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How to Train Your Older Dog to Use an Indoor Potty

How to Train Your Older Dog to Use an Indoor Potty
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon1-6 Weeks
General training category iconGeneral

Introduction

You and your dog have been together for many years. She is getting older now, and slowing down a little. She has her good days and her bad days, but she still enjoys all the things she’s always enjoyed. She just does those things a little bit slower these days. You may have noticed that it is harder and harder for your older dog to get down the steps at the front door, or she may not be able to hold it while you are at work or overnight. Perhaps your older dog has mobility issues, and getting her in and out to go potty is becoming difficult for you. It may be that your older dog’s arthritis acts up in the cold, and you hate making her go out into the cold to go potty.

There are many reasons why you may want to teach your older dog to use an indoor potty. If your dog has always been very well house-trained, it may be challenging for her to learn to go inside. If your dog is the 'do or die' type who will wait three days to go potty if it’s raining or snowing, you may have a challenge on your hands. All dogs can re-adjust their understanding of “outside” to include a potty area that you designate inside, it may just take some creativity and a good deal of perseverance on your part.

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Defining Tasks

Training your older dog to use an indoor potty has two distinct training components. First, you must teach your dog what designated area you intend for her to think of as outside. Second, you must help your dog overcome her anxiety of peeing under a roof, which has always been discouraged previously.

You can rely on the trust you’ve built with your older dog to teach her a new way of perceiving her environment. While dogs have an intuitive understanding of a den, a place where they sleep and should not poop or pee, the concept of extending this to an entire house and even onto porches is entirely human. Just as it is a human concept to go potty outside, you can teach your older dog the intuitive concept of going potty in a designated place inside.

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Getting Started

You may have to try a variety of potty surfaces before you arrive at one that works for you and your dog. Be willing to be creative, and try to think about things as your dog would. Does your dog always pee on the same potted plant? Maybe bringing that pot in could help your dog understand the principle of bringing outside behavior inside. It is a good idea to designate an area that you can expect to have some accidents with. Line floors and lower walls with plastic until your dog gets a feel for exactly where she should be going potty.

Make sure your designated potty place is sufficiently far from where your dog sleeps to make sure she does not see this area as part of her den. Another room is best, but if this is not possible the other side of the room should be sufficient

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The Bring the Outside In Method

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1

Bring in the outside

Bring in a plot of sod, some potted plants, and anything else your dog likes to pee on. Put them in an area well covered with plastic.

2

Go potty

When your dog asks to go out, lead her to the inside space and tell her to go potty. If she asks to go to the door again, reaffirm that she should go on the grass inside.

3

Reward and clean

When your dog goes potty on the inside grass, reward her enthusiastically and clean it up quickly.

4

Transition to pee pad

Lay a pee pad on top of the grass inside and encourage your dog to use it. Reward when she does.

5

Pee pad alone

Replace the outside area with a pee pad. If your dog is resistant to the pee pad, try artificial turf over a pee pad.

The Potty Pad Method

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Bring the pad outside

Start by bringing the pee pad outside with your dog. When she goes to pee or poo, put the pad under her and reward her for going.

2

Pad first

Lay the pad down somewhere your dog likes to go and encourage her to use it. If she refuses, bring it to where she wants to go and reward her for going on it. Keep practicing until she is willing to go to the pad to go potty.

3

Pad right outside

Lay the pad just outside, not in a desirable pee area, and encourage your dog to use it. Reward her enthusiastically when she does.

4

Pad inside

Put the pad inside and encourage your dog to use it exactly as you would if it were outside. If you usually leash your dog to go potty, leash her now.

5

Establish routine

Transition to only using the pad inside. Make sure to change the pad as soon as it is dirtied.

The Just the Pad Method

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Lay a pee pad in front of the door

Make sure you don’t have any guests coming over, and lay the pad in front of the door where you dog asks to go out.

2

Go potty there

When your dog goes to the door to ask to go out, tell her to go potty right there. She may whine and paw at the door, but be encouraging for her to go there.

3

Reward enthusiastically

Reward your dog enthusiastically when she goes and promptly clean it up.

4

Practice

Practice laying down the pad when your dog asks to go out and rewarding her for going.

5

Move the pad

When your dog is comfortably going on the pad, move it to your desired location and encourage your dog to use it there. Reward enthusiastically.

Written by Coral Drake

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 01/11/2018, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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Tiger

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Labrador Retriever

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14 Months

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Question

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Always want to go toilet and poty outside but want to train him inside which wenever i try he holds and does not do his business

