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I have what looks like a shop keepers bell attached to the wall next to the door. I didn't use any type that went on the door or door knob because I didn't want them to make noise when the door was used for non potty purposes. I thought that might be confusing.

My dog likes his bed in front of the door in the afternoon so he can lay in the sun. He rings his bell for me to move the bed for him. He started ringing the bell every afternoon but would not go outside. I finally figured out he wanted his bed in the sun. He trained me.

zebra, I must ask, what kind of dog is this that has trained you to move his bed...sounds like our old boy!! :)
I'm reading right along here. Need to get up to speed on these things!

He is a Boston Terrier. He is very smart, energetic and loves to play. He turns ten next week so he has slowed down a bit.

I love hearing about everybody's pups and have gotten some great advice here over the years. The current dog food I am using was recommended by two posters. I even asked for advice here before getting a second dog and decided to get one four years ago.

Superese, I have been following your pups story and keeping my fingers crossed everything goes smoothly!!!

As always, slow on the uptake…does the dog smack the bell with it’s paw?

WhatsRight, I have a mental image of what Tushnurse was saying about Bella snuggling in the bed until she feels the need, and then she might touch a bell with her nose? Does that mean you'd want to hang a bell on the bedstead? This is new territory....

zebra, I'm so deep in the weeds with shipping, importing, customs requirements, and how to freakin' send the money over there and have it work out exact amounts, yikes. I wondered today if this is all a huge mistake but, as of this afternoon, we figured some of the details out so I think I'm going ahead with it, provided we get the information to do all this high flying financial stuff! Our local bankers have no idea how to help us with this and the breeder seems hard to get direct answers from, without me seeming like I'm doubting her; I just don't want to leave important details unasked. Fortunately or unfortunately, suspicion has had to become part of my arsenal of protection, after you-know-what happened. And as WhatsRight was saying at the first, it's hard to know if you are getting scammed. It has worn me out, this waiting!!

Wondering whether I should maybe continue my puppy saga on a separate thread?

WR I have historically used a jingle bell on a leather strap like sleigh bells and yes put on the door know and they can hit with nose or paw.
The new one my daughter got us is on a metal ring and has 3 large jingle bells mounted to a pice of leather about the size of my hand but shaped like a profile of a lab pooping.
I would put one in your H's bed or at the headboard and whenever she acts like she needs to go paw or nose her to the bell and then give whatever your potty command is. We use pee and poop and they know the difference.
2 of the other commands that we got through advanced training that are invaluable, back up so that they give you space or don't crowd the door when letting them out. The second is to ALWAYS sit before opening the door. That gives the opportunity to make sure there are no critters to chase in the yard or Doodles out next door that turns into a 10 min game of chase. Lol

Oh dear Lord… I have been thinking this is something that you all came up with on your own. I looked online, and this is actually a thing! I’ve had dogs all my life and I’ve never even heard of this. I guess because I don’t do official "dog training classes". We have always just watched them carefully and used the words "do you want to go outside?"

But I see that there are all kinds of training bells online. I see that there is like a long macramé or fringe cord with bells running down the length of it. That would probably be best for me because of the different heights of bells involved.

But I also saw one where one is like just one round Button like thing that the dogs can step on.

The only thing I’m concerned about is that my dogs like to go in and out of the yard ALL DAY LONG. So I’m wondering if they will wear me out ringing that bell! Ha ha.

I had thought about getting a doggie door for our back door, but I’m not sure our new little Bella would be able to open it. She is so tiny. I’m definitely going to try the bell. Thanks for the great idea!

BTW…any thoughts about doggie doors?

Superesse… Of course, you do whatever you want to do about the thread. Maybe you would prefer to start a new one. But I am totally fine with you posting about your new puppy on this thread as well. Either way, I’ll be watching!

WR, I’m no dog expert, but my last house came with a doggie door for big dogs and my cats ( 8-10 lbs) were able to use it. I started by removing the magnets to make it super easy, then added the magnets back once they had the hang of it. So I think you little dog will be able to use a doggie door.

