While some people prefer to have cute, cuddly, and adorable puppies, other people like to have an adult dog instead. Older dogs tend to be more mature and perhaps better companions, the best friend a human would need.

However, some people have qualms about having an older dog due to the common notion that people cannot teach old dogs new tricks, especially potty training. But this is not really the case, older dogs can still be potty trained with a few important things in mind.

Here are some tips for potty training an older dog:

1. When potty training an older dog, your focus should be on teaching the dog to relieve himself on the outside, rather than teaching him not to do it on the inside. It is easier to teach an older dog to DO something rather than DO NOTHING.

If your dog already has the old habit of doing it on the inside, it would be hard to focus too much on breaking that habit. It’s a lot easier to help him learn a better alternative to old bad behavior.

2. Select a place where you want the dog to relieve himself, such as a small corner on the lawn. It would be easier to potty train an older dog if you are consistent about where you want it to poop. Going to the same place, over and over again, would help the dog learn the correct place faster. It also helps if you don’t clean the place much until your dog learns to go there when he needs to go to the bathroom.

3. Use the same words to refer to the potty. An older dog can be confused if he uses different phrases to mean the same thing. When you want him to go to the bathroom, use the exact same phrase so that it somehow becomes a command to do the behavior you want him to do.

4. Eliminate all traces of an accident from going to the bathroom inside the house. Dogs’ sense of smell is very keen and the smell of urine or feces in your home can make them think this is the place to go to the bathroom. Use a deodorizing cleaning solution to remove odors that may cling to your floors and carpets.

5. Keep your dog’s sleeping area as tight as possible. Dogs don’t want to go to the bathroom in their bedrooms and by keeping the area long enough for him to sleep and perhaps roll over, there would be no room for him to go to the bathroom. Every morning when the dog wakes up, take him to his usual potty to relieve himself there.

6. Decrease your dog’s food and water intake before he falls asleep. This prevents accidents from happening because when your dog is full of water or food while sleeping, he may not have the ability to control the call of nature.

7. Make it easy for your dog to exit through a dog gate or leave the back door open. If this is not practical in your area, leave a bell for your dog to reach. Take the dog out each time you ring the doorbell so they know that the doorbell is a signal to get out.

Whoever says they can’t teach their older dog new tricks may be too lazy. In fact, it is possible to potty train an older dog if you know these tips and have the right amount of patience.

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