Is it possible to housebreak an adult dog???

[karenbaco]

Looking into adopting a 3 year old Schnauzer mix dog who was found as a stray. Problem is that she is not housebroken but her current foster MOm is working with her. Is it too late to train a dog who for 3 years has been used to pottying anywhere it wants???
Thanks

 

[mickeysgal]

Of course it is! It may take time but with the proper training, the dog will learn.

 

[WDWBarb]

It's more difficult, but possible. The little guy on my lap right now was rescued as an adult dog (age was hard to determine - most of his teeth were broken off - it appears that he was maybe confined or chained and tried to chew his way to freedom). It took me about a week to get his used to going outside. It did help to have a house-trained dog to "show him the ropes."

 

[SandrA9810]

I would try the crate method. Most dogs don't pee or poop where they sleep.

When my doggie wasn't feeling well and went when we weren't home, she'd always go to the spare bedroom we hardly used.

 

[KDIPIAZZ]

..

 

[Miss Peach]

Bless you for adopting a stray. Rescued dogs make the best friends!!

Cathy

 

[walden]

As a long time "foster mom" I actually prefer to house-train an adult dog. Their bladder is full-size and they learn very very quickly as long as you are very very consistent. With a crate and dedicated attention to the dog when not crated, I've never had house-training of an adult (barring medical problems in 2 senior dogs) take longer than 2 weeks.....and I've house-trained a LOT of dogs, from puppies to seniors.

Agreed. I find older dogs easier to house-train usually. I had a 3 year old foster who was returned by the adopter due to "house-breaking issues." He had got into the habit of peeing in their house. It took about two weeks for him to reliably potty outdoors for me. He was quite a challenge.

OP, ask the current foster mom what methods she is using to house-train so you can be consistent with her training.

For house-training I use a combination of crates, baby gates and tethering to me so that I can pick up on signals that the dog needs to go. Crates when I can't supervise --dogs don't usually mess their beds. Baby gating the dog into one or two rooms so that I can watch carefully for circling and sniffing and rush them outside. Tethering means leashing and attaching the leash to my belt as we go and explore other rooms together. I sometimes feed the dog in different rooms so that he/she gets to understand that they are part of the "den" and shouldn't be dirtied. Once the dog has proven himself reliable then he/she gets greater access to the house unsupervised.

If you take them out often enough in the first few days you shouldn't have any accidents indoors. If you do, don't punish but clean it up really fast and thoroughly with white vinegar and/or enzyme cleaner.

Good luck! I'm so glad you are considering a rescue dog.

 

[louey]

Bless you for adopting a stray. Rescued dogs make the best friends!!

Cathy

I agree

 

[Disney Doll]

Of course it is. It takes time and consistency. Good suggstion to speak with the foster mom to see what she's doing and continue that style of training. Even if she gets him trained, he may revert back a bit when he comes to you...nerves and all....