housetraining with doggy door

Question
QUESTION: Hi Barb,

I'm about to adopt a 1 year old rescue dog whose housebroken status is unknown.  I have a doggy door, and I'm getting ready with a crate and also have a containment area for the dog during the day (kitchen/dining room, where the doggy door is)

My question is whether allowing the dog to have access to the doggy door from the beginning will prevent her from learning to restrain herself. I'd like to be assured that she is housebroken so if I travel with her, or bring her somewhere with no doggy door, I can feel confident she has the ability to control herself.   Should i block the doggy door to start, so she doesn't have this option?

Unfortunately, I am gone too long during the day (8 hours) to leave her in the crate the entire time, so I'm a bit worried that if i block the door, she'll just pick a corner of the kitchen to use, and that will become her spot to relieve herself.

Thanks very much for your help!

Amy

ANSWER: Hi Amy.  It's great that you're doing this planning BEFORE the dog comes home.  For the first week or so, put the crate up flush up against the doggie door (with the crate door open), so she has just 2 options - pottying outside or in her crate.  She'll choose to go outside.  

Once she's reliably going outside, you can begin to expand the interior area to your kitchen/dining room.  

You'll want to be sure that the dog will be safe with access to your backyard while you're gone, so plan some time when you can leave her alone for a couple hours at a time before you have to go into work for a full day.  Be sure she's not digging, or is a fence jumper, or a barker!

Please let me know if you have any questions.  Good luck with your new dog!!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the very fast response! Just a final question - will her ability to always access the doggy door at home prevent her from learning to hold it in, if we're in a different situation where there is no doggy door and she is left alone for a few hours?

Answer
No, it shouldn't.  I have a doggie door and 4 dogs.  The door isn't always open and they learn control.  They develop a substrate preference for their elimination areas and don't want to soil their homes unless absolutely necessary. Having a crate for when you're traveling away from home is always a good idea.  Sometimes dogs will get nervous in a new place and if they have the familiar crate with them, it helps.