How to Train Your Older Dog to Stay Inside

One effective way to keep him indoors is to train him to always want to be at your side. You can gradually get him into this habit over time and all you need is a handful of treats. Simply regularly call his name in a high-pitched voice.

As soon as he comes over to you, hand over a tasty treat. If you don’t want to use a treat, you can hold up a toy to lure him over and play with that for a minute as a reward instead.

Practice this randomly throughout the day when you are in the house. This will get him into a habit of always wanting to be firmly at your side, indoors.

As you practice, you can also move farther away when you call his name. For example, call "Fido" when you are the other side of the house to make sure he still comes to you. You also need to call him when there are distractions around, such as guests. Before you know it he will be in a habit of following you around in the house and wouldn’t want to step outside without you anyway.

Dogs, even old dogs, always learn best with positive reinforcement. So even if you do catch him outside, stay calm and swiftly bring him in. If you punish him, he becomes scared of you he may want to get outside to escape from you.

Fido may want to go outside because he can see an interesting environment, full of things to sniff. So simply obscuring his view with curtains and blinds may completely remove the temptation.

Keep doors closed. Alternatively, you can fit baby gates. They are quick and easy to install and take down. Each time he gets outside without permission will push back the end result.

To give him some freedom while also preventing him from going outside, you may want to consider tethering him inside. A long leash will still allow him to roam around, but it will prevent you having to worry if you aren’t in the room to supervise him.

If you do catch him trying to go outside, pull out a toy or hold up a treat and call his name to lure him away. You want to distract him whenever he shows interest in going outside and demonstrate that staying indoors comes with positive rewards.

He may want to go outside because he needs the toilet. So if you’re to successfully train him to stay indoors, you need to make sure you regularly take him out to the toilet or have somewhere he can go. Otherwise training him to remain inside will prove challenging.

Fido may be old, but he’s probably still got a healthy appetite. So leave him food puzzles inside to get through. Not only will this stop him getting bored of indoors, but it will also help show him that he has everything he needs within four walls.

Even older dogs need exercise. So although it may seem counter-intuitive, make sure he gets enough exercise outside. If he’s been out and he’s now tired, he will be much more inclined to remain inside and sleep.

Make sure Fido has his own area, corner or bed. Also, make sure this bed is comfy with blankets and is relatively private--ideally with three walls around him. If he has somewhere that feels like his, it will become his territory that he will naturally want to stay in.

Another part of making inside feel like his territory is showing him where his boundaries are. So, secure him to a leash and walk him around the perimeter of the house once in the morning and once in the evening. Inside will soon feel like his territory that he naturally wants to stay in to defend.

You need to make inside his sanctuary where he has everything he needs. That means handing over tasty treats every now and then. You can also leave out new toys for him to play with. You want him associating inside with only positive memories.