Say No to Doggy Doors
This common household aid does more harm than good
This puppy is learning potty training, during a live session with me.
- If you’re with your dog, you know for certain your dog peed or pooped. This knowledge limits & even prevents accidents in the house.
- Taking your dog outside on leash helps teach puppies or new dogs where is a good place to go potty (not inside your home).
- It teaches future service dogs how to go on-leash, which helps for working in public
- If your dog doesn’t pee or poop, you know you will need to give your dog another chance later
- Dogs are 100% capable of going potty in the car, crate, treadmill, walks, in stores, etc.
- Service dogs & In-training dogs need to learn how to not go potty inside stores. If you miss their potty breaks and then aren’t sure if they’ve gone or not, you’re more likely to have a store accident to clean up.
- Hold the leash to keep your dog more focused on the current mission of “Go Pee/Poop”
- If your dog goes several routine potty breaks without peeing, pooping, or both, you’re aware of this & have a better chance to contact your vet early.
- Sometimes, it’s just a stubborn dog or a learning dog. Once you know their routine, though, it can be an early warning sign of health trouble.
- Poop frequency, consistency, and color are all indicators of your dog’s health. Gross it may be, but learn it. It’s essential to knowing your dog’s health.
- Blood in either pee or poop is a vet call
- How your dog stands or squats to pee/poop can be an indication of health, as well.
- An off-stance can be a sign of compensation for poor balance, a weaker limb, or an injury
- Suddenly changing how they go can be a sign of injury
- If your dog is straining or trying but nothing happens, and they haven’t gone in their routine times, it’s a sign to call your vet
This is the only time this mixed breed had a close to correct spine posture, but his legs are compensating overtime. Just to pee, this dog has to lean forward to the extreme of putting his front legs backwards, and tucking his hind legs up underneath himself. This is the only way he could hold himself to pee. That’s a dog struggling with balance.
Here, standing normally in their house, you can see his shoulders are lower than his hips, and his hind legs are naturally too far underneath himself. This would be like if you constantly stood leaning forward, with more weight on your toes, trying to use your upper body to hold yourself balanced. It matters for this dog, because it meant it wouldn’t be safe for him or his owner to ask him to be a balance assist service dog.
This dog’s shoulders were set a little high, but notice how his back slopes down, his front legs are like columns, and hind legs are out behind him? This is a more well-built dog & how he stood naturally. *He is a little extra alert about deer in the distance*
- If your service dog is out in the yard alone when you need help, they will not be able to help you as easily
- Select medical alert dogs may sense your need and come to you
- Mobility dogs and psychiatric dogs often act based on verbal cues or what they see in you, as the cue to help/act
- You may not be able to call out verbally or have the muscle strength to press a button to call for them
- It’s possible your service dog could’ve prevented an accident or a flare-up if they’d been with you.
- If you are with your service dog during their playtime and potty breaks, they are always right there, ready
- Think of unsupervised free time as a doctor drinking while on-call. It’s not a good idea for your safety, depending on your disability.
- Going outside with your dog gets YOU outside, too. It’s good for you, too.
- Even the best service dogs are capable of doing what they want; are you sure your service dog will reject the smells and the warm sun to return to the inside to help you, every single time?
A finished service dog is irreplaceable medical equipment; letting them outside alone is highly irresponsible as a handler and disrespectful to the work that’s gone into their training.
- An unsupervised dog is more likely to be stolen as certain breeds are extremely valuable to thieves
- A dog alone in a yard might run away if a someone opens your yard gate to pet the dog or “free” them
- There have been cases of dogs in fenced yards harassed by strangers, shot by cops, or attacked by rogue dogs
- Being alone gives your dog a better chance to dig out, scale or jump the fence, or breakthrough the fence and escape if they’re bored
- Dogs in heat, breeds with high drives to follow scents, & dogs with extreme reactivity may do whatever is necessary to break out of a yard
Being outside with your dog is an extra safeguard against them being stolen or harassed, gives you ample brief chances to train your dog, and helps you prevent your dog from practicing bad choices like pacing/digging/scaling/jumping the fence.
Service dog goes potty on leash outside a store
Supervised group dog playtime enables owners to correct bullying, keep playtime safer, & regulate the dogs’ energy levels
Unsupervised dogs are more likely to make bad choices, like chasing/attacking small animals
For Working Dogs on the Job:
- Teach how to go potty on-leash in a small area
- Develop confidence to go potty in weird areas, like in airports, on rocks, or on turf
- Peace of mind they won’t go potty inside public spaces
- Knowledge if they do go potty inside a store they may be sick or need to retire
Go on Pet-Friendly Adventures:
- Reliably go potty on-leash at rest stops. The leash “confines” them to one area. This skill needs to be taught.
- Teach how to go potty on-leash in small grass/mulch areas in a parking lot to prevent accidents inside stores. It happens in pet stores, but it’s a courtesy to show to staff if your dog has already gone outside.
- Easier potty breaks on walks and at the park
- Keep your easily distracted dog on task of going potty. Ever seen the poop dance for the perfect spot?
Training Benefits All Around
- Aids in potty training
- Pairing potty breaks and playtime helps stimulate your dog to go potty
- Supervising outdoor time helps you enforce behaviors you want your dog to do/not do. This keeps your training consistent.
- Allows you to enforce safe play with all the dogs in your home (multi-dog homes)
- More chances for you to train your dog, not them training you.
Book a training session with me to get help:
- Teaching yard boundaries
- Resetting your routines with supervised, structured potty breaks
- Adapting dog care to your disability
Stay tuned for “Saying No to Barking & Howls,” my next post in the Why It Matters series!
“Say No to Barking & Howls” will be essential to read or listen to if you have sound sensitivity and/or sensory overload episodes.