Glad you got your Bella. Thoughts on doggy doors for my toy poodle was a huge no! To many predators, hawks etc. also with your bigger dogs they always need supervision with her.

We got a 40lb shelter dog many years ago she seemed docile turns out she was a hellion with pneumonia aka hers was kennel cough. I had wanted a toy poodle, our trainer suggested a Buddy as she was an escape artist. We got a 8 week old toy poodle, Little Ricky, had to be since she was Lucy. Lucy loved him but he was always supervised with her. They were playing chase one night and Ricky darted under under a piece of wood leaning on a wall, Lucy pawed it and snap went his leg.

With little Doxie’s their backs can be broken. You might consider a doggy litter box. I have had success with with my toy poodles and a yorkie. I miss my toy dogs. The smallest I have is a mini schnauzer at 17 lbs. My Poodles are 58 and 65 lbs, they were meant to be service dogs. Still hope for my girl.

The only thing I’m concerned about is that my dogs like to go in and out of the yard ALL DAY LONG.

This is what's known as 'mission creep' - I'm thinking as soon as my girl would get the connection between a bell and the door opening, she'd start working on us to see what we'd do! Actually we never have let her go out the door unleashed, she has such high-powered explosive energy. But with that fenced play yard I need to build and once the rowdy boy pup arrives next week, I may have to give this bell training a fair trial.

WhatsRight, I feel like we both are "getting a new baby," so thanks and I'm hoping your potty training goes smoothly and quickly! You have enough to do, right? 😉

Well here it is, almost time to pay the balance on my puppy and pay the shipping agent for the airplane rides for his trip on the 23rd/24th. The shipping agent asked me to use a money transfer service preferably, so he could track the payment. I understand because the bank took 3 days to get the money over there, last time. So he sent me an email link which I signed up for that service, but now that I walked almost all the way through the "send money" sequence, I find it too scary. Like it wants to link my email to my SmartPhone (which I don't own) and then have me take a photo of my FACE and my DRIVERS LICENSE, and they already have my email and physical address, and would soon have had my bank account number and routing info?

Sorry, I think I'm too old fashioned to do this, as all this is ringing my bells (pardon the pun) about the risk of major identity theft.

When we sent the deposit to the breeder in March, the local bank charged a fee of $65 to send a deposit, pretty healthy for just sending over $400. But the bank in her country tacked on another fee that the clerk doing my transfer failed to mention before she finalized it; it was her first international wire transfer, I suspect. The breeder's bank has no English webpage to find out what they charge, either. (In fact, they say they don't offer translation services for their English customers. Not very encouraging!)

Right now, I'm feeling like this puppy is not going to get here, after all this agonizing, and time and money spent! I feel bad but he will be spared an ordeal on an airplane and she'll have no trouble selling him over there. The hard part is, I could have gotten a very nice puppy from a more well-known breeder over there who prices in US Dollars, plus owns his own air shipping company, and offers health guarantees on the dogs he sells (although I have doubts how valuable that would actually be). No such deal with this woman I've been working with; she's just a small family operation and leaves so much to the buyer to figure out. I have read good reviews of her but I think I'm not set up for all this high flying import business.

Have any here had luck with any other methods of paying for something in Europe? They won't take a check and they don't accept credit cards, either of those would have been easy.

What would your gut be telling you to do at this point? Bail?

I say trust your gut. If your hesitating and not comfortable don't do it.

Super,
I don't think I could handle this process of buying a dog from overseas. So much waiting. So much uncertainty. And the seller is doing nothing to reassure you!

What does your H say about it?

You did say someone you talked to knows the breeder and that sounded like a good thing... what part has you most concerned?

little turtle, you sum up the feelings, exactly! It has taken a toll on my old nerves and it's not what I'd recommend burning up this much time and energy doing! But again last evening I realized how it came down to this option: an hour spent looking online within a 500 mile radius for the same breed and color of GSD, and as usual the only breeder I found with such puppies would not sell with full registration rights. (They know they have a rare commodity and they are jealously guarding their sources!)

