Housetraining adult dogs is possible with consistency and a positive approach.
Many people consider housetraining to be a puppy issue but there are many adult dogs who still need to learn the appropriate place to eliminate. Dogs who have been in shelters or lived outdoors might not have been taught to toilet in a specific place and dogs that are anxious might eliminate indoors when they are afraid. A rescued dog who has been in a few different environments or transitioned homes might have difficulty toileting in an appropriate area until they have settled in.
Whatever the case, follow these steps to teach your dog how to eliminate outdoors.
How to house train your adult dog
- If your dog was toileting outdoors and then started having accidents indoors, take him for a full medical check up to rule out any medical issues.
- Feed your dog at set times so you can predict when he might need to toilet.
- Start with a good toileting schedule and take your dog outside every hour. You can also take him out at times he is more likely to eliminate. This might be first thing in the morning, and after he has eaten, taken a nap, played vigorously, or just finished a training session.
- When you take your dog outside, encourage him to eliminate with a verbal cue such as “go potty.”
- When your dog has finished toileting, praise him but do not get overly excited.
- If you catch your dog in the act of toileting indoors, gently verbally interrupt him and take him outside to finish up. You don’t want to yell at him, because you want him to feel confident toileting in front of you when you are both outside.
- If your dog has had an accident indoors and you were not there to catch him, it is too late to redirect him. Simply clean it up with a cleaner designed for pet waste, and consider your schedule and situation, in case you need to adjust it.
- Never rub your dog’s nose in an accident. This will confuse and stress him and he will develop a negative association with you. Additionally, he won’t make the connection between eliminating indoors and this punishment, so it’s not effective in any way.
- Gradually decrease the frequency of trips outside as your dog builds up control.
Be patient and sensitive as your dog learns. Dogs without housetraining experience or those moving into a new home don’t always know what we want.
Additional tips
- If your dog doesn’t seem comfortable in the outdoor environment you have, he might feel vulnerable or fearful. Many dogs don’t want to eliminate when they feel vulnerable. Look for a quieter area and address your dog’s fear or anxiety.
- Housetraining tends to be more complicated for a dog who was previously in a hoarding situation or a puppy mill. In those situations, consider paper training your dog first, and then progress to outdoor housetraining.
