I have created a monster!

[CathyC.]

Obi's signal that he wants to go out is very subtle. He just breathes a bit heavier. So, i have been teaching him to ring a bell when he wants to go outside. Everytime i let him out onto the deck i would take a treat and entice him to ring the bell before i open the door and toss the treat out. Have been doing this for a week or more with a few practice sessions thrown in.

Finally, today he decides to ring the bell on his own. Jackpot! Out he goes. He doesnt stay out long. In he comes. Rings the bell again immediately. Jackpot! Out he goes. And again. So i cut back on the treats and he just stares at me expectantly. He is ringing the bell because wants treats the little monkey! I have been well trained lol.

 

[Eleanor]

Soo funny! Way to go Obi!
I taught Laughlin to ring a bell to go out when he was a puppy. He too got out of control. He would ring the bell whenever he wanted 'anything'!
The bell we used was hung from the doorknob beside the back door. I eventually confiscated the bell, but he would for years still go to the door and "ring" the doorknob when he wanted something. The poor doorknob actually broke one day after getting nosed very emphatically.

Now I've moved into a house that doesn't have a doorknob, so I don't know if the habit is still there and dormant, or if he's forgotten.

Your story brought back some good memories from his puppyhood. Thanks!

Eleanor and Laughlin

 

[BLCOLE]

I got my first Volvo wagon for my first Newf, Zeus. He would NOT jump in the back through the open tailgate. He had to go in through a back door, the sill of which was lower to the ground than the open tailgate.

After Zeus died, I got his son, Vinnie. Vinnie would jump right in via the open tailgate. I remember proudly showing the breeder whom both Zeus and Vinnie came from, Vinnie's trick which his father would NOT do. Breeder looked at me funny, then cracked up laughing. He then made the remark that Zeus had NO problem hopping up on a grooming table, which is MUCH higher than the back of a Volvo wagon.

The breeder's comment was: "Zeus had you trained..."

 

[CathyC.]

Monkeys, all! Love reading these anecdotes.

 

[Carole Macomber]

Lol!

 

[NinaA]

Our monster does the same thing, and has done it for over 11 years. The bad part, though, is when she starts the incessant ringing to go out, she's usually right, and it's okay, and she'll come right back in when we call her even in snow. So, I can't get mad, and she gives you such a sweet look when she politely asks to go out. She seldom needs to go, but she'd just like to enjoy the porch or the deck.