Can You Teach A Dog To Do The Dishes? A Certified Dog Trainer Weighs In

Not everyone enjoys loading dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Some people jokingly say that's what kids are for, but what if your "child" is canine? Can you teach a dog to help with this dreaded chore? Cuteness spoke exclusively with Russell "Russ" Hartstein, a certified dog behaviorist and trainer with Fun Paw Care in Los Angeles, about the same questions. As many dog parents have shown on social media, yes, you can absolutely train a dog to help with dishes, just like you can teach a child. In fact, a video of a dog named Yari loading a dish into the dishwasher with his teeth, pushing the rack in with his nose, and closing the door with his head recently went viral — but should you teach this?

How difficult is it to teach a dog to perform such a task using positive reinforcement? Yari's human had to spend up to 40 minutes a day, every day, training him, but it's unclear how many total days it took. From Russ' perspective, dogs aren't really placing dishes anywhere as much as they're dropping them from their mouths. In addition, Russ cautions that "there are many more potential (deadly) dangers in a kitchen than anywhere else in the house" as another reason you may want to avoid this trick.

Homeowners typically have glassware and silverware in their kitchen — items that wouldn't be ideal for a dog to handle in its mouth, according to Russ Hartstein. This is one of the reasons he advises against training dogs to help load dishwashers. In fact, he's not a fan of dogs even hanging out in the kitchen due to the potential hazards. Instead, he recommends to "train your dog to go to their place (outside of the kitchen or in their Zen area) or to do something else while you're loading the dishwasher or cooking."

Sure, it's adorable seeing Yari load one item into a mostly-empty dishwasher, but could he load plates between the tines? Probably not. If he could, it would take a lot more precision (and time). "While it might be cute or social media worthy to gain likes by seeing a dog dropping their plastic bowl in a dishwasher, it isn't very functional, practical, or safe," Russ exclusively tells Cuteness.

There's also the risk of food toxicity to consider if a dog licks remnants on the dishes, as some foods and drinks are dangerous to dogs. "While many dogs are bred to be working dogs, there are no dogs bred to be working chefs or chauffeurs or bus boys," Russ explains, "I could think of a thousand other tasks and working jobs for dogs that are safer and more practical than loading a dishwasher." So, while training a dog to load a dishwasher is technically possible with extensive training, it's not recommended from a dog expert perspective.