The Scoop On Poop
Many dog owners ask why the occasional house-training breech of etiquette continues to occur. Many lament, “He did it because he’s mad at me!” Let’s get it straight; there is no such thing as revenge pooping or peeing. In fact, dogs are proud of their elimination achievements. They don’t think it’s gross and disgusting, so why would they use it in vengeance? I suspect dogs consider pooping to be an art form.
Imagine the anthropomorphic picture we are creating around household accidents. You are absent long hours, so you envision Scruffy thinking, “Gee, they left me home alone again. This really makes me mad! What can I do to inform those ungrateful humans of my disenchantment? I’ve got it! In an effort to disgust them, I’ll deposit some malodorous poop dead center on the new, luxurious area rug. I’m sure they won’t appreciate that little surprise package. They must learn that leaving me alone has a heavy penalty!” With the possible exception of one Border Collie I know, it’s not likely that dogs have the capacity for such rational thought.
“Rubbing a dog’s nose in it” is another punishment myth I’d like to eliminate (pun intended) straight away. You’ve just been informed that dogs are proud of their biological accomplishments, so don’t you think they might actually enjoy having their noses rubbed in it? Some dogs even eat poop. I would suggest that the act of rubbing a dog’s nose in it, perhaps, facilitates their pleasure.
Anthropomorphism is amusing and even useful at times in exposing the absurdities of our thinking. For instance, do you suppose that our dogs question why we don’t rub the baby’s nose in his soiled diaper?
Living with three male dogs is not a lifestyle I’d recommend to anyone wishing to retain any shred of sanity. Case in point: the confusion between housetraining and marking of territory. In my household there’s an abundance of representative chest beating that occurs. To date, the biggest mystery is why Mr. MoJo has a penchant for marking major appliances. The recurring ritual watering of the refrigerator, dishwasher and/or washing machine defies theoretical or scientific explanation.
With the possible exception of marking territory, or what I refer to as the canine version of graffiti, housetraining is uncomplicated. Let’s cut the crap (another pun intended), dispose of the myths and get down to the business of reliably housetraining our dogs.