Feb. 10, 2022

Tiger's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello Amrita, First, what are you using for an indoor potty? I would choose something that's more closely related to the type of surface pup is used to peeing on outside, like a disposable grass pad - or adding those pads to your shower if you are teaching pup to go potty in a shower, then later removing the grass pads once pup is trained, by cutting them away slowly over a couple of weeks. Second, how big is the area you want pup to go potty on inside? Most dogs generally need an area about four times as large as they are - at least! In order to feel comfortable going. Too small, and sometimes a dog's natural desire to keep a confined space clean will make them not want to go potty there. Third, I would try adding scent to the indoor potty that encourages pottying. You can purchase potty encouraging spray at many pet stores, like Hurry! or Go Here spray. Just make sure you don't buy sprays that discourage pup from the area, which is a different type of spray. Spray that on the area before taking pup potty there each time. Fourth, how long is pup holding their pee for before you end up taking them outside in order for pup to go? If it's less than twelve hours, and especially less than eight and a half, and pup is a healthy adult, and you have your vets approval, then you may need to tether pup to yourself or crate pup to prevent an accident in the wrong location, and insist on taking pup potty only to the area you have setup for that - that has a surface similar to what pup's used to outside, like the grass pad, potty smells via the spray, and enough space for pup to feel comfortable going there. If pup is going longer than a safe amount of time or your vet feels that's too long in your dog's case, obviously you will need to take pup outside to go rather than risk any health complications. Fifth, before you start any of the indoor training, I would teach pup the Go Potty command, telling pup to Go Potty when you take them outside each time, then giving one treat after pup goes potty, just until pup has learned what that command means. When you start the indoor potty training, I would stop all treats for pottying outside, tell pup to "Go Potty" inside, and give treats if pup uses the indoor potty when you take them there. Finally, if non of the above is working, then you might want to flip the training, putting the indoor potty outside for a while and taking pup outside to that location to use it, rewarding with a treat when pup goes potty on that, then slowly, one foot at a time, begin moving that potty back inside, taking pup to that potty each potty trip and continuing to reward pup for going potty on it, until it has made its way back inside and pup is going potty on it inside alright too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Feb. 10, 2022

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Teddy

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Chihuahua

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11 Years

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How to get him to pee and poop inside

Feb. 4, 2022

Teddy's Owner

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Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer

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Hello! I am going to give you some training information on how to work with your dog to use potty pads. Choose Your Spot Pick a space in your house where you want your dog to go. Obviously, you’ll want this spot to be a low-traffic area. Make sure this spot is easily accessible to your dog, and make sure the floor surface is linoleum or tile, as opposed to carpet. If your dog “misses,” it will be easier to clean up. If the only spot you can put the pee pad is a carpet, you might consider getting a small tarp to put underneath the puppy pee pad to guard against spillage. Choose a spot that is outside of your “smell zone.” An important tip to remember is to make sure not to let your dog decide the spot he likes. Not only might he pick an area you won’t like, but he’ll learn that he is in charge – not you – which can cause a host of problems down the line. Monitor Your Dog When you are potty training your dog, full-time monitoring is an absolute necessity. It’s impossible to correct bad behaviors if you don’t see them happen. Dogs have very short memories. It is important to catch your dog in the act. If your dog goes on the floor, and you try to correct him hours after the fact, he will be confused and upset, not knowing what he did wrong. This can hinder training and your relationship with your dog. Puppies, in particular, must be watched constantly. They have less control over their bowels and will go when they have to go. If you miss these moments, you lose precious training opportunities. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to be with your dog 24 hours a day, but try to spend more time at home during the weeks you are potty training – it will pay off in the long run. Learn Your Dog’s Schedule Dogs, for the most part, are predictable. They will go to the bathroom at predictable times. You should be able to learn when your dog has to go based on timing as much as on his signals. Take some time to study your dog’s bathroom habits. You’ll learn the amount of time after he eats or drinks that he has to go, and you’ll get in rhythm with his daily bathroom schedule. This will help you reduce accidents and speed up the potty training process. Studying your dog’s habits can also help you identify his bathroom “triggers” – like having to go after a certain amount of playtime. Once you learn your dog’s schedule, use it to your advantage in potty training. Bring him to the pee pad a few minutes before he normally goes, and encourage him. This will help him get used to going in the right spot, and help you establish repetition in your training. Choose a Command Word Dogs have keen senses – they respond to sight, smell, and sound. When you begin pee pad training, choose a command word and use it every time you take your dog to the pad. Just about any word will work. The tone of your voice is more important than the actual word. Try phrases like “go on” or “go potty” in a slightly elevated, encouraging tone. Make sure to repeat this same command, in the same tone, every time you take your dog to the pee pad. Avoid Punishment When your dog has an accident, it’s just that – an accident. When you punish your dog during potty training, he will become confused and scared. He doesn’t know what he’s done wrong, and can’t understand why the person he loves most is mad at him. Most importantly, it will not help his potty training. Positive Reinforcement Both human and dog behavior is largely based on incentives. Dogs’ incentives are very simple – they want to eat when they are hungry, play when they are excited, and sleep when they are tired. But the most important thing your dog wants in life is to please you. Use this to your advantage. Whenever your dog goes on his potty training pad, shower him with lots of praise. If he sees that he gets praise for doing his business on the pad, he will be incentivized to keep going on the pad – and he’ll be excited to do it! Potty training – whether it’s a pee pad or going outside – will take time, but if you do it right, can take less time. Many dogs are potty trained in less than two weeks. Just remember that you and your dog are partners. Do everything you can to help him learn the proper etiquette, and you will enjoy a long, quality relationship together. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for writing in.

Feb. 7, 2022


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