Honestly I think this whole business of searching for the right puppy can be a lot of waiting and disappointment, as WhatsRight went through it, too.

Yesterday, after I shut down the online transfer process, feeling it was opening too many avenues for future bad consequences, I could tell my H was disappointed, 'cause he got up and went back to the barn shop, to do his mechanical work for a customer. Then he surprised me by walking back up a half hour later to help me measure the yard for the fence we still will build (we are going to do this puppy yard, if only for our girl to enjoy. He remembered I'd asked him to hold one end of the 100 ft. tape!). I could tell he was almost pouting, because he'll get "difficult to work with" when he's really just aggravated at me and the whole situation.

It's like I'm on course to disappoint everybody because I'm being perhaps too cautious. But there just has to be a better way to do this, even though every effort I've made so far has hit a brick wall. So last night, I looked into any other ways to transfer funds, and found that Moneygram or Western Union may be options. Anyone ever done this? Looks like we may even be able to take cash to our local grocery store or a big box retail store and send it that way, although I'm not sure if anyone here is going to know how to do it. I sure don't!

I emailed the shipper who has been much more helpful; I think his language skills make it easier for him to communicate by email. He wrote this morning that he will be keeping the puppy at his house for a day or so before the flight, and will even send me photos! I think he must be personal friends with the breeder. And he just now emailed that if I use Moneygram or Western Union, I will need different information for his end. I'd intended to send it directly to his bank, as he already provided. And then do the same for the breeder.

So we are going to try this once again! The bank would do it again, too, but both breeder and shipper are now waiting on me for the funds to be paid before the shipper has to pay the airline. And the bank is s.l.o.w. and may cause a delay.

I'll keep ya's posted!

Many responsible breeders do not sell with full registration, and there are some that will convert it to full after certain criteria are met. There are so many backyard breeders out there trying to get their hands on good dogs and ride on the coat-tails of the good breeders without doing any of the work themselves that the responsible breeders really have no choice. We need to protect our dogs from falling into crappy situations, and selling on limited registration is one quick way to weed out people just looking to breed for a quick buck.

SackofSorry, of course that is true. I'm just wanting a great puppy to give him a great home, and see if I can get involved in a sport maybe someday, too. And I have not found this limited registration to be the case in Europe, where they have much stricter breeding criteria a dog must meet. I'm just getting tired of the searching and then finding out it's "limited" only.😀

And Moneygram was a no go, after the clerk at the big box asked if I knew this person and I don't like to lie. So she refused to do the transaction At another store, Western Union would have cost several hundred more in a less favorable exchange rate. So now it's back to plan Z, the bank....

Wellllll...2 bank transfers, one for the shipper and one for the breeder, and $190 in fees, and it's done (at my end). The breeder just said she needs the money by Friday which it may not get there that quickly. Because I think she hands the pups off to the shipper. But the puppy isn't supposed to be put on an airplane until May 23, Tuesday. So if she has to keep him and feed him a few extra days, sounds good to me. It all seems surreal at the moment....

Oh I hope it works out and puppy is soon on the plane to you! I bit my nails until Whatsright got Bella -- so now we have another nail biter. What is your puppy's name going to be?

His name is Mink. Depending on the sentence structure in his native language, he might by Minky, Minkova, etc.. We were told to choose a name that began with the letter of that breeder's litter (they do this with German Shepherds in Europe, apparently). One of his male ancestors on his mothers's side had that same first name. So I emailed the breeder and about 10 days later she emailed back "Mink it is!" Of course, the nickname will come later. Just like my H nicknamed our girl Noel "Missy." I call her Missy Bitz, since she tears everything she gets her teeth on 'to bits' - or I call her something else, depending on how baaaad she is being on a given day... 🐕‍🦺

I can see the Christmas card sig line now: ...and Missy & Mink!

Super I am so happy you got the logistics worked out. A former workmate just did the same thing, his Malinois arrives next week, and this is his second dog he has done this with.

Our new baby already has bout 3 nicknames. LOL It is funny how that happens.