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"Housetrained" dog went pee inside... ?

An owner whose dog I am currently sitting -- let's call him Moe -- is not as housetrained as the owner claimed... at the meet and greet, she insisted he only needed to go out twice a day, 30 min after each meal.

Yesterday was my first day with Moe. As I work from home, I am fortunate to have the luxury of letting allowing very frequent potty breaks. My own dog doesn't go more than 2-3 hours without a trip outside. Moe spent plenty of time outside, sometimes peeing, sometimes not.

Today, as I was eating dinner, Moe left a large yellow puddle on the floor. At no point had he approached me or the backyard door to indicate he might need to go. And he had just been outside not long ago.

What do I do about this? Moe is with me for another 3 days, and I don't want to be in constant fear that he's going to make a mess (omg, what if he goes #2???).

Can I charge the owner for the mess? How do I do that?

Thanks for your comments!

2 Answers

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That's really common for dogs in a new environment. Dogs learn very situationally, rather than generally. So when teaching a dog a behavior, it has to be taught in a lot of different settings before the dog learns to generalize the concept. That's why a dog may know 'sit' in your living room, but doesn't seem to know it as well outside, or even if you are standing a different distance away from her or at a different angle than she is used to. This is the same for housetraining. A dog may be perfectly housetrained at home, or even at all the places he visits frequently, but in a new environment, especially if he's stressed or nervous or excited, it will take a little consistency before he catches on that he's still inside, just a different inside. If you have a different floor type, if other dogs have been there (and especially if other dogs have had accidents inside) and left their smells, if he's feeling a little off, or if he's a bit unsure of himself and his surroundings - these are all very normal reasons a dog will potty inside. Be sure to give him lots of praise for going outside, and clean up the mess well with enzymatic cleaner to discourage him from going again, and interrupt any suspicious behavior with a happy suggestion to go outside. Since he's learned it before, it won't take long for him to get in the groove.

Cleaning up the occasional mess is all part of the gig, and not something to charge the owners for. If you're operating with a business license, you can write off work expenses, including cleaning supplies. If he does it more than a couple times, it might be worth mentioning to the owners in an "FYI, he had a few accidents, it's no big deal, but he may need a little more training in new environments" way, and if it's a huge deal to you, you can decline to watch him in the future. But really, it's just a hazard of the job and can happen with any dog in a new space, so if it happens again, you just clean it up.

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Wow, thanks for the great response, Laura! As an animal-lover, but also a mere human, I try my best to be patient. I'll keep in mind everything you mentioned :)

No problem - glad I could help! I know some people have more issues with male dogs than female, but in my experience it's quite a few of each. I'd say at least a third of new guests has 1 or two accidents, usually on the first day. I always take them out for a little walk within 5-10 mins of arriving, even if they've just gone, since that's the most common time for accidents.

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It happens more than I'd like to admit! I invested in a RugDoctor portable cleaner for the accidents. Also a good spray for the dogs who mark anything. There are a lot of reasons why dogs have accidents inside a new place but I agree with Laura that it is NOT something you should charge the owner for. If they ask if the dog had accidents, I disclose it at that time, but I never proactively tell them as it can come across harsh.