I have to admit that Bonnie was a breeze to housebreak. From  the day we got her at fourteen weeks of age, she knew where the back door was and gave a gentle scratch on the screen when she needed to go out. Collies are usually very easy to housebreak and this was certainly the best experience ever!

However, as she grew, her feet became bigger and stronger and she began to tear a hole in our screen door. If we closed the glass door so she couldn't reach the screen, she would slap the glass with her paw. If that didn't work for her, she would scrape her teeth on the glass. Really! The sound was too horrible to bear. I had to come up with a good way for Bonnie to let us know when she needed to go outside without hurting our ears.

I decided to teach Bonnie to ring a bell when she wanted to relieve herself or go outside. First, I taught her the Touch trick. Second, I hung a bell in front of my hand and had her touch it.

Last I moved the bell to the door and had her touch the bell without my hand in front of it.

The video should make it fairly easy to follow. But be sure to teach your dog the Touch trick first. It should make the trick a lot easier. Have fun!

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