Best Dog Potty Bells: 3 Picks and How to Train

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Dog potty bells are a doorbell for your dog: a strap of bells on the door handle, or a button by the door, that your dog rings when they need to go out. They save you from guessing what pacing or staring at the door means, and they are a small, cheap help during house training. This guide covers the main types, the three potty bells in our catalog, others a tester tried, and how to teach your dog to use them.

How we wrote this: hands-on notes come from Canine Journal, where writer Chelsie bought over 15 dog doorbells and tested them with her own and her neighbours’ dogs (September 2023), from trainer Lauren Novack in Whole Dog Journal‘s Gear of the Year, and from Lindsay Stordahl of ThatMutt, who used bells with her own dogs. Training advice comes from the American Kennel Club, Whole Dog Journal, VCA Animal Hospitals and the SPCA of Wake County. Product facts come from the makers’ own pages, checked on 1 November 2026. We did not test these potty bells ourselves, and we do not show prices or ratings.

Types of dog potty bells

• Hanging straps. A strap of sleigh bells that loops over a doorknob or lever. Nothing to screw in, so they suit renters. The catch is that they jingle every time the door opens, and Canine Journal found most of them kept falling off the curved handles on sliding glass doors.
• Snap-on straps. The same idea, but the strap snaps closed around the handle, so it stays on a sliding patio door.
• Wall-mounted bells. A single bell on a bracket screwed to the wall or door frame. Canine Journal says: “Most of the fixed dog doorbells we tested were junk.” In its test, the weak point was where the bell joined the strap.
• Wireless buttons. A button your dog presses by the door, with a chime that plugs in elsewhere in the house. They do not ring when the door moves and you can hear them in another room. The AKC lists push buttons as an alternative to bells.

What to look for

• Height. The bells or button need to sit at your dog’s nose height. A strap’s reach depends on how high your handle is, so measure from the handle to the floor. For a button, Canine Journal found the best spot was slightly higher than your dog’s nose, which stops pawing and marks on the wall.
• Your door. A looped strap needs a knob or lever. A sliding door needs a snap-on strap, a hook or a button.
• Loudness. You need to hear it from where you usually are. A button with volume settings or a second chime can help in a bigger home.
• Nails. Canine Journal notes that sleigh bells have a small hole a pawing dog’s nail could catch in, though none of its testers did. Teaching a nose nudge rather than a paw avoids it and also saves your paint.
• Sound your dog accepts. The AKC says to let your dog inspect the bell or button first “to make sure that it isn’t something your dog will be worried about.”

The dog potty bells we list

Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0: best wireless button

The Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0 is a press button for the door with a chime that plugs into a wall outlet. The maker says the button needs no batteries, rings with 0.75 lb of pressure, mounts with 3M adhesive and is water resistant, and the chime has four volume settings and 38 ringtones (Mighty Paw).

It is the only bell here with three named hands-on reports. Canine Journal named it the best wireless doorbell: the button survived rain and sun outdoors, the medium volume was enough in the homes they tested, and even an 8 inch Chihuahua could press it with some effort. Its only complaint was the white button, which shows marks. Trainer Lauren Novack wrote in Whole Dog Journal that her Beagle learned to press it in five repetitions. Lindsay Stordahl of ThatMutt found the sound surprised her dogs at first, wanted an even quieter low setting, and said the adhesive could pull paint off.

Best for: sliding doors, bigger homes, and dogs that learn targets. Skip if: you have a young puppy still learning to go potty outside; Stordahl says it adds too many steps for one.

PoochieBells: best for doorknobs

PoochieBells are a strap of sleigh bells that loops over a doorknob or lever handle. The maker says the current set adjusts from 18 to 28 inches, is handmade in the USA and comes as two sets with a training guide (Poochie-Pets).

Canine Journal named it the best doorbell for doorknobs and said: “Free from lead, these bells chime the loudest of any hanging dog doorbell we tested.” All its dogs learned to ring it quickly. It only fits handles it can loop over, and the version Canine Journal tested was a fixed 26 inches long, so the current adjustable model may differ.

