How can you house break a dog that is two years old?

Question

We have had this dog for two years and have always put training pads down now how can we get her to go out to use the bathroom?

Answer 1

Let’s say your car keys are on the same hook for years and then all of a sudden someone decided to move them. Will you know where to look without having anyone telling you? Not always. Although I haven’t seen any evidence to support this behavior with dogs I know something that has worked for me personally. Do not in the first day take the pad outside and expect him to know its there. Yes, he has a sense of smell and he knows that the pad is where he goes to potty.

At the same time, his trained mind is telling him to go to the same exact spot. This was done at first with repetition. He did it over and over, day in and day out until he did it out of pure instincts. We don’t want to confuse that good behavior or remove it. We want to shift it slightly. For one of my dogs who had the same issue (though at a much younger age), I daily moved the pad further and further away from its spot and closer towards the back door.

It might seem a little gross to some but it gives them time to adapt to the subtle changes. They might think...
“Oh, okay this is my new spot; it’s still close to my old one so I’ll go potty anyway.” With the technique of moving the pad outside, “Uh oh, where is my pad! Oh my god. It’s gone! Help!”.

Not all dogs are the same though so you need to search what works best for them. Already some good ideas have been posted but I agree with taking him on walks, rewarding him or her, and exercising patience.

Once the dog is comfortable with using the pad outside of the house, you can work on putting the pad further and further away from the door. Don’t take one giant step but many small baby steps. In time, what you can do to entirely remove the pad is actually to make it smaller. Some dogs need the pad as a visual guideline. Others do not. If your dog needs to see the pad, don’t take that from him. Make the pad smaller until ultimately there is no pad left. I am no professional but it’s something that worked for me when nothing else did. This shouldn’t take a year either because of the age of the dog. I did this step and in a matter of weeks; voila.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Training them to go outside takes a lot of practice & time. Start by taking the pad outside to where you'd want them to go to the bathroom, & then take your dog out every 2-3 hours & walk them around for about 15-20 minutes, or if you have a yard, let them out in your yard, then bring them back in. Just leave the dirty pad outside until dark time then throw that pad away & start over again the next day with the next dirty pad. Depending on your dog, it will take at least 2 weeks for it to start working.

Answer 3

Take the training pads outside, at first close to your door then further and further away. Take your dog outside ever hour or so and take her where the pad is. When you see her about to use the bathroom in your home, say "no, outside" firmly and take her out. (Ever time you start to take her out, say "outside" even if she has not tried to use the bathroom in your home.)

Answer 4

Keep taking her outside, when she uses the bathroom outside give her treats. It will take some time but take her outside ever hour or so, tell her no or bad dog when she goes inside. If she won't go outside no matter what, take her to an expert, it's their job to do what you can't.

Answer 5

Try the website "westwoodanimalhospital.com" should find some helpful hints...Good Luck!