Can You Housetrain Older Dogs

by admin

Whether you’ve just adopted an older dog or if you’ve decided to start letting your adult dog come inside you may have wondered if the old saying is true that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.  This article will help explain potty training older dogs and if it’s possible in your case.

It’s a common saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but is it true and if it isn’t true can you potty train an older dog?  First of all, you can teach an older dog new tricks.  The reason that rumor started is because animals brains (just like people) develop quickly while they are young and can process a lot more information than when they are older.  Another reason this rumor exists is because older dogs are generally more stubborn and are not as excited and focused as a puppy may be with a new trick.  So even though it may be harder to teach an older dog new tricks than a puppy, it is certainly not impossible.

You do have one advantage though with house training older dogs and that advantage is that adult dogs can hold their bathroom urges for up to eight hours.  That is quite a large setup up from a three month old puppy which can only “hold it” for three hours.  This can sometimes be a blessing and a disadvantage, because with puppies you will be taking them outside more frequently which will help their brains recognize the routine of going to the bathroom outside.  But with adults, since you are taking them outside less frequently it will take a bit longer to get the idea through to them.

So how long will it take to potty train an adult dog?  This depends on your teaching methods you use and how thorough you are with your dog, but on average you can expect an adult dog to be completely house trained (where they will alert you to when you need to go outside) within a few weeks to a month.

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