Best for: doorknobs, renters, and a loud jingle. Skip if: your potty door is a sliding glass door.

Caldwell’s Potty Bells: best for sliding glass doors

Caldwell’s Potty Bells are a nylon strap with bells that snaps around a handle. The maker says they fit sliding glass door handles, doorknobs and lever handles, and adjust from 30 to 32 inches (Caldwell’s Pet Supply).

Canine Journal named it the best doorbell for sliding glass doors, after most other hanging bells fell off the curved patio handles. The snaps held it in place. How low it hung depended on the handle, and its dogs had to nudge it harder than PoochieBells to make it ring.

Best for: sliding patio doors. Skip if: you want the loudest strap for a standard doorknob.

Another bell a tester liked, named without a link

• GoGo Bell Deluxe. Canine Journal’s pick for a permanent wall-mounted bell: a brass bell that held up to its Pit Bull tester’s pawing and could be heard four rooms away. The screws that came with it were a little short. We could not find a working maker page for it, so we do not list it.

How to teach your dog to ring the bell

1. Introduce it. Let your dog sniff the bell or button and hear it at a low volume. Whole Dog Journal says to make sure it does not frighten your dog before you start.
2. Hang it at one door. Use the door you go out of for potty trips, at your dog’s nose height.
3. Ring it every time you go out. The AKC says: “Each time you’re taking your dog out, press the button or ring the bell.” The SPCA of Wake County suggests gently swinging the bell so it taps your dog’s muzzle before each trip out. Its trainer says the bell should always mean the door is about to open.
4. Or teach a target first. Whole Dog Journal’s trainer teaches the dog to touch a sticky note on her hand, then moves the note onto the bell or button.
5. Reward the ring. The AKC says: “Any time your dog rings the bell, offer lots of praise and immediately take them outside.” Then praise your dog again when they go in the right spot.
6. Be consistent. The AKC says the key is using the bell or button every time you take your dog out, and the SPCA of Wake County says that after about two weeks of practice at every trip out, you will probably be able to wait at the door for your dog to ring on their own.

Sources disagree on timing. The AKC says bells can help during potty training. Lindsay Stordahl of ThatMutt prefers to wait until a puppy is mostly potty trained. Pick what suits your dog, and keep taking a young puppy out on a schedule either way. For the rest of house training, see how to crate train a puppy and how to clicker train a dog.

When your dog rings for fun

Many dogs work out that the bell opens the door to the yard. VCA warns: “some dogs ring the bell just for a chance to play in the yard.” Whole Dog Journal suggests using different words for a potty trip and a walk or yard play, even through the same door. Keep potty trips short and boring: go out on a leash, wait for your dog to go, reward, and come back in. If your dog rings again right after a trip, Poochie-Pets (as quoted by ThatMutt) suggests waiting a reasonable time before answering. The SPCA of Wake County takes the opposite view while your dog is learning: open the door every time the bell rings, so the sound always means the door opens. Try one approach and stick with it.

Bells are a communication tool, not a fix for accidents. VCA says: “If your previously well-trained dog begins house soiling, always consult your veterinarian for guidance.” See your vet too if your dog asks to go out much more often than usual, strains, or you see blood in the urine.

FAQ

Do potty bells work for dogs?

Many dogs learn them. Canine Journal’s testers learned quickly, and Whole Dog Journal’s trainer had her Beagle pressing a button in five repetitions. It works best if you ring the bell every time you go out, reward each ring with a trip outside, and keep those trips short and focused on going potty.

How long does it take to train a dog to ring a bell?

It varies. The SPCA of Wake County says that by about the 14th day of practice, you will probably be able to wait for your dog to ring on their own. Some dogs learn faster, and some take longer.

Which is better, bells or a button?

Straps are quick to hang and need no tools, but jingle when the door moves. A wireless button stays quiet until pressed and can chime in another room. For a sliding door, choose a snap-on strap or a button.

Can bells hurt my dog’s paw?

Canine Journal says a nail can, rarely, catch in the hole of a sleigh bell, though none of its testers did. Teach your dog to nudge with the nose, and supervise at first.