need housebreaking advice on an older dog, not a puppy

[terriemae]

i have a 10 or 11 yr old bichon who i can't seem to housebreak. he has a dog door that he can go as he pleases. sometimes he goes out it to do his business, but other times he will in the house. main problem, he feels as if he has to mark everything that comes into the house, right down to visitors purses or luggage! and i do literally mean everything! also if it's raining he won't go out at all. i can't see him 24 7. there are lots of material out there on how to train puppies, but not one on mature dogs. can't get rid of him. love him like family. please help!

[smiley733]

I do agree with most of the advice but is he peeing just for marking or might he have an infection ??   Work with him as some others have suggested and yes if you have to obtain an exercise pen and limit his activities in the house as we do with our dogs.  A bladder infection may be something to check and for the marking clean or spray any area he has marked and carry on with the suggested training.  I know that most dogs will let you know if they have to pee like pace or get antsy if so learn the signs and when they do this and you get them outside make sure they are praised alot for asking to go out.  Some dogs will learn that a certain mannerism will let you know they have to go out and will learn quickly how to let you know.  We have had dogs for many years and if you pay attention then you will see a certain way that they may circle or pace.  The marking is something you may really need to watch and like said a sharp noise to distract them may curb this to a point.  Good Luck and remember when our hounds pee and we miss it "shame on us " as we are the ones who are supposed to be the smarter of the two

[peekawho]

I've always used the tethering technique to housebreak every single dog we've ever had.  There is no reason it won't work with an older dog, but you have to devote a couple of solid weeks to it very consistently.

Also, do not allow your dog free access to water or food if soiling or urinating in the house is a problem.  Feed/water at scheduled times will help you know when the dog is likely to need to "go".
If food and water is down all the time, the dog will pee and poop whenever the mood strikes.

[Misfits4Me]

I had to smile at this one...No, it's not funny, but I'm living the same story. Thank you for saying that you WON'T get rid of him, that made my day!!!!    Our Male Bichon is a potty training nightmare!  We adopted him in November. He just turned 4. He came from a terrible puppy mill and is terrified of ALL humans. I was on a strict training schedule with him for three wks. (And doing pretty good)  That was until my husband needed emergency Open Heart Surgery and my training flew out the door!!!  He can't be tethered to me as he too scared. If you make eye contact or even get close to him, he has an accident in the floor. If he's crated, he fights so hard that he rips his fingernails out and I come home to a bloodbath. Also, does this if baby gated in a room. Therefore, if I leave him roaming, he pees everywhere.  He has learned more from the other furkids here than I have been able to teach him. I have resorted to him wearing Belly Bands while in the house. They are life savers as I can't watch him 24/7,either.  I've even decided if he has to wear them forever, then so be it. (He's not leaving .......Pee-pee or not!)  He does not wear them at night. Just when he's running around the house. If your not familiar with Belly Bands, they are a band that wraps around the waist (And pee-peer) with  velcro closure. You put 1/2 of a human urine pad in them to catch the urine. Amazing invention!!!!  I buy mine from a rescue group (Online) that sells them as a fund raiser. They use the money they make from the belly bands and prissy panties to go towards their rescue vetting bills.  Helps me and them, too. They make the best ones I've ever found. They are ordered by waist size. I cannot live without them!!!  Good luck and know that you are not alone....Gotta love those wonderful Bichons..................

[Ghilly]

For some reason, Bichons have a reputation for being a breed that is difficult to housebreak.  I don't know why that is, but there are some breeds (Beagles are another) that have that reputation.  Of course, not all individuals of those breeds are tough to train, but enough of them have been sufficiently difficult to earn them the reputation.

It's SOOO refreshing to "hear" you say that rehoming him isn't an option, because too many people are ready to throw their hands in the air and give up when it comes to problems such as this.  Kudos to you for wanting to work through the problem because you love your dog too much to part with him.  

Is he neutered?  Marking behavior is a common problem with unneutered male dogs.  If he isn't neutered, speak with your vet about having it done.  Sometimes when they are senior dogs like he is, the behavior is so ingrained that it's difficult to get them to stop, but then again, sometimes they do.  A lot will probably depend on how dominant his personality is to begin with.  If he's a very dominant type, it may not work.  If he is fairly submissive, it just might be the answer.  

The other thing I would do until you get the problem under control is to seal up the doggy door.  You need to communicate to him that when he goes outside, it's to do his business and not just for his entertainment.  You can try tethering him to  your belt with a lead so that he is always with you and you can see him at all times.  When he goes to lift his leg give him a sharp "AhAh!!" and head straight out the door with him.  Then comes the fun part - stay outside with him until he does what you took him out there to do.  Praise him to the heavens and then go back inside.  At night when it's time for bed, crate him.  As soon as you get up in the morning, get him from the crate, carry him outside, and stay out there until he completes his mission.  Then tether him to you again for the day.  After a few days of this he should get the message.  After that, if he slips up, crate him.  Dogs hate to be isolated, and he'll soon get the message that if he lifts his leg on something, all it gets him is time away from people that he wants to be with.  If the tethering and standing outside until he goes doesn't get the message across, periods of isolation should.  You're not going to leave him in the crate for hours, 30 minutes should be fine.  He just needs to understand that hiking his leg inside the house gets him banished from being with the family.  And while he's in the crate, no matter how much he whines or cries don't go to him.  Don't yell "hush!!" from another room, because he will be doing it to get a response from you, and even a negative response is still a response in his book.

One thing to remember is to act quietly and quickly when you catch him in the act.  A sharp "Ah Ah!!" and scooping him up and taking him outside is all that is necessary.  If you yell and rant and rave, he will interpret that to mean that he shouldn't go to the bathroom in front of you, and he'll start sneaking off to other rooms to do it where you can't see him.  All the "Ah Ah!!" does is divert his attention from what he's doing and turn it to you.

Good luck with this!  It's going to take diligence and perseverance, but Bichons are long-lived dogs, so it's worth it since you will likely have another 5-6 years with him.

Ghilly