Housebreaking a Rescue Dog: What's The Best Way to Do It?

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but we all know that to be false, don't we? It's easiest to train a new puppy while they're still learning how the world works, but even the most obstinate pup can be trained unless they're so old they're in cognitive decline, but that's not the time to be teaching anything.

So, say you've decided to adopt a dog from your local shelter or even snagged one that someone abandoned or one that has been living feral in your neighborhood and was finally wrangled.

These are some of the most challenging dogs to socialize and train, but also some of the most rewarding, most loving, and most emotionally engaging relationships you can form with a pup. Taking a dog from a disadvantaged and difficult scenario, and bringing them to a state of love, contentment, and happiness, is so incredibly rewarding it's difficult to describe.

Among the many behavioral issues you'll need to work on with your new rescue is housebreaking, also known as housetraining.

Step 1: Assess Your Dog's Current Abilities

Different rescue dogs have different amounts of socialization and training, depending on where they came from. Some of them might be almost entirely housetrained already, and just need a reminder of their training. Others, especially feral dogs, may never have had that training at all.

So, your first step is to determine how much they can do. Do they know any commands? Do they naturally "hold it" when they're in the house? Do they mark their territory?

You should establish a few baseline pieces of data.

Data to keep track of with your pup

Consider writing down information like:

• How long your dog goes before they need to go.
• How often they have "accidents" when you're not around.
• If they can sleep through the night in their crate without incident.
• When and where accidents happen, if they happen.

You'll also want to perform a basic assessment in conjunction with a vet.

• Are they fixed? An intact pup is more likely to have issues and less training.
• Do they have any illnesses? Things like worms and infections can cause bowel issues.
• Are they on any medications that might have incontinence as a side effect?

All of this gives you a baseline you can use to know what's normal and what isn't for your new rescue pup.

Step 2: Monitor and Control Your Dog's Diet

The second major step is to make sure you're feeding your new pup a relatively bland and inoffensive diet.

I'm not saying you need to go full upset stomach chicken-and-rice meals. Those are useful for a sick pup, but they aren't always a healthy baseline. But, a diet made to be as easy to digest and as simple as possible will help you identify if they have any food allergies or sensitivities.

The last thing you need if you're trying to train your dog to have better bowel control is feeding them something that makes them need to go all the time, right?

Make sure you're also controlling:

• The amount of food you give them, so they aren't over-eating and causing problems.
• The speed at which they eat, so they don't eat too fast and give themselves an upset tummy.
• The timing of when they eat, so you have a consistent pattern built into each day.

Feeding your dog a bland diet at the same time every day gives you a strong foundation you can use to build upon over time.

Step 3: Take the First Steps Slowly

Even if your rescue dog was housetrained originally, there's a chance that they've lost their control and habits over time.

This can happen for a few different reasons.

• They've been stuck in a rescue kennel for too long and haven't been taken out often enough, causing accidents.
• They were abandoned or on their own for long enough that no reinforcement kept them from abandoning their training, so they just do their own thing now.
• They're wild enough that the odors of a new environment and potentially other pets in the home drive them to mark their areas.

So, when you adopt a new pup, you need to figure out if they had training initially or if you are going to be starting from scratch.

Step 4: Set the Ground Rules

Before you can embark on potty training a rescue dog, you need to set the ground rules. And no, I don't mean sitting your pup down and telling them how it's going to be. I mean understanding yourself how you're going to have to handle the training.

Consistency is key.

Everything needs to be done at the same time each day, on the same schedule. If you can't get the breaks off work to come home and do it, you need someone else who can do it for you. If it means setting an alarm for every couple of hours throughout the night, so be it.

When I say everything, I do actually mean everything. Get up at the same time each day and take them out. Feed them at the same time each day. Take them on walks at the same time each day. Consistency is absolutely critical for successful potty training, especially if you want to do it as quickly as possible.

Use praise.

A key part of training any dog is praising them when they do the behavior you want them to do. It's called positive reinforcement, and it's really the only way you can successfully train an animal. Primarily, that means praising them when they do their doo outside appropriately.

This may also mean praise indoors if you see them go to mark, and they stop. It's all about rewarding them for their actions in the right environment.

Add a verbal component.

While it's often not strictly necessary for a dog to have a command to do their business once their training is in place, it can be helpful to reinforce what you want them to do in a given environment.

