How do you house train a dog that’s over a year old?

I love my male shih tzu so much, but he will not stop pottying in the house. My husband says it’s because I refuse to hit him. He says all successfully trained dogs are beaten, but I think that’s horrible! Any non-violent suggestions for a dog that’s not a puppy anymore?

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14 Responses to “How do you house train a dog that’s over a year old?”

  1. jj said :

    1 bullit between the eyes problem solved

  2. Keith Perry said :

    Hitting a dog doesnt always teach them whats right and wrong. Expecially if they have been this way for a year or more. I trained my dog by taking him out every 2 hours on the dot. Stayed out with him until he used the bathroom. (could take 10 or 15 minutes at first) as soon as he uses the bathroom I would bring him in and say good boy a few times. After about 2 weeks he started waiting until I took him out to get used to this. Now he goes outside. After they get the hang of it you can start taking them out a littler less, every 3 hours or 4 hours… depends on how much the dog eats. Good luck to you!

  3. piggie dude said :

    smacking a news paper on you hand and yelling no, or shake a pop can with a few pennies in it and yelling no, and taking the pup outside works just as well.

  4. shari said :

    buy a puppy and start over. tell your husband for me that he should get a beating!!!!!

  5. trevanionjohnny said :

    leave the back door open bcuz your dog is still a puppy under 18months old, make a newspaper noise say NO in very deep voice then take the puppy outside. you cant tell when your pup wanted to go to loo

  6. Taminatorr said :

    My trainer says that if you see your dog doing something that it shouldn’t squirt water at him. It works for my dog with everything. Be consistent for 7 days nomatter what and the behavior should stop. You should also use a key word for all negative behaviors like “NO’ or “STOP” but don’t include the dog’s name when you say it. You can’t really discipline for something that you are not witnessing though. Taking him out for regular walks may halp also.

  7. brad said :

    right after the dog eats take it to where you want it to go and wait till it does go then praise it and give it a small but good treat. Do this for a week at least.

  8. monkey_08 said :

    it might be harder trying to train a dog thats a little older. sometimes hitting is ok but as long as you dont hit too hard. to start off you need to get him on a schedule. dont take him outside at random times in the day. you should take him out as soon as you wake up, right before you go to bed, when he wakes up from a nap, or whatever time is convienent to do on a daily basis. also reward him when he goes outside with treats.

  9. tom l said :

    Exactlly the same way you train a dog that is under a year old.
    Try being C O N S I S T A N T with which one of the many methods that work that you choose to use

  10. college_math_guy said :

    One of the best ways I have potty trained my dogs is by kennel training them. By this I mean you get a kennel that is just large enough for your dog to go in, turn around, and then lay down. If he is a year old and not used to being in a kennel it will be harder on you at first than him because he will whine and cry, A LOT! This is not necessary all the time, just at night and times when you are not at home. A dog will not potty inside their kennel because they will not use the bathroom where they sleep. This method takes longer for some dogs than others, but it usually works. I had a male schauzer and I didn’t get him fully potty trained until after I got him fixed. Being that you have a male dog he will want to mark his territory. Just remember that everytime you take him out of the kennel take him directly outside. Since he has already pottied in the house you will want to invest in a pet cleaner designed specially for pets. Even though you clean after your pet and don’t smell it, they can. Also, it has been my experience that sometimes dogs just use the bathroom in the same place out of habit, so all you have to do is break the cycle of habit.

    As far as hitting your dog, the only way you will be able to potty train your dog by hitting him is if you catch him EVERY SINGLE TIME he pottys in your house and spank him WHILE HE IS POTTYING. Obviously, that is very unlikely.

    After you have had your dog in the kennel for a week, let him out for a day to see if he uses the bathroom. If he does, put him back in the kennel.

    Some other ideas is not to allow your dog to have water or food after a certain time during the day if your dog is going to be inside. This will help with your dog’s bowel movements. Also, if you haven’t gotten your dog fixed and are not planning to breed with him, I would seriously consider getting him neutered, it really helps.

  11. Dane Lover said :

    You train the same way you would with a puppy. You TAKE your dog out every couple of hours and stay out until he goes (if he doesn’t go within a reasonable time bring him in and confine him to an area or in a crate wait a while and take him back out. Always praise him lavishly when he goes in the appropriate place. If he has an accident don’t call his attention to it simply clean it up. Don’t allow your dog unsupervised run of the house.
    Your husband is 100% wrong, successfully trained dogs are never beaten!!!

  12. madfly80 said :

    Do not hit your dog…this will accomplish not one worthy thing to your dog. You will have to start at square one with him…if he is not trustworthy, he needs to either monitored or confined. He cant speak ‘human’ nor does he understand it, I wouldnt considerate very fair if I couldnt understand a language and got beat for using the wrong toilet. If you gotta go, you gotta go. You will have to set him up in the right situation, help him get into the correct habits and go from there. I would also enroll him in a reward based basic obedience class. The ones at Petsmart cover potty training in the beginner classes too. If you need more detailed help, please feel free….but I would definitely consider a reward based training class…they are fun and easy for both parties involved (you and your dog), and they are also great at building the bond between you. My ‘demo’ dog Yoshi..also a ShitTzu..didnt start ‘school’ until she was over a year and she just loves it. If you arent at all interested in the course, Petsmart has a booklet called ‘potty training is possible’ for only $5. It covers everything about potty training. If you have to confine him when you are away …dont feel bad…it is only temporary until he learns where it is ok to go potty. Once dogs are correctly crate trained, most love it and will even take naps during the day in the crate even when you are home. It becomes their own little house and safe zone.

  13. I♥myPitbulls said :

    Hitting does not work!!! Have ur husband read this! It only makes the dog scared of u and maybe, possibly even snap/bite at u. Please try crate training it makes housebreaking so much easier. It worked soooooo well with my dogs and my friend’s dogs and I swear by it. Please consider this and talk 2 ur husband cause hurting an animal doesn’t solve anything! This problem can be fixed—–don’t give up, I have faith in u!

  14. stayerrinaxd said :




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