House breaking an older dog?

Question

I've got a 4 yr. old female cocker spaniel that was rescued after being abused, but my problem is that I can't seem to get her house broken. I've tried newspaper, puppy pads and scolding.nothing has worked any suggestions?

Answer 1

Put a body harness on your dog and a 5-6 foot long leash. Whenever the dog is inside and not crated than tie the leash to your belt..so you will be constantly seeing the dog. When you see it start to search/circle/signal otherwise that it needs to go, walk the dog immediately outside to an appriopriate potty area. Make sure you use your chosen command word, give plenty of praise and treat when completed (make sure you have treats in your pocket, don't delay with rewarding the dog). Do this until your dog is consistently trying to drag you to the door to show you that it neds to go outside.

Make sure you've cleaned the inside of the house of all priors accidents, this means not just getting rid of the visible stains but of the enzymes..use a good cleaner rated for cleaning biological stains and odors... I use Orange TKO (it's great for anything in the house [laundry, bedding, general cleaning] and safe for pets) or Nature's Miracle...make sure you buy the dog formula.

Answer 2

Questions:

1) Why are you using Newspaper and Puppy pads? Does the dog not have a garden to toilet in?

2) Why are you scolding a dog especially a rescue dog?

Toilet training is not a science, it's actually very simply granted you are 100% consistent and do not confuse the dog.

The dog should never ever have an accident inside the house because part of toilet training is watching the dog every time it moves, a dog should never be allowed out of your sight whilst you are home.

If a dog has an accident inside the home and you catch it, then you give a calm but firm "No" and take the dog outside to finish toileting. Do not interact with the dog whilst you are waiting for it to finish, simply give a command word "Toilet" that it will learn over the coming weeks and then wait. When the dog starts to toilet you say in a calm voice "Good Toilet", when the dog finishes you lay on the praise big time, get excited with the dog so that it learns that toileting outside brings fun and praise.

If the dog has an accident inside the house and you did not catch it, you can not do anything, this has been your fault because you weren't watching, simply clean it up and use a special spray you get from the pet store to remove the stain and the odour that the dog can smell that you can't that indicates to the dog where it should toilet.

NEVER EVER smack the dog, yell at the dog, shake the dog or rub its' nose in it if it has an accident, this will only teach your dog fear and it will continue to toilet inside but try and hide this from ypu by doing it when you're not around.

To start toilet training a dog, you should take it outside every 30 - 60 minutes and give the command word "Toilet" and follow the above guidelines.

Also take the dog outside after playing, eating, before going to bed & waking up. I always reccomend taking the dog outside on a leash so that it can not run back into the house.

Adults are extremelty easy to toilet train, they do not want to mess in their environment. I foster care and toilet train adult dogs 80% in 48 hours and the remaining by the end of the week.

Remember the praise when the dog does what it is meant to do, it is the most important aspect to toilet training.

Answer 3

first throw out the newspaper and pads. don't scold her but praise her when she does right. older dogs can be housetrained just like a pup, it just takes more patience and time. get a crate, and make her feel comfortable going into the crate. i start with giving them a small low fat dog treat when they go in and then do it randomly and then stop the treats all together. they learn that the crate is a safe place and not one of punishment. a crate should be big enough for a dog to stand up turn around and lay back down. it will take time, be patient and stay outside with her until she goes no matter how long. praise her when she's done going potty if you praise while they are going sometimes they will stop and run to you and then finish inside. i also reccomend finding a training class you can enroll in, this will help you bond better with this dog and teach her that you are to be respected, not feared or bullied by her. as with the training class all things will take longer than a puppy, or maybe not, just take your time and work at her pace and you will have a great pet and friend for years to come!

Answer 4

there is no difference between house breaking an older dog vs. a younger dog--scolding doesn't work either. Try establishing a routine with your dog. Put her on a leash every hour and walk her outside where you want her to "go"--remember this dog was abused so you don't want to use any negativity. Once she goes, praise her to death, pet her on the head like she's the only dog in the whole world that ever figured it out--you have to watch her while she's in the house also and eventually you will just "know" when she has to go--It may take longer with her because she's been mistreated but it should work--my 2 1/2 yr old beagle came to me when he was 1 1/2 yrs old and wasn't house broke either, but he is now--ps. I'm assuming you have already taken her to the vet and she's ok? good luck

Answer 5

I had to do this to for an older dog , Just let them out durring the day more and more and if they go outside praise them or give them a treat but not to many times cause it could turn into a habbit, but keep doing the puppy pads and newspaper..etc...over time it should work. Not much but i hope it helps, good luck

Answer 6

If she is four years old you need to first rule out medical problems. Rule out incontenance and possible bladder/urinary tract infections. You will not get this info with a normal check up. You need to ask your veterinarian specifically for a check on these problems.

If you discover that it is not medical you need to find someone that is knowledgeable in dog behavior and has dealt with shy/insecure dogs.

You also should try to crate train her. Scolding would be the worst thing you could do.

I would have to have some more background on her to give more clear-cut answers and it's best to have someone come in and evaluate her and help you both out.

Answer 7

You might have to watch her and when she starts going pick her up and put on the paper or puppy pads to let her know that is where she is supposed to go.