House-training needs to be reinforced in new space

Dear Cathy: I have a 2-year-old Shih Tzu-pomeranian mix who has been trained to go outside since he was 5 months old. When he is at my son’s house, though, he pees and poops on the tile floor. He does not do this at my house; he goes out the puppy door as he was trained to do. My son has a puppy door also for his 5-year-old female Lab. Both dogs get along well and play together. Why does my dog relieve himself in my son’s house and not mine? — Joann, Las Vegas

Dear Joann: When you teach a dog to “sit” in your house and then take him for a walk and ask him to “sit,” he may not do so. That’s because it’s not just the repetition of teaching a dog to “sit” that makes him sit, but training him to obey that request every time you ask. It’s essential to introduce him to the “sit” command in various locations inside and outside your home so he learns to sit whenever and wherever he is asked.

The same applies here. When your dog is at your son’s house, it’s a new place, and the excitement of another dog may be throwing him off his game. Use the same methods you used at your house to teach him to use the doggy door at your son’s house.

In addition, you also can add “scent training” simultaneously if it’s slow going. Rub a hot dog on the doggy door at your house to leave a scent. Then, do the same at your son’s house while incorporating your other training. If he goes through the door at your house with this scent, he will probably go through the door at your son’s home because the smell will be the same.

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