House Training an Older Dog

We have all heard the saying “you cant teach an old dog new tricks”. Some may believe this to be true, when in reality you may find that it is easier to teach an older dog than it is to teach a puppy. There are many factors that go into this. Such as:

• Older dogs are less energetic than puppies
• Attention spans of a dog that is older is longer than that of a younger one
• Most dogs that reach the age of 2 or 3 understand some commands like “NO”

How you train the older dog really depends on the situation. If you just recently rescued him or her from a local shelter. You will not know their history. As to how much formal or informal training have they received. Were they abused by their former owner. This could mean that you need to start from scratch and house train your new pet first. Of course if you have had them for years, and they recently developed a bad habit, the training will be a bit different.

House Training an Older Dog

If you recently brought home an older dog from the shelter the first thing you are going to want to do is house train them. This could be the same as you would a puppy with a few exceptions. First an older dog has more control over their body. This means that they can last for longer periods of time before eliminating. This does not mean that you can leave them home all day in the beginning. You must first set up a schedule for them to follow.

Lets start out by taking them to the area that you want them use as their bathroom before they even enter your home for the first time. After they do their business then you need to praise them and let them know that they did a good thing. Now bring them into their new home and introduce it to them. Let them explore their new surroundings.

They are not on a schedule yet. So this means that you must take them out to eliminate. This way they will get into the habit of going outside. Take them out often and praise them each time they eliminate. These times should include after eating, playing and before going to bed. Multiple times each day, about every 2 or 3 hours should be sufficient in the beginning. After a while you can place him or her on the following schedule.

• Morning after breakfast
• After playtime
• After eating dinner
• Before bedtime

Remember to praise them each time they eliminate in the right area. Always work on prevention instead reacting to an accident. If you can prevent accidents before they happen you and your pet will be happier. Never scold or punish them for an accident. Just clean it up quietly and continue on with the training. Do not expect an older dog to let you know when they need to go out. With a little patience and time you will find that it might actually easier to train an older dog.