Potty Training a Dog -
How to Housebreak an Adult Dog

Even if you are trying to housebreak a young puppy, I encourage you to browse the rest of this page and then visit puppy potty training for additional information.

Does one of the following describe your situation?

• A dog that you adopted was never housetrained when he was a puppy.
• Previous owners placed a housebroken dog in a shelter, where he was not getting enough attention. Eventually, you adopted that dog.
• You adopted an older dog from your friend or a relative. While you know that the dog was housebroken in his old home, he does not behave as one with you.

If you answered "yes", dog potty training will solve your problem!

Introduction to Potty Training a Dog

Housebreaking an older dog is not that much different from housebreaking a puppy, but because old habits are more difficult to break, you may need to be more patient. On the other hand, it will be a lot easier to housebreak a dog that was already housebroken but experienced a setback than a dog that was never housebroken.

Older dogs have much better bladder and bowel control than young puppies. Once they learn that it's not acceptable to eliminate indoors, setbacks will be less frequent. And unlike with young puppies, you can start dog potty training immediately.

If you don't already have one, prior to beginning potty training a dog, get a crate. It's the most valuable aid for housebreaking dogs and puppies.

We'll discuss crates in a moment, but first, let's see what else you can do to speed up potty training...

Establish a schedule

Some dog owners wait for a sign that their dog needs to do his business and only then take him outside.

My recommendation is not to wait but to try and take your dog for a walk at the same time every day. For example, right after you wake up, when you come back from work, and just before you go to sleep.

Why?

Because older dogs, and puppies too, learn much quicker when you put them on a regular schedule.

Of course, if your dog needs to go, take him outside immediately, even if it's not his scheduled time.

When outside, praise your dog every time he eliminates - potty training a dog will be a lot quicker and easier when you combine a schedule and positive reinforcement.

Potty training a dog will take time. Along the way, there will be setbacks.

When you clean up, if you don't get rid of the smell of your dog's urine and feces, your dog will likely relieve himself in the same spot in the future.

A household cleaner may remove the stain, but will not get rid of the smell. Ammonia, since it's a natural compound found in urine, is even worse. For this reason, use only specially designed products to clean up your dog's mess.

Visit dog urine remover to learn what to look for in an effective urine cleaner.

Using a Crate

Why is a crate such a valuable aid when potty training a dog?

Because dogs don't like to relieve themselves in close proximity to where they sleep. To be effective, a crate has to be big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around, but small enough so that he can't get too far from his mess.

Visit crate training, dog crates and puppy crate training pages for more information on:

• Different crates available on the market
• Choosing the right crate for your dog
• Proper crate training techniques to speed up dog potty training

While these pages discuss mostly young puppies, the same principles apply when potty training a dog.

For training techniques aimed at older dogs, visit crate training your dog page.