Can I potty train a three-year-old male dog?

Question

I have found an abused male boxer that I really want to adopt, but he is three years old, and has never been neutered. I don't know if he has ever been an inside dog or not. We would definitely have him inside, and he would be neutered before he was brought home. Do you think there is any chance that we could potty train this dog, or is he destined to pee on everything because he has never been neutered? Thanks!

Answer 1

We adopted an adult dog too, and at that time he was not housebroken. When we brought him home he immediately peed on the wall. :) But that was the only time and after that he did not pee in the house anymore. We had more problem with pooing in the house, but since both of us worked he was left alone for about 7-8 hours right after we got him. For about 3 weeks we have restricted him to the living room when we were not home and covered the room with newspaper. He was completely housebroken in less then a month. We rewarded him every time we got home and he had no accidents. Never punished him for the accidents though, since he was from a shelter, so we did not want to cause more trauma to him. Instead all we had to do is change the tone of our voice and he got the message.
I think dogs when they mark - peeing everywhere - they usually pee where other dogs have peed before them. And being neutered or not does not make much difference, i had them both.
The initial hardship, and there is going to be some, well worth it, they will appreciate you for life.

Answer 2

We get dogs into the rescue who have never been housebroken that really must learn that technique before they can be adopted out. Regardless of age, it is absolutely possible to housebreak a dog, but it is a good idea to make sure the dog doesn't ahve other issues, such as a urinary infection (outdoor dogs are more susceptable).

There are a variety of techniques, but in my opinion what your really asking about is marking, and it is possible, even if this dog is housebroken, that he will still mark. The best age to have a dog neutered is after 6 months but before 18 months, and this rule can vary slightly.

Assuming you are open to a variety of methods, which range from traditional training, to e-collars, to controlling feedeing/watering times, you can probably find a solution to accommodate your home and the new dog. This will involve work, so be prepared.

Answer 3

Well you can , read this guide , its awesome to help you train your dog http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/?aff=basimdcs , Hope this helps