Having an indoor dog is one of the best ways to have a dog! Fortunately, house training an older dog is not that difficult to learn or teach to your dog. The real issue to deal with is the fact that they have become accustomed to their ways and will need to be changed.
The key is to start early if you can. If you can't, it is important to start as soon as possible! Because dogs, like humans, get used to things. And the longer you wait, the more you pet is going to have a hard time adapting to different habits.
Even if your pet is already a few years old, starting now is much better than waiting another year or two. This will only keep them doing the same thing and make it harder to change their habits. Do not feel discouraged that you haven't learned house training an older dog yet.
Pooping on the Floor - How to Avoid this Nasty Smelly Problem
Nobody likes feces. Nobody likes to smell it, see it, or have to clean it. Whether it's a humans or a dogs, the idea of having to deal with it in any way is quite disgusting. This is why dog potty training tips are very important, especially if you have an indoor dog. There are many different methods that are used to train your pet to not go to the bathroom indoors. I covered this in a previous post, but will again cover the basics in this post as well.
What you want to do is train your pup that it is not good to use the bathroom indoors. You are going to do this by making it feel uncomfortable using the bathroom indoors. Sure, you could train your dog to go to the bathroom only in one specific area or on newspaper only. However, this is not the best way as they will still be inside. What you want to do is get them to go outside only.
This can be accomplished by simply rewarding your dog every time they use the restroom outside. When they start going inside, pick them up and rush them outside. They will start to get the clue. Another good method is to crate train them. Simply put them in a crate indoors for a few hours and then take them outside. They will use the bathroom outside during this time. The effectiveness in this approach lies in the fact that most doggies won't want to use the bathroom in the crate. It's such a small space they wouldn't want to go to the bathroom and lay in their own excretions.
Stopping the Chaos of Energetic Dogs
Another common problem of animals that are indoors is that they can be a little energetic. They can run all over the place, knock over trash cans, chew all over shoes, and jump on places they aren't supposed to.
The first step in remedying this problem is to train your animal to sit and stay. Then when they start going places like the garbage or jumping on the couch, you could tell them NO. Stop them from whatever they are doing and them tell them to sit and stay.
Never be playful with your pet when they are doing something bad. It can be hard especially since they can look cute in whatever they do. Stay strong though. Let your dog know that you do not approve of their behavior. Do not punish them but let them know you disapprove.
