How to House Train a Rescue Dog

Bringing home a rescue is a wonderful thing, but sometimes, because of their background, these dogs may not have been housetrained for many reasons. Even if your rescue is an adult, it is possible to housetrain them at any age. With some knowledge, consistency, and patience, you an housetrain your rescue dog.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Housetraining Your Dog

  1. When you are first teaching your dog to housetrain, you need to take her outside to the same spot every time your take her to potty. She will start associating this spot with going to the bathroom. Her scent will also help spur her to potty there each time. [1]
  2. When you are training her, you need to keep a consistent time schedule of when she goes outside. You should take her out first thing in the morning as soon as she wakes up. Throughout the day, she should be taken to her spot once an hour and also 15 to 30 minutes after she eats. You should also take her out right before bed. [2]
    • You also need to leave her outside for enough time when you take her out. This can range depending on your dog. [3]
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  3. When she is learning, your dog should not be allowed to roam the house by herself. She may have an accident in the house, which will scent mark that area as somewhere for her to go potty. This can create confusion for her and draw her back, so try to avoid it if possible.
    • Try to keep her restricted to two or three rooms of the house during this time. [4]
  4. Watch her behavior while you are with her in the house. Her body language will let you know when she needs to go out. She may start intense sniffing, circling, become restless, sidling up to objects, and returning to any spot she may have messed in the house before.
    • If you see this behavior, you should take her out immediately.
  5. When you take her outside and she goes in her spot, give her lots of praise and affection once she is done. You can also give her a treat as well. [5] This will make her associate this behavior with praise and she'll want to do it again. [6]
    • You can give her cue words as she goes to the bathroom, such as 'toilet' or 'business' if you want to train her to go based on commands. Keep saying the word to her as she does it and then she'll learn the word relates to the action.
    • As time goes on and she goes to the bathroom outside more consistently, make the treats less frequent. Give her praise and play with her a little instead.
  6. In order to help your dog not go to the bathroom on old spots where she had an accident, you need to deodorize these spots. The odor will draw her back there and make her want to go to the potty on that spot again. House cleaning products often have ammonia, which can make the smell worse. This means you need to find a cleaner specifically made for pet soils.
    • When she goes to the bathroom inside, clean up the mess first. Throw any feces away in a sealed bag and soak up as much urine as you can with disposable towels.
    • Clean the spot once with the cleanser, working it into the carpet or flooring. Rinse the area well and then add a mixture of water and baking soda. Rinse again and dry up any additional moisture. [7]
  7. When your dog does mess in the house, do not punish her at all. Do not ever rub a dog's face in the mess. She will not understand what she is being punished for and will learn to be scared of you instead. [8] This can make it hard for her to go in front of you in the future, which will make it really hard for her.
    • She may even start hiding where she goes to the bathroom from you, which will be bad for your house and her training.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Maximizing Your Chances of Success

  1. Every dog will learn at his own pace. You just have to be patient and work with her over time and make sure you giving her clear signals and consistent behavior modifications. It will not happen overnight but, if you keep working at it, she will learn. [9]
    • If your dog is taking a really long time to pick up any portion of being housetrained, make sure you are giving her a consistent message about what she should do. If you are, you may need to try a different tactic. [10]
  2. If she constantly goes in the house and wets herself while she is asleep, your dog may be incontinent instead of not being housetrained. If you notice this, take him to the vet and speak with the rescue where you adopted him from to see what can be done or if there is an underlying problem.
  3. When you are housetraining your dog, you may need to take a little time off work to stay with her throughout the day. This way, she will have someone there with her to let her out throughout the day.
    • If you can't be there, see if another family member or friend can come check on her throughout the day to let her out. If someone does this, make sure you show them what you have been doing so her training is consistent. You might also consider a pet sitter.
    • If these are not options, consider If you cannot take time off, then either crate training your dog or keeping her in one easy to clean room. This will make for easier cleanup. [11]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I stop a rescue dog from peeing in my house?
    David Levin
    Professional Dog Trainer
    David Levin is the Owner of Citizen Hound, a professional dog walking business based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 9 years of professional dog walking and training experience, David's business has been voted the "Best Dog Walker SF" by Beast of the Bay for 2019, 2018, and 2017. Citizen Hound has also been ranked #1 Dog Walker by the SF Examiner and A-List in 2017, 2016, 2015. Citizen Hound prides themselves on their customer service, care, skill, and reputation.
    David Levin
    Professional Dog Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Set a schedule for when you let your dog out so it gets used to going at certain times. If you're going to be away and you're worried about your dog having an accident, put it in a crate that's just large enough for your dog to help train its bladder.
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    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 4
  • Question
    I have a 2 1/2 year old female rescue dog who was abused and spayed before we got her. She's been peeing in the house since we got her. She has access to the yard on demand. What can we do for her?
    Cait Q
    Community Answer
    Take her out after and before everything she does. Take her out after she wakes up, after a good play session, before/after a meal, after a walk, before going to bed, etc. When you take her out, use a command such as, ''Go Potty!'' or ''Do Your Business!'' every time you take her out.
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  • Question
    We adopted a 5-year-old rescue dog who was never trained - he goes pee and poop inside and outside no matter how many times I take him out. What can I do?
    RAEGAN SCANLAN
    Community Answer
    When he goes to the bathroom inside, scold him. Bring treats outside and make a potty schedule. First thing in the morning, take him to the bathroom, and reward him with a treat when you goes to the bathroom outside. In 2 hours, take him back outside and do the same thing until eventually he knows to go outside and you start taking him out less frequently.
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    Not Helpful 99 Helpful 11
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/behaviour-and-training/how-to-house-and-toilet-train-puppies-and-adult-dogs
      2. ↑ David Levin. Professional Dog Walker & Trainer. Expert Interview. 19 December 2019.
      3. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/house-training-adult-dogs
      4. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/house-training-adult-dogs
      5. ↑ David Levin. Professional Dog Walker & Trainer. Expert Interview. 19 December 2019.
      6. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/house-training-adult-dogs
      7. ↑ https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/behaviour-and-training/how-to-house-and-toilet-train-puppies-and-adult-dogs
      8. ↑ David Levin. Professional Dog Walker & Trainer. Expert Interview. 19 December 2019.
      9. ↑ https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/behaviour-and-training/how-to-house-and-toilet-train-puppies-and-adult-dogs
      1. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/house-training-adult-dogs
      2. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/house-training-adult-dogs

      About this article

      Article Summary X

      To house train a rescue dog, start by picking a spot outside where your dog can go potty regularly, so it will associate that spot with going to the bathroom. Then, makes trips to the potty spot first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and after meals. When your dog relieves itself, give it praise and affection to reinforce its good behavior. Additionally, take it outside if you see signs that it needs to go, like intense sniffing and circling, to prevent any accidents. For more tips from our Veterinary co-author, like how to deodorize your carpets and floors after an accident, keep reading!

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