More and more people are getting the message that it is better to get an adult dog from the shelter than a puppy which was bred in a puppy mill. Sometimes these adult dogs have not been properly house-trained. In fact, this could be one of the reasons they were taken to the shelter in the first place.
There are also some owners with dogs that most go outside for potty most of the time but regularly have accidents inside the house.
Both these categories of dog need house training.
There isn't much difference in training a puppy or an adult dog.
Urinating inside, is a behavioural issue. With all behavioral issues, you need to be sure that it is not caused by a medical problem before exploring other solutions.
Crate Training
Some owners have a philosophical opposition to crate training. However, crate training can considerably reduce the time it takes to potty train an adult dog. An adult dog can be fully house-trained within a week.
There are two main advantages of using a crate. Firstly, you can keep an eye in them. Secondly - dogs do not like to eliminate on their own bed. The crate should be big enough for them to stand up in or turn around but no bigger. The crate will teach a dog to hold on until he is next taken outside.
For this method to be successful, you must take him outside fairly frequently. Never leave him in the crate for longer than he can hold on. If you do leave him too long and he is forced to eliminate, this is counterproductive. In fact, you are prolonging the training period.
Many dogs will actually enjoy having this small confined space where they can curl up and relax. Ancestral dogs were den dwellers and the crate, in some ways, simulates a den
Place the crate in a fairly busy part of the house so that your dog still has some interaction with the family and doesn't feel isolated. Take him out of the crate for frequent potty breaks and also to spend some time playing and bonding with his family.
The House-Training Process.
Use positive reinforcement during the training. Don't yell at or punish your dog when something goes wrong. Instead, praise him profusely and maybe reward him with a treat when he'd does what you want him to.
When you take him out of the crate for his potty breaks go straight to the designated area without delay. Don’t talk too much or play with him on the way. Let him have a sniff around and when he does what is there to do, reward him.
Taking him to the same place each time will help him associate that place with eliminating.
The potty breaks should be fairly frequent, up to 6 times a day. As the training progresses and starts to understand what he is supposed to do, these breaks can be less frequent.
A house trained adult dog usually needs about 4 potty breaks a day.
