How do I get my 3 year old dog to stop going to the bathroom in my house? I have hard wood floors now but We are about to move in to a new house and I don't want her to ruin the carpets.
Please help!

 

You will need to potty train your dog to go outside. If you can not personally supervise the dog at all times, then use a cage. Do not let dog have the run of the house.

Most people don't intentionally train their dogs to go indoors. Dog owners must be self-disciplined and dogs need structured lives. Dogs must feel secure with owners. In a stressful household or a household where the dog has the need to feel dominate, it will mark its territory. Catching the dog in the act and correcting it properly immediately is important. Waiting until later and dragging the dog over to its mess does not work. If dog urinates when excited or you are angry with it, punishing the dog with this type of problem will not work.

While neutering is no guarantee for solving indoor urination problems, many report that it does help, particularly with male dogs. Dog obedience training is also recommended.

You will need to start all over just like the dog was a puppy. The dog will need to come out of its cage first thing in the morning and taken outdoors. Spend a little quality time with the dog after it does its business. Give it a treat. Spend a little quality time once back indoors. Return to the cage if you can not supervise every minute. Dog will need to go again after meals and last thing at night. Until the dog is reliable, it will need to go outdoors every three or so hours.

Most pets go to the bathroom on floor when you are not looking. So cleaning up pet messes and reprimanding a dominant dog immediately presents a challenge. If you can not constantly supervise, use the cage. Purchase some enzyme digester cleaner, sold as pet mess cleaners at pet stores and marketed under various names such as Out, OdoBan, Nature's Miracle & others. Enzymes digest organic stains and odors. If previous owner of the home had a pet, your dog will likely eliminate in the same areas as previous pets. Pets tend to repeat their crimes at the same scenes, attracted by odor. It is important to clean up messes immediately and thoroughly. This is difficult with carpet, as urine tends to settle not only downward into carpet cushion put outward 3-5 times the size of affected surface area.

 

Has your dog always done this or is this something new? If this is something fairly new, then you should see a vet as the dog may have a urinary infection. Other than that, Twelvepole is right on the money.

There is also a very good book "How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days" by Shirlee Kalstone. I'm on a couple dog forums and everyone swears by this book. Works with puppies or adults. I have it and use the method (is basically crate training) whenever we decide to keep a puppy out of one of our litters. It's available on Amazon and very inexpensive.

 

Keeping the dog on a leash and either tethered to you or by your side at all times in the house is another thing that will speed up training.
That way you will always have the dog with you and will be able to see the signs that your dog needs to go outside and can get him out there before he has an accident.

And as someone else mentioned, do not punish your dog for going inside unless you catch him right in the act, even a few seconds after he has done, it will not register with the dog as to why he is being punished. Some people seem to think that dogs know when they have done something wrong because they "act" all sheepish or submissive when you see what they've done. Trust me, they are not reacting to what they've done, but to the tone of your voice.

But if he's on the leash and with you, your opportunity to correct him if he tries to go, will go up 100% becuase you will be right there to give the correction at the right time.

Make sure to praise praise praise when he does go outside. I would avoid giving treats for him going outside as sometimes the dogs will stop peeing before they've fully emptied their bladder in the anticipation of receiving a treat. And don't forget that any type of physical activity will encourage a dog to go to the bathroom, so if you're playing with him in the house, make sure to take him right outside once your done, and after he's woken up from a nap.

It will take some time, but it can be done with an older dog that is not completely house-broken.