Does Frost on the Door Mean Pee on Your Floor?

Originally published in TC Dog in 2004.

When I look outside, I can see my neighbor in her backyard. She looks so happy—eyeing the sky hopefully for the inches of snow forecast for this afternoon. Her four Huskies look hopeful, too, yipping and dancing inside their kennels. Me, I plan to flip on the gas fireplace, grab a good book, and sidle in to join my dachshund that is already hibernating on the couch. For some people and their dogs, the snow and cold offer an exciting opportunity to play. For others, like me and Scooter, venturing outside is strictly a summer affair. Only one problem… Scooter’s bathroom is out there!

“Inappropriate elimination” is a term typically used to describe urination and/or defecation that occur inside the house. In the dog’s viewpoint, there may be nothing inappropriate about it. “I had to go; I went; no big deal.” To ensure that the dog eliminates in areas we humans find appropriate, we need to examine the dynamic from the viewpoint of the dog and make the rewards of doing what we want worth the trouble. Motivation is the key word. Dogs do what pays off best for them in their own minds—like many behaviors—a simple cost-vs.-benefit equation. To maintain your dog’s motivation to eliminate outside, think of ways to decrease the cost of outdoor ventures, or increase the benefits.

Decrease the costs and increase the benefits

The whole idea here is to make the process as comfortable as possible. Some dogs, especially small or thin-coated dogs learn to appreciate the value of a dog sweater or overcoat. In theory, boots to protect the pads from snow and ice may also be an option.

However, if your dog hates the boots, putting them on before going out each time may not have the desired effect. It can also be helpful to shovel an area so your dog has easy access without having to traverse the deep snow. (If the snow is more than a few inches deep, low-flying Scooter leaves five tracks…ouch!)

They say misery loves company, and in this case, your presence can make a difference. Head outside with your dog. While you’re out there, up the ante in your favor by rewarding your dog with a tiny bit of high-value food and quiet praise the instant elimination ends. Timing is very important here. Offer the food reward the very instant the dog is done eliminating. If you wait at the door, and the dog runs back to you for the reward, then running back to you earned the reward and not eliminating outdoors. To decrease the likelihood that your dog will be able to successfully eliminate inside, limit your dog’s access to rooms or areas of the house used as a winter toilet by closing doors, using baby gates, or attaching a lightweight leash to you and the dog.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em

For some dogs, battling the outdoors is too unpleasant to contemplate no matter how we manipulate the cost/benefit ratio. If you “can’t beat ‘em” you can always “join ‘em” by creating an indoor elimination area. To do this, use a substrate (refers to the type of material used on the floor of the elimination area) that has a feel that is both attractive to dogs and distinct from substrates the dog may encounter indoors such as carpet. Whatever you use should allow for easy cleanup. Commercially produced dog litters are available, or you can create your own using materials similar to those that your dog uses outside. Be careful where you place this litter area.

Dogs develop substrate preferences and will seek out the material that they have learned to use for elimination, but they also develop location preferences. Create the indoor elimination area in a location that you are ready to keep for a long time. Some dogs get a bit confused by the whole process and do better either using the indoor area exclusively or the outdoor area exclusively.

To teach your dog to reliably use the indoor elimination site, arrange things so that you are able to observe every act of elimination for a few weeks. On a regular schedule, accompany your dog to the indoor elimination area and give free, observed access to its use. Be ready immediately with quiet praise and food rewards for the instant success occurs. If your dog already knows a command to eliminate such as “hurry up” or “go potty” it may help to get things going.

Mistakes…whose are they?

Oops, you just found a warm wet puddle under the piano. Now what?! This is hard advice to accept, but with what we know about the science of canine learning, the only response that makes any sense is to do nothing. Your dog can learn to predict that owner in the room + puddle on the floor = big trouble for dog. This learned expectation prompts your dog to give you all sorts of appeasement signals which we humans chalk up to admission of guilt.

Your dog cannot go back in time and make the mental connections necessary to figure out that “If I hadn’t put that puddle on the floor, I wouldn’t be in trouble now.”

The truth is that punishment after the fact makes us feel better but does nothing to improve the dog’s behavior… a fact that was brought home hard to me years ago when I punished my own guilty-looking dog for the fresh puddle on the floor…only to find out the puddle was cola, not urine. So concentrate on the reward system, arrange things to prevent undesired behavior, and enjoy that fireplace this winter.

Margaret M. Duxbury, DVM, Dipl. ACVB. Veterinary Behaviorist, University of MN Veterinary Medical Center, www.cvm.umn.edu/vmc/abs/home.html.