When people are looking to get a dog, they ask about breed. They also ask about size, weight and shedding.
But the question we’re asked more than any other is, “Is he house-trained?”
It’s a valid question.
No one likes a dog (or any other animal) going to the bathroom in the house. Most of us have fairly strong feelings about there being a time (not three in the morning, please!) and a place (not behind the living room sofa!) for taking care of business.
However.
Dogs will be dogs. And they weren’t born knowing instinctively that humans would really prefer that they didn’t relieve themselves in the house. They have to be trained and actually shown where they should go.
We’re not just talking about puppies either. We are talking about any dog you bring into your house.
Here’s what behaviorists Patricia McConnell and Karen London say in their wonderful book, “Love Has No Age Limit: Welcoming an Adopted Dog into Your Home“:
“The first few hours can make all the difference between this [potty training] going smoothly or turning into a problem. For now, act as though you just brought home a puppy who has no idea where the bathroom is, because in a sense, you did.
“Grown dogs may be potty trained in one house, but not in another. Make no assumptions, no matter what anyone has told you, and start off right away teaching your dog the location of the bathroom.”
Think about it. It would be hard to find any shelter dog who hasn’t at one point or another spent some 12-plus hours sitting in his kennel without going outside. And depending on the shelter, that number can go way up, commonly hitting 20-plus hours.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to think a dog was holding it all that time. I’d like to think he’d relieve himself in his kennel. Not only is holding it that long uncomfortable, it’s unhealthy.
This is Herman, who is house-trained and available for adoption!
Even if your new dog doesn’t come from a shelter, you’re bringing him into a new environment. Maybe he had a set place to go to the bathroom in his old home, but that doesn’t mean he has a clue where to go to the bathroom in your home.
Because here’s the thing: Dogs are not great at generalizing.
For instance, if you teach your dog to sit on the living room carpet and the spot happens to be in front of the TV, that’s exactly what he’s learned: to sit in front of the TV! If you then ask him to sit in front of the dishwasher, don’t be surprised if he looks at you as if he never heard the word “sit” before!
Same thing with going to the bathroom. From the dog’s perspective, he’s thinking, “In my old place, I had this great little spot behind the dumpster for going to the bathroom.” He’s not able to think it through that he was going outside and not in the house (or kennel). He just knows he went … over there.
So now it’s your job to teach him to go here. (If you need help, here’s an article on how to house-train your dog.)
Is choosing a new dog a big, big decision? Absolutely.
But please don’t let house-training (or lack of house-training) determine whether you give a homeless dog a chance at a life.
Manage your expectations and remember what Patricia McConnell says: They’re all puppies when they walk into your house for the first time.
What have been your house-training experiences? Let us know in the comments section below.
DogsHome: Providing shelter, training and love
…. “They’re all puppies when they walk into your house for the first time”…Agree…