Q&A for How to House Train Your Dog

Learn which times your dog needs to go out. Allow your dog to alleviate itself as frequently as you're able, but with an emphasis on a few different times of day. For instance, dogs should go out right after they wake up from a nap, if they've been playing, and 10-30 minutes after they have food or water. Keep trying, even if the dog doesn't go right away. If your dog goes outside but doesn't use the bathroom, continue returning it to the crate for about 15 minutes, then try again. Repeat this as necessary.

Understand how long your dog can go between trips outside. A good rule of thumb is that a dog can hold its bladder for 1 hour for every month of life, up to 8 months. However, this can only be relied on if the dog is a confined space where they have a reason to try to hold it, like in a crate that's just large enough for them to stand and turn around. Don't forget about nighttime trips. Consider setting at least 1 alarm in the night so you can wake up and take the dog out. That prevents the dog from waking you up with barking or whining, which could become a learned behavior that you don't want.

Allow the dog to continue using the puppy pads while you establish a cue word that means it's time for her to relieve herself, such as "Toilet" or "Get busy." Once she is using the pad in response to a command, you can slowly move the pad, inch by inch, as the days go by, to a different location, while instructing her that this is where you want her to toilet with your command. Now, keep a pad on you and place it on the desired toilet spot outside. Give her cue words, and when she goes, make a huge fuss of her. Then scatter a small amount of soil or grass or whatever substrate is your choice onto the pad. Gradually remove the pad.

It is possible to accidentally train your puppy to use puppy pads as his bathroom, so taking your puppy to go to the bathroom outside often is best. Puppy pads are meant for your puppy to use in case of emergencies. For example, if you are not home or your puppy can’t wait for you to let him out, then he can use his puppy pad. It is a good idea to place puppy pads by the door when you are toilet training your puppy, but remain neutral if he uses the puppy pad. Do not reward your puppy for using the puppy pad by praising him, but don’t punish him either. Take your puppy outside every 20 to 30 minutes to prevent him from going potty indoors and give him lots of praise when he goes potty outside.

Your dog may not fully understand what's required of her. Beef up her training by always staying outdoors with her, and praising like crazy when she does toilet outside. Also, watch her all the time indoors. The moment she shows interest in toileting, take her outside. For those times when you can't watch, crate train her, giving her regular breaks when you take her out to toilet. Praise her when she goes. Make sure to deodorize all the places she has toileted indoors so they don't act as markers to attract her back.

Older dogs can hold on for longer, so take him out after every meal, after waking, at bedtime, and every 1-2 hours when he's awake. When inside, do not let the dog out of your sight, and at the first sign of sniffing to locate a toilet spot, take him outside.

This is a "How long is a piece of string?" question because it depends on if the dog already has bad habits, how old they are currently, and how consistent you are. On average, if you start at 8 weeks old, most pups will be reasonably good by 12 weeks of age.

The first thing you will need to do is to figure out why your dog does not like to go outside, and then use this information to help him feel better about going outside. Consider the environment as well as your dog’s past experiences outside. For example, does your dog dislike rain? Is the ground covered in gravel that might be hurting his paws? Has he ever been frightened by a person, dog, car, or something else while he was outside? After you have identified the problem, try to find ways to make him feel more comfortable outside, such as by going out in the yard with him to hep him feel safe. Make sure that you reward him with lots of praise whenever he is brave enough to go outside.

Never strike, hit, or shout at a dog. Simply say a firm "No," remove them from the situation, and then withhold attention.

Yes, you can train a dog at any age, but, the older they are, the slower they learn. Older dogs also have more time to develop bad habits. Start now by staying with him outside and consistently rewarding when he relieves himself outdoors. Keep him on a leash on your wrist in the house, and when he goes to sniff, whisk him outside and wait for him to go. If you can't be home all the time, then crate train him so that he is restricted while you are out. Then pop him straight outside to the toilet spot when you get back.

This takes time and patience as the dog will have established bad habits. Use exactly the same principles as for potty training a puppy - supervise at all times and provide regular comfort breaks.

Yes, you can do so. Just be sure to be observant about the dog's needs.

Not really. If you use potty pads then it should be inside. If you take your dog outside to train, then you should crate train and give rewards when they go. You don't want to crate them with no reward. Also, do not punish them for messes. Just clean it up right away with vinegar so they don't go there again.

Absolutely yes. Just be sure to take him out more frequently, especially after every meal. Keep to a schedule and reward him immediately after going potty.

No, not really. The age of the dog and the personality of the dog are more important factors than breed. On the personality front, your dog might be the most obedient dog in the world or your dog might just hate taking orders. The key to training is perseverance, consistency and your own personality too -- if your own level of patience is low, then that can have a bearing on the training too.

It is impossible to know exactly how long it will take, as it varies from dog to dog.

Go to a pet store like Petco and get a stain and smell remover. It worked wonderfully for my beagle.

Walmart has some doggy diapers, and so do most pet stores. I recommend you get your dog spayed.

Your poodle may see the carpet as a bathroom spot. You will have thoroughly, ideally professionally, clean the carpet for the process of toilet-training your poodle. Take your poodle out for frequent toilet breaks, and block off the entry to your house. Spend a minimum of 10 minutes with your poodle outside until she goes to the bathroom. When she relieves herself outdoors, give her plenty of praise and reward to ensure that she associates with outdoor training positively.

Invest in a crate for your dog to sleep in overnight. Crate-training your dog is an effective method, as dogs do not like going toilet in their bed. Your dog will be more inclined to hold his bladder until you let him out the next morning. Since weeing overnight seems to be a reoccurring issue, ensure that someone in your household is letting him out to go toilet before his bedtime, and try feeding him earlier in the day rather than straight before bed.

Reinforce the idea that you want her to pee in the garden by praising her when she does. Take her out on a leash and only allow her to sniff and pee in the garden. Then praise her. Do this several times until she can do it by herself.

Try taking her out every hour. Eventually, make the time between outside time longer. Keep doing this until she can wait your desired time to take her out.

If your puppy is eating leaves (or grass), this could mean she has stomach problems. Or, it could simply mean nothing more than that she likes to take her time. If you're concerned, call your veterinarian for advice.

Why would your roommate un-house train your dog? Not only is the dog going to pee and poop the same area both of you share, that's simply rude. Also, no it's not possible to un-house train your dog. Is it possible you have been lacking on taking the dog out? Try to house train your dog again as much as possible.

If your dog is partially house broken, this will make it much easier to finish the training!

It depends on age, size, and breed of your dog. It depends on how much you are feeding your dog too. Typically 2-3 times a day is recommended. Try not to free feed your dog, if at all possible, as this could mess up house-breaking training because you won't know when he eats, so you won't know when he poos.

If you keep trying, any dog can be trained. If you are having difficulty training, maybe you can connect with some professional dog trainers to help guide you in getting it right, as you may need some special help to accommodate the dog's disabilities with greater ease.

Find out the cause. Your puppy could be doing this out of fear or anxiety. Or, it could be the schedule that's off. When your puppy pees, wait 40 minutes and go outside.

If he is going in your house, (that's what I think you mean) when you are not looking, you are probably not giving your dog enough time to go pee. Some dogs pee in multiple areas until they find the right spot to pee.