on her own. That same day she immediately began to abuse them. I did allow this abuse for a couple of weeks since I wanted reinforce that the bells are for going outside. and she’d ring those dang things every hour. Every hour I’d take her out. If she pottied, she got a treat. If she didn’t, it meant quiet time back in her crate to hang out for 10 minutes. Her crate was and is her quiet place, not a punishment place.

I felt at this point I was about 90% sure of when she truly had to go out to potty and when she was just trying to go outside because she was bored.
I began to call her bluff little by little and wouldn’t take her out every time she rang the bells. She was young and still technically potty training so I also didn’t want to slip backwards into an accident if I could avoid it. 
I also continued the treat or crate after coming in depending on if she went potty. She never had an accident from me calling her bluff. I think it’s about knowing your dog and thinking about where their body and mind is physically if they’re still potty training. If she did I would’ve changed my strategy. I’d say it took her a month to learn that the bells are just for going potty. Strictly business. 
She’s approaching 2 years old and continues to use them appropriately. She to this day doesn’t have any response to me asking her if she has to go “outside” or “potty” if we are inside. Just sits there and looks at me. although she definitely knows what the “go potty” command means when we are outside.

If she’d had constant access to the potty bells at any time as a younger puppy she would’ve rang them constantly but I wouldnt have been able to know when she actually had to potty or even if she’d be able to make the connect to the urge/control since it doesn’t really develop until 6 months. I think in that case maybe I’d just have the bells just out of reach that you could grab and have the puppy ring before going outside but then put it out of their reach again and continue taking out on a regular schedule until they’re older. I honestly think potty bell training is best for a dog that’s already potty trained so you can “call their bluff” and teach them not to abuse it without the worry of accidents. 

My training may not be perfect but it worked well for Lacey. I like that she doesn’t bark or whine downstairs at the door to go out. If we are staying somewhere else like my mom or dad’s, the potty bells don’t come with us. Her “tell” in that situation is that she’s suddenly not in sight, but instead sitting quietly by the door of wherever we are. I don’t know why I never thought of bringing the bells... It’s pretty easy though, I may start doing that so she has her “voice” to go out. I’ll be curious to see if she generalizes the use of them in a different place.


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## hrsldy (Oct 8, 2019)

I also have a dog door. My small dog (not a poodle) is one of the ones that does not like to go out if it is raining. BUT she hasn't gone to the bathroom in the house in a couple of years (rescue). If she hasn't gone by the time I am doing barn chores in the morning I INSIST she go out with me (all the dogs go out with me at that time) . During the time my SPOO was recovering from his neuter and Pexy surgery I had to have the dog door closed. That was a very difficult time for all three of my dogs  and me!!! Thankfully things are back to normal now. I LOVE having a dog door.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Porkchop, I never fenced my yard so my dogs always go out on a leash. It would drive me insane if they kept ringing bells just to go out and not potty. But I’m sure if you brought your bells and showed Lacey where they were, waited or encouraged her to ring them then took her outside she would understand.



hrsldy said:


> I also have a dog door. My small dog (not a poodle) is one of the ones that does not like to go out if it is raining. BUT she hasn't gone to the bathroom in the house in a couple of years (rescue). If she hasn't gone by the time I am doing barn chores in the morning I INSIST she go out with me (all the dogs go out with me at that time) . During the time my SPOO was recovering from his neuter and Pexy surgery I had to have the dog door closed. That was a very difficult time for all three of my dogs  and me!!! Thankfully things are back to normal now. I LOVE having a dog door.


 I can imagine how difficult it was for the dogs having their door closed... they don’t understand. Maybe my next house will have a set up we can add a doggie door to a fenced in run area.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

I also don’t have a fenced yard. Lacey also has to go out on harness and leash every time she goes potty. It definitely was a huge hassle for the two weeks I let her abuse the bells when she first got access to them. After that once I could start calling her out and ignoring the bells it was much better.


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