My rescue dog poops inside. How to house train an older dog?

A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may help to decrease any anxiety. Do not attempt to pick him up if it causes stress. A leash and collar should be enough to walk him in, out and anywhere else. You may need to reinforce crate training. Provide a crate that is just big enough for him to stand, turn around and lay down. He should be in the crate or on a leash attached to your hip when indoors. Monitor for signs that he needs to go outside. This may include whining, circling or sniffing about. When it is time for him to go outside, take him to a designated area and wait. As soon as he starts to go, say "go potty", "do your business" or any other phrase of your choosing. Praise and reward him every time he goes outside. You can take him for a short walk afterwards as well. Once inside again, he goes in the crate or stays with you on the leash. If you see him preparing to go, take him back out. Thoroughly clean soiled areas using an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle.

Snoopy is absolutely adorable!! I would keep Snoopy in the crate when you cannot keep 100% watch on him. When he comes out of the crate I would then walk him (on a leash even if the backyard is enclosed). After he goes to the bathroom he can go off leash to play. If he goes then I would play with him and once you have to turn your back he goes back in the crate. If he does not go to the bathroom when you take him out of the crate I would put him back in for 20 minutes and try again. If you catch him going to the bathroom tell him no and take him and put him where you want him to go and praise him for going. If you just see the accident then clean it up and do not say anything to him. A crate should be big enough for him to stand up, sit down and turn around. The crate is a very safe option and dogs end up loving their crates, it's their safe house. Since we do not know what type of life Snoopy had previously this process can take some time and patience. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It sounds like Eli isn't fully potty trained yet. I recommend using the basics. 1) have a set daily schedule. As soon as you wake up take her out, as soon as she's done eating, as soon as she's done playing, and before she goes to bed. 2) meal feeding- this helps determine when she needs to potty. What goes in will push the stool out usually within 15-30 minutes. 3) Use a lot of praise when Eli goes potty outside. Lastly, I recommend making the space within her crate smaller, either by buying a smaller crate or blocking off the back end so she only has enough space to stand up and turn around. If she has enough room to poop in one corner and sleep in another, she will have a hard time separating her bathroom from her den. Good luck and kisses to Eli!

Keep the door to your bedrom closed. If you are letting him be on any furniture in the house, stop. Once he is denied access to your bed, he may transfer his "bathroom" to a couch or chair. Crate him when you can't watch him, and do not give him free run of your home. Keep him on a leash at all times if you need to (you can attachthe end through your belt loop to keep your hands free). This way, if he starts to go in the house, you can give him a firm "NO!" and take him right outside. If he is not leashed, you'll have to catch him, which is a problem for two reasons: (1) it will become a game to him, and (2) by the time you get him, he will forget what he did wrong. If you need more help with this, you can click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss the problem at length. Good luck!

It's possible she is getting mixed signals from daycare but it's impossible to say for sure. I recommend crating her when you are not directly watching her and at night. This may help to remind her about her housebreaking. You may also want to walk her more often and keep her feeding on a schedule. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Great question! I will give you the method I typically recommend for house training a dog. Crating training is a great way to do it, but it's also important to put Bambi on a schedule. Start by keeping him on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away his food between meals. Take him out to potty first thing every morning, and once every two to three hours at first. Once he gets better at holding his bladder, you can stretch it out but he can never go longer than eight hours without a bathroom break.. Always make sure he goes out after meals, first thing when he wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take him to the same spot each time to go potty. His scent there will encourage him to go. Stay with him outside each time he goes to potty, at least until he is fully house trained. When he goes outside, praise him and give him a treat. In terms of the crate, it needs to be big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for him to go potty in. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. A dog will typically have a bowel movement 20-30 minutes after eating a meal. So I usually recommend feeding two meals per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. This will give you time to get him outside to go to the bathroom before you need to leave for work or go to bed. If he is used to free feeding, it can take a bit of time to make this transition. Put the food down for 15 minutes in the morning and let him eat. Then give him another 15 minutes to eat in the evening. Soon he will realize that he needs to eat during these time or the food will go away. I hope this information helps!