House training an older dog

When we adopted Rosie, she was somewhat house trained, but had the occasional accident. She didn't seem to know how to tell us she needed to go outside. I researched house training an older dog, but didn't find much information other than for puppies. If you adopt an older dog, you don't know what kind of training they've had or if they received any at all. They've been through a stressful time, they're not familiar with you, your home, your yard, the neighbors, the food and water is probably different than they're used to, and all can cause them confusion. A food change can cause a digestive upset, so if your dog develops diarrhea, constipation or upset stomach, see my post from 9/7/07 on the use of pumpkin for temporary digestive upsets.

We decided to start from scratch with Rosie. First, we showed her the yard, and introduced her to Abby so they had a chance to sniff each other. I waited until Rosie had urinated, then let her go in the house to explore. Every 2 hours or so we asked her if she needed to go outside so she'd get used to the words. For the first couple weeks, one of us always went out with her, and as soon as she relieved herself, we praised her, gave her a treat, then brought her back inside right away. We only gave treats for a couple of days, as I didn't want to form a habit that she would get a treat every time she went outside. It worked well for us, and helped her get the idea very quickly. Praise goes a long way in reinforcing what you want your dog to do. On the plus side, an older dog has better bladder and bowel control, so as soon as you can get them on a schedule, it won't be necessary to take them out every 2-3 hours. Follow the usual time table as for puppies: first thing in the morning, after they eat, play, get up from a nap, and before going to bed.

If the dog has an accident, it's because you forgot to take her out, or you didn't read her signals correctly. Never rub her nose in the mess, yell, or hit the dog. She didn't do it to be ornery, and she needs your understanding at this critical time. If you witness the dog having an accident, just say "no, no" and immediately take her outside for a few minutes just to reinforce where she is supposed to go. If you don't see it happen, don't say anything to the dog, and just calmly clean it up. Another option is confining the dog to a crate when you're away from home. I personally don't use a crate, but the thinking is that dogs don't like to mess where they sleep or eat. Limit the time confined to no more than 3-4 hours at first.

In time, with a regular schedule and positive reinforcement, your dog will figure out how to let you know when it's time to go out. Rosie did very well as long as we continued letting her out every few hours. After a couple of weeks, she started stretching when she needed to go outside. And finally she has started snorting at us and going to the door on her own. I have read that chihuahuas can be difficult to train, so it may not take as long with your dog. Remember, you probably adopted a troubled dog; she wants to please you, and just needs your understanding and patience.