Can I trust a dog who's been house trained ?

Question

I paid a lot of money for a nice condo . My roommate is divorced and has a ten -- year -- old boy . The boy lives with his mother and spends weekends with us . The boy and his mother want to move to where he can have a dog . The boy wants the dog to spends weekends at my place . He insists he's house trained . My brother once had an outdoor dog . When my parents had to take care of this dog, my cousin said "He's used to going outdoors, so he WON'T go indoors !" . This dog peed on my parent’s carpet just the same . Somebody gave my former roommates a dog, and claimed he was house trained . He peed all over the afghan my Mom knitted for me . I don't expect dogs to be perfect, but I haven't had much luck with dogs who were house trained . WHY haven't I had much luck with dogs who were house trained ? Does a dog get confused by a new home ? Do dogs mark their territory like cats do ? Should I give another dog a chance ? If this dog doesn't work out, can I exile him ?

Answer 1

You have to take them outside to potty.

Answer 2

Dogs don't do anything out of spite as many people think. If he peed inside, you may have missed the signs that he needed to go out. I just got a dog two weeks ago and he is house broken but I still put him in his crate during the day when I am not at home. Treat the crate as a good place for him so he likes it. For example, randomly put treats in there so he will go in a get them (don't close the door though). You just have to be patient and keep training him. Don't give the dog up because you don't want to train him properly. That's not fair to him. He only knows what you teach him. They also say that if he pees on the floor and you find it an hour later, it's too late to scold him because he's already forgotten about it. Dogs want to make their owners happy but they don't know what you want. Training and lots of positive reward with treats is what you need.

Answer 3

stop hatin' on dogs!

yes, dogs do get confused in new houses. they will go for years without peeing in their own house but take them somewhere new and they will pee in 15-20 mins.

if the boy really wants to bring his dog on the weekend have a heart and let him do it. it is your condo but c'mon, divorce is hard on kids. do you really want to be the mean old landlord or would you rather be the nice person that helped a child and parent through a difficult time?

i'm sure little accidents will happen, but that's life. close your bedroom door, put away anything you don't want the dog to get. if you have furniture you don't want scratched cover it up with a blanket to see how the dog behaves. i'd also ask that your roomie vacuum the place each weekend after the dog leaves to get rid of any hair.

if things aren't working out after a month or so, like the dog is peeing or chewing stuff up, just have a talk with your roomie and tell him that the dog can't come over anymore, he'll understand.

Answer 4

Yes, the dog can get confused by being in a different location.

Yes, dogs do mark. Neutering young can help prevent that.

Honestly, it doesn't sound like the kid should get a dog. They obviously have no idea of how to deal with one properly and it will most likely end up being an afterthought as the kid ages. Poor dog.

Who will be potty training the dog on the weekends? Certainly not "the boy".

Who will watch the dog and let him out when he needs to potty? You can't trust this to a child.

As far as potty training, dogs that only go "outside", need to be let out to go potty. That simply means they haven't been potty trained.

My dog is generally fine at any house that she goes to, but I still watch her like a hawk.

I guess you could permit it unless the dog screws up, then ban the dog from your home. And, let the dad know that any mess will be his responsibility - meaning he pays for the carpet cleaning.

Answer 5

I would be honest and make an agreement with your roommate beforehand. Make your expectations known such as the dog is not allowed in the kitchen, on the furniture, your room, etc. Allow her to have the dog but if it ends up not potty trained or not suitable for your condo, then she would need to rehome it. You also have to understand that dogs are dogs and you may need to make accommodation such as closing your bedroom door to avoid access. And since its only the weekends, it won't be on a full time basis and the son would be happy as well. You never know, you may end up bonding and enjoying the dog as well !

Answer 6

dogs definitely get confused in new households. the responsibility for training a dog is on the people. a dog can't be expected to know what's going on. it needs to be kept on a schedule and it's routine should not be disrupted to the point of confusion. if you expect this dog to never have an accident in your house, do not allow it to come in. otherwise, expect an accident and expect to have someone (you or your roommate, not the 10 year old) be responsible for training it and cleaning up after it. good luck.

Answer 7

Other people's dogs ... if there's one thing I really detest ... it's other people's dogs. Especially when they promise they have a well behaved/trained dog and then the dog chews on your couch and craps on your bed. Then of course the owners shrug and giggle ...

I would never allow someone else's dog in my apt. Never. Especially if the dog is supposed to be looked after by a ten year old boy, you want to take bets on how many times YOU wind up cleaning the piddle puddle in the bathroom?

Stand by your guns, no dogs in YOUR apt.

Answer 8

A dog isn't house trained if it goes in peoples houses. Theres no inbetween.

Unless you want to pay for new carpeting, don't bring that dog.

Answer 9

house training is nothing to do with the way the dog will behave. it needs to be trained in all angles first

Answer 10

the dog would need to be trained to your house htis is usually easier if already trained to one house I would suggest a crate. and then teach him your routine and where he has to go