Aren't they so funny and smart? My husband started feeding the squirrels peanuts last summer, they were usually fed in the back by the deck, then we noticed then coming to the front door as soon as we opened the door.

Well what do you know, next thing we know they are knocking on the glass door to get our attention. My daughter and husband hand feed them while I panic hahahaha. There have been several encounters between Sheldon and the squirrels, luckily they all have been with a glass door in between.

The crazy thing is that they don't seem to be afraid, they come so close while Sheldon barks like a maniac, they just look at him with a very puzzled face.

Ding Dong aka People Training
I stopped using bells in potty training. Instead I put my pups on a schedule. Too many pups were smart enough to train me to come running when they rang the bells.
We installed a doggy door. The doggy door goes out into a covered 8' by 10' potty area, that is inside the large fenced back yard. My four Yorkies have no problem letting me know they need out, if the doggy door is shut. This just worked better for us. If we are not home they use washable pee-pads.

Joey rang the bells whenever he wanted to go outside, we still have the bell, but it's used so that he won't bark, he has to ring the bell to go out, and it's usually just to bark at some dog in the park. :D

Teresa, that sounds like a great plan!

It's so funny to watch them. The birds, squirrels, even the neighbors cat don't pay her any attention, but she loves to bark at them. Maybe she's trying to tell them to get out of her yard! lol!

I want to start using the bell for my yorkies, but don't know how to start. I know just take them out when every I see them sniffing and wondering, which I don't catch all the time. Since i'm home all the time I have set myself a schedule to take them out in the morning, after play time, and feedings, play time again, and at night time which I am an early bird so 9 pm will be nighty nite for me. Can someone school me on the adorable bell ringing. I took the first step of getting a medium size bell on a long piece of ribbon, lol!

I will be watching with interest. I too would. Like to try this bell ringing with my two. At the moment they are taken out on lead throughout the day and use pee pads if they need to inbetween

Would love to use the bells also, but I know Bella would ring them all day on the beautiful days, just to go out. LOL Too smart for her own good. Or maybe that would be my own good.

Yes please a thread on training to ring the potty bell!

I need HELP, My 4 month old Bella , will go outside and run to the house next door and forget all about potty time, won't ring the bell, comes in and potty's?? what em i doing wrong, I have never had any problem's training a puppy, first Yorkie for me????

This is how we trained Sheldon. Btw Sheldon was crate trained.
We got the potty bells and placed them by the door but not directly on the door. I didn't want the door to ring every time we opened or closed it.

We got Sheldon at 10 weeks and he did not have a pee/poop schedule, he would go at different times, from waiting 1 hour in between to20 minutes after lol
I watched him like a hawk when he was out of the crate.

Every time I took him out the crate or saw him sniffing or I though he should be going I would take him by the door, ring the bell and say " potty" loud and clear and would take him out. After he was done I would immediately say good potty and reward with treat.
Some times he would walk around and not go, I would say go potty Sheldon, and some times he would go.

If he didn't go I would put him back in the crate and take him out 10 minutes later.
If he went he would stay out with us and I would ring bells again in the next 20 minutes, it is hard work but pays off.

When he is playing and hasn't gone he would have a pee accident, it's like a kid when is being potty trained, they start playing and forget they have to pee.
Sheldon now spends most of the time out of his crate, he only uses the crate when he goes to sleep or when no one is home, I leave the crate open during the day I'd we are home and he likes to take naps in there. He really loves his crate.

Forgot to say Sheldon is 6 months old, it took about 2 months for him to fully get it.

Hope this helps.

Yes, I believe the official term for this behavior is "bell abuse". Maybe it's time to stage an intervention. ;)

A couple other yorkie moms and I all potty trained our dogs around the same time. I tried to get Thor to use a bell, but he scared himself silly the one time he rang it, and I eventually gave up. Another mommy got the bell working, and her yorkie went through a phase where he rang the bell more than once per minute. Once Thor figured out he got treats for pooping, he starting going approximately 20 times per day. He would poop out things barely visible to the human eye.

In theory, they do eventually get tired of it, and will start using it less vigorously. I think with potty bells, you have to be really disciplined about not letting them have any fun outside if they don't give YOU your reward. :D