Read About House Training Your Adult Dog

Adopting or moving with dog (i.e., not a puppy) will sometime mean housebreaking the dog again, or correctly.

Housebreaking your dog is not hard, but does require a commitment on your part. If your dog was never trained properly, or learned that they could go anywhere (as is, tragically) the case with many rescued dogs from puppy mills or other abusive backgrounds), you´ll need to start from scratch.

1. Assume that the dog has never been housebroken. Before you go in the house for the first time, take the dog to where he is supposed to eliminate, and wait until he does. Praise him profusely for this miracle right then. People may think you´re nuts, but your dog will understand that he did the right thing, and be happy that he was told this.

2. Fortunately, an older dog will have better bladder and bowel control than a puppy, and won´t need to eat as often. Don´t let your dog self-feed until you´ve established routines. Initially, feed your dog at specific times, and take him out about 20-25" after

3. While you´re teaching him where his bed is, he is also learning where he shouldn´t go. Dogs will not soil their den if they can possibly avoid it. If there are accidents initially, make his "den" (the area he has in the house) smaller. If the dog is crate-trained, or you want to crate-train your dog, start immediately. This, too, will help the dog get on a regular physical schedule.

Don´t forget that yelling at or hitting your dog will not help you or the dog. Patience, persistence, and affection will make your dog behave. If you have the same realistic expectations for the dog all the time, he will learn how to live up to them.