[LLps40]

I am posting this for someone that adopted an adult female GSD approximately two years old. The dog is urinating in the house and it's getting worse. They are ruling out physical reasons. Can you please offer suggestions on housebreaking an adult. They are a wonderful family that really wants to work through this. I am going to send them the link so they can view the responses.

Thank you!!!
Lisa

 

[BowWowMeow]

I have done it the same way I housebreak a puppy. They should the dog tethered to them or gated in the same area as them at all times. When the dog goes outside, praise and treat. When they can't keep her tethered to them or gated in the same area then they should crate her. With an adult it usually only takes a day or two for them to catch on.

Ignore accidents unless she's caught in the act. Then give a little whoop (to get her to stop) and get her outside so she can finish out there. Be sure that they are cleaning all of the spots she pees with either white vinegar mixed with water or Nature's Miracle enzyme cleaner. That could be a big part of the problem--if the scent remains then she thinks that's her potty spot.

 

[bluetick]

Depending on the dog's circumstances prior to being adopted, it may take a while to housebreak her. My current 2 year old male rescue took 10 months! He was basically raised in a cage until he was about 6 months old. From that irresponsible owner/breeder he was moved to a boarding facility for a few more months, until a court released the 30 or so dogs for adoption. When I adopted him at 12 to 14 months old, he was not housebroken and hated being crated, becoming a skilled escape artist. This guy's "normal" was to live in his own waste.

A female I adopted at 3 or 4 years old took about a month to housebreak. Her background was a bit sketchy, but I don't think she had lived in a house before mine.

It can take a lot of patience, and I hope these adopters will stick with it and not give up on her. Has a veterinarian ruled out physical problems? BowWowMeow's suggestions should help a lot. (For the record, 4 other GSD's I adopted as adults had no problems with housebreaking.)

 

[StGeorgeK9]

The fosters I get I treat just like I would a puppy. I keep them attached to me in the house with a leash and then crate when I cannot give them 150% of my attention. I start to let them drag the leash after a few days if we have no accidents while attached to me, then keep progressing, set the dog up to succeed by taking them out frequently and perhaps your friend can also tie some bells to the door so it starts to associate the sound with going outside, you can teach a dog easily to ring the bells when they want to go outside, I never did this, but if I had an issue with the dog not knowing how to tell me, I probably would try this.

Have your friend go back over where the accidents have occured with a good enzyme product or vinegar. The smell remains unless complete removed with a good product and could be triggering her to continue to go.

 

[Timber1]

Bowwow and the subsequent posters hit the nail on the head.

If the dog is crate trained let us know. If not, perhaps getting the dog house broken is a bit more difficult.