Overview
Housebreaking an older dog requires some detective work. Older dogs typically have been housebroken during their lives, and finding out why they're having accidents indoors is the key to correcting the problem.
Step 1
Understand your senior dog's changing needs. An older dog who, after years of being house-trained, begins having accidents may have an underlying health condition. Accidents indoors are a sign that your dog needs to be checked by his vet, since incontinence can be a symptom of conditions including diabetes, kidney failure and arthritis--your dog is in pain and can't move as quickly to get outdoors.
Step 2
Evaluate your dog's routine. Has anything disrupted his ability to go outdoors when necessary? Are there new stressors in the environment? New family members, either human or animal? A change in diet? As dogs age, they may need to eliminate more frequently. Several short walks a day can help prevent problems indoors. Watch your dog closely for signs that he wants to go out.
Step 3
Allow a senior dog who's new to your household time to adjust. If you've rescued a senior dog from a shelter, the dog may have lost several homes and may be fearful, or just stressed in her new surroundings. Take your senior dog outdoors to the place you want her to use several times a day. Praise her lavishly when she eliminates outdoors. Enlist your family's help in keeping a schedule for your dog to go out.
Step 4
Establish a daily routine for feeding and walking your older dog. Make sure that everyone in your household is on the same page concerning feeding and giving treats. A dog that's bursting at the seams needs to go outside more than a dog who's fed routinely and given treats sparingly. If your dog is being fed indiscriminately, it's hard to establish an effective feeding and walking routine that can help prevent accidents indoors.
Step 5
Never yell at or strike your dog when accidents occur; it's cruel and doesn't help her understand what is expected. If you catch your dog eliminating indoors, quickly remove her to the place you want her to use. Using newspapers indoors will only confuse your dog, since that encourages her to eliminate indoors, but paper training can help if your dog doesn't have consistent access to the outdoors.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Be patient with your older dog. She may be developing arthritis or other health concerns. After the age of 8, most dogs should have an annual "senior checkup" with the veterinarian to detect emerging health issues.
Monitor your dog's behavior. Sudden changes in eating, activity, or house-training can be signs of illness. Spend time with your senior dog. He may be less active, but he doesn't love you any less. Dogs left alone can get depressed and develop behavioral problems.
Your senior dog needs you more than ever: Please don't consider rehoming a senior pet that has elimination problems. Senior pets are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized in shelters.
- WARNING : Avoid changing your senior dog's diet. Senior dogs are less apt to adjust well to sudden changes in their diet, and resulting digestive upset can lead to accidents indoors. Consult your vet for instructions on changing a senior dog's diet. If you adopt a senior dog, keep him on the diet he's used to eating unless it's not nutritionally complete.
Be aware of your senior dog's changing needs. Accidents indoors can be an involuntary cry for help; small changes in her routine can help your senior dog mind her manners indoors.
Resources
