Housetraining a Dog

Housetraining an older dog can be one of the most difficult things we as trainers can do. The dog that is over two years of age and still goes to the bathroom in the house has a chronic problem. Unfortunately most people think if they can't do on their own then no one can. That’s just not true. Housetraining like any behavior related problem can be relearned. Determining the underlying cause of the problem should be the first goal.

You see not every dog that urinates in the house actually has a housebreaking problem. Male dogs that lift their legs on furniture, corners of walls and legs of chairs may be displaying territorial making behavior. Why is this important? Would you give a man with a broken foot a decongestant? You would have misdiagnosed the problem all together and the cure just would not apply. You see the dog that marks territory is displaying dominance behavior. He thinks he is the pack leader and his job is to define the packs boundaries. On the other hand the dog that is just not housebroken doesn't really understand that "ALL" bodily functions should be taken outside. Not trying to muddy the waters but sometimes it's a combination of both. Some dogs are trying to be the alpha and at the same time their owners have not been able to housetrain them to it becomes a jumble of behaviors.

Other dogs have been allowed to develop bad habits or just got away with it for so long the behavior became habitual. I have seen 8 year old dogs that have been going to the bathroom in the house since they were puppies. There have been homes that I have been to that wreaked of urine and ammonia so badly you could smell it before they opened the door. All of these dogs learned to go outside! Don't get me wrong it wasn't easy and their owners had to be totally committed to doing what their trainer told them to. But they did it!

So how did they have success housebreaking an older dog when so many others fail? Well they had help. You see an older dog with these types of issues is well above the knowledge base of most dog owners. Being able to recognize the difference between territorial marking and house training is just the beginning. Knowing what to do next is the big key. Having trained hundreds of such dogs I can tell you that there are things you need to address in order for these behaviors to change.

• Foods that can make housebreaking harder
• Snacks that can cause problems
• Getting a solid schedule on paper
• Using obedience to address leadership issues
• Learning the best ways to enforce discipline
• Knowing how eliminate scent association problems

These are the things that come from a strong knowledge base and experience. If you are looking at the bullet points above and have questions about even one of them you need to think about hiring a professional trainer. These issues are all intertwined. The food that you feed can add bulk to your dog’s stool making the sheer volume of stool hard to manage. Some snacks can just add to the problem. Having a plan and putting it on paper then keeping it where everyone in the house can see it makes sticking to easier. Using obedience to help a dog understand where he fits into your pack also helps him to understand that he is not in charge of marking "ANYTHING". Learn how to discipline without being abusive. And last know how to eliminate scent so that your dog doesn’t go to the bathroom in the same spot all the time.

These things work in unison to housetrain even the that stubborn older dog who you may have thought would never change.