This is helpful, especially if you have different kinds of outings. Taking them out to play, taking them out for recall training, taking them out for an exercise walk; these can all have different purposes, and you may not want them to potty just anywhere. So, saying "go potty" when you want them to potty – and saying it again when they're actually doing it – helps build that association.

Use confinement.

It can feel bad, but any time you aren't around to directly supervise your dog and make sure you're enforcing the rules of potty training, they need to be confined to a crate or other small, enclosed space.

One fact about dogs is that, unless it's an extreme emergency, they will be very averse to relieving themselves too close to where they are spending their time. Fear, anxiety, and illness can all cause it, but if they're just not trained, they won't do it because it's unpleasant.

Step 5: Putting it All Together

Once you have all of the ground rules down, for yourself and your dog, all you need to do is put it together.

While regulating their time and behavior, watch what they do. Praise them when they do what you want them to do. Don't punish them when they act up – it doesn't work and it can make behaviors, anxiety, and fear worse.

If there's an accident, clean it up. It's going to happen, and that's unfortunate, but there's not a lot you can do about it after it happens. Again, punishment doesn't work. You just need to figure out why it happened and adjust your training to account for it.

That might mean taking your pup out more often, changing their diet or medication, or working with them to feel safer so they don't fear the unknown as much. Whatever the case may be, it takes time and dedication, but it can be done.

Housebreaking a Rescue Dog FAQ

Now, let's go over some of the questions that come up when talking about housebreaking a rescue dog.

Can you housetrain a rescue dog?

Of course! Rescue dogs are almost never a "lost cause," but you need to be prepared for accidents, smelly cleanups, and a lot more difficulty in training than you would have with a brand-new puppy.

Once you get the ball rolling, though, it can be extremely rewarding to see an unruly dog start to take commands and learn to be a better companion. Just like any other difficult but ultimately satisfying endeavor, it takes time and dedication, but you can definitely do it if you put your mind to it.

Is there a difference between housebreaking and housetraining?

Not really!

Some people claim that there is a difference and that housetraining still includes things like using a puppy pad, whereas housebreaking means never going inside the house at all. Other people don't recognize the difference.

Personally, I'm pretty sure the only reason we use housetraining instead of housebreaking is the connotations. "Breaking" is such an aggressive word, isn't it? It implies things like punishment, animal abuse, and a broken pup, and even if the results are very different, it's not the kind of impression we want to give as animal lovers.

How important is diet to potty training?

Somewhat! Diet on its own isn't going to have a huge impact, and as long as their diet is healthy enough that it's not causing problems, you're fine.

The issue comes when your rescue dog is eating something that upsets their stomach and leads to unpleasant side effects and accidents.

What are the most common reasons for a potty accident?

There are a handful of reasons why your pup might be relieving themselves where they shouldn't.

You'll want to consider the context and situation when an accident happens.

• Lack of training. A completely untrained dog won't have the foundation to know where they shouldn't go and might just find a corner in the living room as good as a corner of the yard.
• Submission. Some dogs are habitually submissive and may release their bladder a bit when they get too excited or as a form of submission to another dog they're greeting. It's only urine, and it's not much, but it's still a habit to fix.
• Territorial marking. When your pup leaves urine on the furniture, door frames, or anywhere around the home – and sometimes feces, as well – it's because they're scent-marking their territory.
• Fear and anxiety. Separation anxiety, loud noises, and threats – perceived or otherwise – can lead your dog to lose bowel control.

Depending on the cause of the accident, you may need to focus your training on different ways to solve the issue.

I just took my dog out, but they had an accident as soon as I got back inside!

This isn't a question, but that's okay. This happens a lot if you're trying to rush the process. Dogs often need to spend a bit of time investigating the area to make sure it feels safe for them to go. If you're impatient – and especially if you're trying to use a command and they're ignoring you – it feels like they don't need to go and are just messing around.

Then, you bring them back inside, where they know it's safe, and they immediately find a place to go.

The key is two things. First, make sure you give them plenty of experiences in your yard to make sure they feel safe there. Second, give them plenty of time to investigate before they do their deed. They probably do have to go; they just aren't quite comfortable yet.

So, there you have it: a guide to housetraining a rescue dog. Do you have any questions? If so, leave them in the comments, and I might be able to add them to the FAQ! Meanwhile, do you have any experience housetraining a rescue dog? Do you have tips or advice I haven't covered? Let me know!