Whom would you correct?

Question

Here's a situation I overheard being discussed at work a couple months ago.. I'm curious about what others think.

Suppose you're a parent in a home that also has a dog. You direct one of the children (7 or 8+ years of age) to let the dog out to potty. For one reason or another, the child doesn't follow through with his/her assigned chore and eventually, the animal has no choice but to leave a mess on the floor.

So which do you correct? Why? How would you carry out the correction?

Answer 1

i would correct the child because u spoke to the child to let the dog out, remember if the dog isn't let out he'll just go wherever he needs to, and whether it's in the living room, outside in the backyard or kitchen etc, he has to go so he will go, so the one to be punished here is the child because he/she did not follow the rules that was told to him/her.

Answer 2

That is definitely the kid's fault.  You should make the kid clean up the mess, (then make sure the kid washes his/her hands.)  Depending on the kid's level of responsibility, he may need to be grounded for a day, (or something unpleasant) in order to help him remember to take the dog out.  Or, if the doggy negligience is not particularly characteristic of the kid, he may just need to be lightly scolded.

Answer 3

You don't correct either one of them.

The dog will not understand why it is being punished...it was not let out and had no choice.  This would like punishing a child who was not allowed to use the restroom and ended up soiling himself.

Punishing the child just leads to resentment.

The best thing to use is natural consequences.  You don't let the dog out, it has an accident, you clean it up.  It's not a correction.  It's just the way life is.

Be well.

Answer 4

I would correct the parents for letting his children become lazy. Our children do as we do.

Answer 5

The child would get corrected. why? well obviously a dog or any animal cannot let itself out, what other options does it possibly have? how would I correct it? the child would have to clean up the mess. and if there is any cleaning bill to be had..they would work it off by doing chores.

Answer 6

the kid, the dog would have gone potty in the yard if the child let the dog out

Answer 7

the child  he had a chance to do the rite thing the dog did not get that chance because  of the kids choice.

Answer 8

the kid it wasnt the dogs falt he had to go to the potty

Answer 9

Both, the dog needs to be reinforced that its not supposed to potty in the house by showing the dog it and saying no sternly. Also the child should be made to watch the dog get punished so they see that they were responsible for its punishment. Then the child shoul dbe grounded for not listening and ignoring their chores.

Answer 10

Correct the child. The dog knows that it must go outside to go potty. If the child is not responsible enough to follow athe simple direction, the child receives the punishment (cleaning up the dog urine). A dog can only hold it so long and if the dog is trying to go outside but cannot, it must relieve itself inside.

Answer 11

funny you should ask....i have the exact same problem as we speak LOL i have a 7 year old son and a 7 year old step-son. my step son's mom bought him a puppy for his birthday and it comes to my house with him during the week and her house on the weekends (he lives here) i can't tell you the last time HE has taken care of the dog! the dog wanted out last night and i told the boys to let him out and immediately they started whining about having to do everything for the puppy. in the meantime...the puppy peed on my floor. then they were arguing about who had to clean it up!! argh! it drives me nuts.

but to answer your question...you have to punish them both. even though the dog tried to tell them he had to go, he still peed in the house. and the kids need to learn responsibility if they want a pet.

now, one boy lets him outside and the other lets him in.  (they take turns)

if he happens to pee before they get to him, one will blot the carpet with paper towels and the other gets the scrub brush.

Answer 12

Clearly the child.  Obviously, a dog cannot hold it forever.  If this was the first time the child did something like this, I'd let it go though.  If this was the second time or it was happening repeatedly, I'd ground the kid for the day or give him/her an extra chore for a week or so, and of course have them clean up the mess.  It's a privilage to own a pet.

Answer 13

The kid; he is perfectly capable of opening the door and shooing a dog out every couple of hours. Punish the kid like you usually would AND make him clean up the mess.  Up the punishment each time this happens.Also pay attention to where the dog went. If it was near the door, it probably means the dog was trying to get out.