unusual situation

Question
Thinking of getting 2 yr. old Lhasa. She has been living outside in a kennel as a breeder. So she was able to urinate/poop in her kennel whenever she wanted to go. Would she be hard to housebreak train now? I would crate her during day, but I'm gone for 9 hrs. a day. Seems like it would be more difficult to transition her to outside only after being able to just go wherever she is in her kennel.

Answer
Sandie, it really does depend on the individual dog. I would question any breeder who keeps Lhasa Apsos outside all the time as being a responsible or reputable breeder. Lhasas are not, and were never intended to be, outside dogs. It sounds as if the dog you are considering is living in either a puppymill or backyard breeding operation, where the main concern of the breeder is making money. Personally, I would suggest getting a dog from somewhere else, but you have not asked my opinion about the situation, so...


>>Some<< dogs that have been kept outside all their lives acclimate quite well to living in the house, and because they are used to only going to the bathroom outside, they are reluctant to go on carpeting/hard floors. However, other dogs, because they have been able to go whenever the urge hit them, will go in the house just like they went in the kennel. Most of these outdoor dogs, however, will not go potty in their crates unless they simply cannot hold it any longer, unless they were kept in very small kennels/cages and therefore became used to living in their excrement.


I suggest treating >>any<< new dog (regardless of age) just as you would a young puppy that has never been house trained. Put the dog on a feeding/potty schedule immediately, and let the dog wear a leash whenever it has free time in the house, so that you can quickly whisk it outside if it starts showing signs of needing to potty. Be sure to take the dog for a nice walk just before putting it into a crate for any length of time, to ensure that it has emptied its bladder and bowels first. Do not provide water or food in the crate.

In your case, if you have someone who can come over and let the dog out mid-day, that would be ideal, because going from total freedom (as far as going to the bathroom is concerned) to being forced to hold it for up to 9 hours at a time is going to be quite a task for the new dog. You might consider getting a grate to go in the bottom of the crate so that if the dog DOES go potty in there, she won't be laying in it.