Face it — dog is not housebroken

Dear Uncle Matty: You may think this is strange, but I have a 4- year-old Staffordshire terrier named "Moosy," and she is a darling, lovable dog.

But she has a partial problem. She is housebroken except when I am not at home. When I leave the house for a few minutes or a few hours, I know I will come home to a mess that I have to clean up. It may be on the carpet or the wood floor. It may be in the living room, the bedroom or anywhere.

When I'm home, she always goes outside. Is she doing this out of spite because I leave her alone? -- Patient But Sick of Messes in Washington, D.C.

Dear Sick of Messes in D.C.: The problem here is that your dog is not really housebroken, or she would not be using your home as a potty. And you've been living with this for four years? That is not patience. That is (I say this kindly) ridiculous! And on top of that, you are probably giving her access to water 24/7 and giving her full run of the house whether you are home or not. And these may be only two of the culprits.

If you have not professionally removed all the odors, your dog will keep going back to the same spots for the same reason. The bad news is, she has formed a really bad, stinky habit. The good new is, most dogs, regardless of age, can be housebroken, providing a strict scheduling program is followed. Visit www.woofgazette.com, and look for Housebreaking in the "Training Tips" section.

Then, look for your housebreaking excuse in the list below. Yes, you are not alone. Here are my Top-Ten Housebreaking Excuses based on 35 years of dog training and thousands of phone calls and e- mails from dog owners like you.

No. 10: He doesn't do it all the time. (He doesn't have to. Once is enough!)

No. 9: He only does it when I'm not home. (Whether you are home or not, it's still a problem.)

No. 8: He knows he has done wrong because he looks guilty. (Dogs are not guilty; people are. If he looks guilty or frightened, it's because he is afraid of the punishment.)

No. 7: He didn't tell me he had to "go." (Well, that's personal.)

No. 6: He only does it when he's mad at me. (And what makes him mad? That's another list.)

No. 5: He's 75 percent (or 50 percent or 25 percent) housebroken. (Now there's a concept!)

No. 4: It's only "No. 1." (If it's only three or four times a week times 52 weeks a year, that's a lot!)

No. 3: He's well trained, but he's not housebroken. (It's all or nothing!)

No. 2: He'll grow out of it. (Dogs don't grow out of it; they grow into it.)

No. 1: He's a small dog, and he only piddles two teaspoons full. (OK, let's do the math again: Two teaspoons full times number of times a day times 365 days a year. It adds up.)

If you have a dog that's not housebroken, what's your excuse? Actually, you shouldn't have any excuses. Damage and repair because of dogs that aren't housebroken runs into the millions every year. The cost of proper training is a fraction of your costs if you have an untrained, not housebroken dog.

Good luck, and WOOF!

--Uncle Matty

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Send your questions to dearuncle.gazetteunclematty.com or mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619. ? Creators Syndicate Inc.

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