Housebreaking a 2-3 year old rescue--help!

[DavisBxrLvr]

Anyone out there have experience potty training an older dog? We LOVE our sweet rescue boy, but he obviously never spent time inside a home during the formative years of his life (or if he did, was never crate trained or properly housebroken.) We've had him for about three weeks, and he does fine in his crate while we are away during the day, but he's had three accidents when he is not in the crate. The first two times were early on and were obvious mistakes on our part, but now that we have an established routine, we thought we were in the clear. Unfortunately, he had a third accident today. In hindsight, our routine was a little different since it was a Saturday today, and we probably should've let him out earlier, but I guess we got comfortable and assumed he had caught on to the housebreaking thing...

He obviously doesn't yet know how to indicate to us that he needs to go outside to do his thing (which means he doesn't KNOW yet that he is expected to go outside all the time.) It seems like the solution is either that we have to be more regimented in terms of formal potty breaks, or we have to go back to crate training. Problem is that he gets very upset if he is not right next to us, and will bark incessantly if stuck in the crate while we are in the house. Anyone have ideas for another solution? Any tips on how to tell when a dog seems to need to go to the bathroom?

 

[apollosdad]

sounds like you have partially answered your question already.

stick to your weekday routine, even on the weekends. your dog is still getting used to his very new environment and it will likely take some time as he might get confused along the way. just remember to be patient. "set him up for success" as much as you can.

if you have difficulty sticking to a routine, try logging it down and follow the times written down. this will help you with consistency.

do not expect too much from your dog right away. too many people tend to lighten up the supervision when their dog goes accident-free for a few days thinking that they are potty trained.

if you would like to use the crate, then simply ignore him when you put them in there and do not give them any sort of negative-attention. act as if they are invisible. do not make eye contact or look in their general direction. although it might be tough at first, you need to also ignore the barking. by giving in and releasing him from the crate because you don't want to continue to have him bark, he is technically training you to let him out. in addition, try placing him in the crate for more frequent but shorter time frames. if you only use the crate when you place him in there for very long periods, this might cause a negative experience to be associated with the crate.

 

[EAO76]

Treat him like a puppy & give no freedom until he earns it. Remind him to go out often & praise like crazy when he does it right! He’ll get it. Just be patient & supervise, supervise, supervise! The more often he is allowed to make a mistake the harder it will be. Set him up for success by eliminating the opportunity for errors. Good luck!

 

[DavisBxrLvr]

Thanks for the tips! Yes, I think we generally know where to go with this, but it's helpful to have that confirmed and also to have the simple reminders that it may take weeks or even months before he's fully used to this new environment. A paper log is a great idea, and good point about the crate. It's true that he is only confined to the crate right now for long periods of time, but so far that hasn't caused a negative association. For example, he will choose to walk into the crate and hang out there while we are all eating dinner (his crate is near our kitchen table). I can't stand listening to a dog barking--it tugs at my heartstrings as if I'm hearing my own child cry!--so maybe I just need to leave the house while we are working on this particular part of his training.

 

[MeegasMommy]

My baby girl is 2 1/2 years old, but when she was a puppy I use to take her out like every 30 minutes & then after a few days it would be every 45 min's & then after a few more every hour & so on. I did it like that b/c she was a pup & couldn't hold it that long, but since your boy is older I would maybe try that but maybe every hour & a half & then any time when he does go give him a treat or just let him know "Good job boy". I was also told that it's a good idea to take them out shortly after they eat. I always take Meega(my pup) out right before going to sleep & first thing in the morning. When Meega was little I could usually guess if she was looking for a spot in the house she would start smelling around on the ground. I'm sure he'll get it soon. Meega when she was potty trained sometimes had accidents when we'd be out of town at a new place she wasn't familiar with. Congrat's on your new boy!

 

[apollosdad]

I can't stand listening to a dog barking--it tugs at my heartstrings as if I'm hearing my own child cry!--

if he does begin to bark, whine, howl, etc when you start leaving him in the crate, then YOU MUST follow through with it and not give into the crying. otherwise your dog is merely training you to come to him when he wants. instead of letting him out of the crate when he is barking, wait until he stops barking, whining and is quiet and then release him. this will begin to teach him that good things happen to him when he is quiet and not the other way around.

keep in mind that when he is in the crate he is safe from harm, and that dogs are denning animals by nature. it might be a bit difficult for you, but i assure you that if it is done properly, it shouldn't last too long. the more negative attention you give the dog while in the crate the longer you will make the transition. good luck.

 

[TwoDogs]

Alot of people (myself included) have had great success with training a dog to ring a bell to go outside. It doesn't magically housebreak them, but it does give the dog a clear way to signal you that they have to go out. You still have to do the work teaching them that they only eliminate outside, but some dogs get the idea much faster when they play an active role in the process.

As for time in the crate, give him something hard to chew, or a puzzle toy stuffed with something to keep him busy in the crate. He'll be less apt to fuss because he's not with you if he has something to keep him occupied.

If you don't want to have to keep him in the crate, consider leashing him to you so you are aware if he starts looking like he needs to go. It also prevents him from disappearing to another part of the house to pee.

You could try a belly band to prevent the urinating between trips outside. Some dogs won't wear them, but for some, it does prevent them from going while it's on. Of course, if you shouldn't leave them on for extended times, or use them to replace frequent trips outside to eliminate, but if he's out of the crate and can't be tethered to you or watched consistently, a belly band might be a temperary solution until he is fully trained.

Lastly, is he neutered? Is there a chance he could be marking rather than just relieving himself?