House Training Older Dogs

Question
Hi Nicole,
My girlfriend has two small dogs of 8 and 10 years. A Maltese and Pekinese. They never were house trained and as a result the floors and carpets are ruined and she is a slave to cleaning them up. They eat and relieve themselves whenever they desire.

Are there techniques to help me convince her that it is indeed possible to train the dogs (and her) that are not cruel?

She is convinced that small dogs require to eat and drink 24/7. Also, that since they are older / smaller dogs that they can no longer be trained.
That winter weather prohibits them from going outside.

Allergies are also a problem and I'm concerned that the floors and carpets saturated with urine and feces are a health problem.

Thanks,
Jim Chakuroff


Answer
Hi Jim!

There are a few reasons why a dog might not be housebroken. First, there may be physical reasons, such as a urinary infection, so get your pet checked thoroughly at the vet's. Espcially if a dog backslides, or doesn't seem to be learning when you have been consistent, a physical cause must be considered.

Many dogs do what's called submissive urination, and it is actually, in dog language, a sign of respect. This is the type of dog who gets low to the ground or squats, especially when greeting you, or scolded, and pees. This is not really breaking housebreaking, but the spot on the floor is still there.

Some pet store puppies (that have been crated too much and have been allowed to go in their crates) have not learned to not dirty their areas (normally it's natural not to dirty their dens) and this can result of being given no choice while on display at the stores, or at their breeder's. These dogs might take much patience and time to overcome their habits, and alternatives to going outdoors might need to be provided, such as papers, "weewee" pads or even a litterbox.

Male dogs who have not been neutered (and even some who are) lift their legs to mark their territory. Even females have been known to do this. Neutering and training often helps this. You also might want to try some of the repelling sprays found at pet supply stores, as well as cleaning solutions designed for dog urine.

Sometimes dogs just don't have the idea of what's really expected of them, especially young ones, but sometimes even older ones. Often a puppy just doesn't have the control necessary to hold on for too long - a very general rule of thumb is one hour more than a pup's age in months. A 3 month pup can often go 4 hours.  Crate training can help (which if properly taught is not cruel, but dogs see it as their den - a natural concept to them) and confinement, along with going out at the correct times, and even more importantly using praise and correction at the correct time. An 8 week puppy can't go much more than a couple of hours, yes, you will lose sleep. It will get better. Correcting a dog after the fact is pointless, they really just don't get it, their concept of time is different, and they do not see a cause and effect. While they just might associate that there's pee or crap over there on the carpet with your anger, they don't get that they CAUSED it to be there.

Praising the animal profusely when they go outside, or wherever their designated area is, can be very effective. Make sure they get the chance to go out as often as necessary, yes, even if you lose some sleep. Most dogs will not dirty their dens, crating them and confining them will keep them from messing in the house until you can take them out and start encouraging bladder control if old enough. If you do catch them having an accident, just a sharp word will usually surprise them into stopping momentarily (the trick here is to surprise them, not correct them), and you can then rush the dog outside or to his area, where you can the tell them what a great dog he is for going outside. You can also associate a word with it, such as "get busy", or "go potty", and the dog should eventually learn to go on command when possible (great for those in snow areas!)

Be sure you get the proper cleaners for any accidents, any leftover subtle scent can cause a dog to go in the same place. You can purchase special cleaners at pet supply stores, such as Nature's Miracle.

Also realize, that some dogs might know they should go outside, but don't know to ask, or don't ask in a way humans understand.  One solution is training the dog to ring a bell hung on the door. Another solution is a dog door.

Dogs can be traine at any age, you just need to have patience and focus on the pet. Older and younger pets can be trained, just be sure your girlfriend knows that.

No matter what size of the dog, dogs should NOT be drinking and eating 24/7 because that causes phyical health problems. If your dog eats and drinks 24/7, your dog will have heart problems because all the food fattening will clog up the heart arteries, causing your dogs to minor sergery or maybe even death, so  make sure your dogs DO NOT  eat and drink 24/7. To find out exactly how much food to feed your dogs, look on the side of the food bag you buy your dogs and it will say the amount to feed your dogs according to your dogs weight.

Even if it winter weather, your dogs still have to go to the bathroom. This is probably why they are urinating on the house cause you don't let them outside. Even though it's cold, let your dogs outside and stand at the door and let them in right away, right after they're done their buisness.

If your dogs are still urinating on the floor, you should take them both to a veterinarian to make sure no health problems are visible.

I hope this has been helpful and I wish you the best of luck!Happy holidays! Give your doggies kisses for me!Sending wagging tails your way!
Nicole.D.