Housbreaking an Older Dog

Housebreaking an older dog is not an impossible task. Although it is generally easier to housebreak a puppy, any dog can be housebroken given the proper techniques. First, before you begin, you must know how a dog thinks. I would say that a dog thinks 80% of the time with its nose, and the rest of the time with its other senses. If you look at animals in the wild, you抣l notice that most mammals like Wolves, Lions, Tigers, and Wild Dogs scent mark their territories. This is not only a sign of demarcation, but a place where these animals return to mark over and over again, in order warn other animals or their rivals that this is their territory.

It is precisely this habit that the distant cousins of wolves, our dogs, exercise on a daily basis. That is, dogs know and remember where to go 損otty?by mainly using their sense of smell. Dogs a creatures of habit; therefore, they generally like to go 損otty?after a meal, after they wake-up from a nap, and after they exercise. Your job is to recognize when your dog needs to 揼o?and guide it to the pre-designated area before it does its business. Thus, you must monitor your dog for at least 2 weeks until the desired outcome is programmed into your dog抯 psyche.

So, what are you to do if your dog makes a mistake and 揼oes?in the middle of your living room? The answer depends on whether you catch your dog in the middle of the act or not. If you catch it in the middle of the act, you can say something like 搉o,?and quickly lead your dog to the desired location before it finishes doing its business. If, however, you find the mess after the fact, you must NEVER punish your dog. Your dog simply won抰 understand what it is being punished for and it will soon learn to fear you instead of look at you as its leader.

The question then is 搘hat should one do if one finds the mess after the fact??My advice is as follows: take a newspaper or towel and rub it onto the mess; then, take it back to the location where you desire your dog to 損otty,?and smear that area. This will teach your dog to use its natural instincts (to scent mark) to go 損otty?exactly where you want it to. But you still are not done yet! Now you must erase your dog抯 memory of the location in your house where it had gone 損otty?by properly cleaning the spot with the right cleaning agent. Cleaning with ordinary household cleaners is a bad idea. Most household cleaners contain Ammonia; the very ingredient in Urine which arouses a dog抯 instinct to scent mark. So, instead of using ordinary household cleaners, use a product like 揘ature抯 Miracle,?which is specifically designed to remove the smell of urine and feces and erase you dog抯 memory of the previous location where it had done its business.

The key to housebreaking an older dog is patience. Be patient, and you dog will learn to do what you ask of it in no time.