Effects of preadoption counseling for owners on house-training success among dogs acquired from shelters.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of preadoption counseling for owners on house-training success among dogs acquired from shelters.


METHODS
Prospective study.


METHODS
113 dog owners.


METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 54) or a control (59) group. Dog owners in the treatment group received counseling (5 minutes' duration) regarding house-training. Owners in the control group did not receive counseling, but all other adoption procedures were otherwise identical to those applied to the treatment group. All participants were contacted by telephone 1 month after adoption of a dog for assessment of house-training status and related issues by use of a standardized survey method; data were compared between groups.


RESULTS
Most shelter dogs were considered successfully house-trained by their owners 1 month after adoption. Furthermore, dogs were considered house-trained by significantly more owners who received preadoption counseling than control group owners (98.1% vs 86.4%). Owners who received counseling used verbal punishment on their dogs during house-training less frequently and applied enzymatic cleaners to urine- or feces-soiled areas more frequently than owners in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Results have suggested that brief preadoption counseling for owners enhances successful house-training of dogs adopted from shelters. Counseling owners at the time of pet acquisition may thus have beneficial effects in the prevention of inappropriate elimination behaviors. Veterinarians and animal care staff should be encouraged to devote time to counsel new pet owners on successful house-training, as well as other healthcare and behavioral needs.
Herron
Meghan E
ME
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Lord
Linda K
LK
Hill
Lawrence N
LN
Reisner
Ilana R
IR
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010067:Ownership; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching