After 6 months of consistent trying, our (admittedly a little slow) 10 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel still didn't get the hang of the Tell Bell. He knew the bell would be rung before the door would open, but he would always stand by the door and wait for us to help him ring it.
I think the main problem is it takes too much coordination for a small dog to strike the bell in the right place and with enough force to actually ring it (the button is about the size of his paw, and it doesn't make much noise unless it is pushed sharply straight down).
In the end we replaced the $25 tell bell with a $1-ish jingle bell tied from the door handle on a string, hung just above the ground. We put a treat right under the bell so he had to move (ring) it to get his treat, and one week later he is already ringing it on his own when he wants to go outside.
At least six months with the Tell Bell taught him what "Ring your bell," means, even if he couldn't actually do it ;-)
The concept is great, but I think this product misses on execution and value. In the box are two bells and a DVD. The bells are just what you'd find on a customer service counter and are mostly plastic OK quality; nothing heavy duty. I'd say the bells should retail for about $5.00 each.
The first 20 minutes of the DVD is inanely annoying. Basically twenty minutes of scripted testimonials on how great the product is. All I thought of was I already bought it stop wasting my time. The second half of the DVD can be summed up in a few points which you can find in most any housebreaking books.
* Put the bell next to your door and make the dog ring it with his paw every time you take him outside on a leash to eliminate.
* Be consistent
* Ring the bell only when going out to eliminate, not when going for a long walk or to play.
* Try to use another door when going out to walk or play.
* Praise and reward the dog lavishly after he eliminates outside do not praise him for ringing the bell.
That's pretty much it as far as directions go.
I have a Border Collie puppy which is a smart bread by any standard. After a month I'm not having much luck with the tell bell. But he does paws at the door when he needs to go out. I think a better solution is a bell from the craft section of your local big box discount store hanging from a string on the door.
I'll give it two stars for concept, but don't think it's worth $25.00
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The Tell Bell has worked extremely well for us as we have used it for almost a year now. We have been so exceedingly thrilled with our Tell Bell that we have purchased numerous Tell Bells for friends! I've been truly impressed with the quality and innovative design specifically made for dogs, which makes it comfortable to ring. A cheap bell from the store was not designed for a dog's paw and seems like it would annoy their paw when they stepped on it. Bells that hang on the door are not as effective as they scratch and ruin the door and would make noise when you open it. Additionally, we found that watching the instructional DVD as a family helped us all to get on the same page with her training, and the booklet was helpful to refer to and review the training details.
Everyone who has visited our house has been so amazed that our dog rings the Tell Bell to go potty. I've even had a repairman who noticed the paw on the bell and couldn't believe that she would ring it to go outside, and he was so impressed when she actually did it! Initially, we started another potty training method, and then switched to the Tell Bell, so it did take our dog a little longer to figure it out. We just kept being consistent knowing that it would work. It took us at least 6 weeks or more; however, once she got it, she got it. Our entire family was filled with such joy when she finally figured it out! That joy remains with us every day as it continues to be so much fun to hear her ring the bell to go outside. It always brings a smile to our faces.
We have 2 Tell Bells, one at the garage door, and the other at the back door. We've successfully trained our dog to ring the bell at the garage door when she has to go potty, and the other bell at back door when she wants to go outside and play. It's convenient that each Tell Bell comes with 2 bells. Right after she learned to ring the bell, all of my kids walked out of the garage door to go play, and she whacked at the bell over and over again because she wanted to go outside to play with them. It was too funny! Through the consistent training that they teach on the DVD, she eventually learned how to use the bells properly. Our Tell Bells have also visited several people's houses and she has used them successfully, even in strange homes.
The Tell Bell works well! We give the Tell Bell the highest recommendation possible. It's a quality product with a remarkably effective training technique that has worked well for us, as well as the numerous people we have given it to as a gift.
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I bought this for my 3-month-old Sheltie and I'll tell you one thing completely ignore the instructions. The day I got it, I pushed the bell myself to ring it a few times and then I put his paw on it a few times (like the instructions said), which freaked him out and made him avoid it. The next day, I got out my clicker, rubbed a treat on the pawprint, and told him to target the bell. Bingo! In just one training session, he went from being afraid of the bell to ringing it himself. If you haven't used the clicker method before, I recommend Karen Pryor's book and the i-Click.
The construction of the bell seems a little flimsy for a dog so watch that they don't chew it or get overly playful with it. The bottom and some interior parts are made of plastic.
As for the actual association of the bell with going outside, we're working on that. I ring it myself every time I take him out. Next, I plan on having him target it before we go out. We've only had the bell for three days, but I'm happy with the results so far.
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My little cocker spaniel puppy was just 3 months old when the bells arrived. She mastered the concept in one morning! She quickly chose to change from hitting it with her paw to tapping it with her nose which is very funny to watch. Moreover, within just a day or two, she grasped the concept of tapping it more than once if we are not immediately available to open the door, all on her own. When she wants to go out for a swim, she hits it repeatedly until we give in! I know it has saved us from many accidents in the house and it has given us great peace of mind.
We just returned from a trip to California and had her in a hotel and at my daughter's. We took our bells and people were so surprised that Molly, now 5 months old, had transferred the ringing concept to every door we put it in front off.
Two things I would change: 1) the video is really useless. How great it would have been to see an actual dog being trained. Essentially just reading the instruction book was rather pointless. 2) I'd love for the bell to have more weight in the base. She does accidentally knock it over at times and we don't realize it.
All in all, great concept!
Because these treats are meant for dogs, they are rather large for cats. I actually consider this an advantage, because with small treats we would usually give multiples. The cats find it really fun to chase after one large treat and gnaw on it for a while.
