debralcm

Hello All,
I plan on taking home a two year old Basset boy from a shelter on Thursday. I don't know much about him, don't know if he's housetrained. I have trained puppies before but never a two year old. He would be the only dog at the home right now. Any thoughts, experience, or ideas about how training a two year old may differ from a baby? Any strategies would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Deb

murraysmom

When you come home with him, before you take him into your home, I would take him on his leash to a place in your yard that he can use for potty. Wait til he urinates, praise, give him a treat, and then take him inside. Once inside keep him close and watch him carefully so that he doesn't have the opportunity to relieve himself in the house. Establish a schedule to take him out on his leash to his potty place, maybe every 2 hours, until he gets the hang of it.

This method worked for me when we adopted a 3 year old dachshund a couple of years ago. She had a lot of fears when we brought her home, and was terrified of a crate, so I kept her near me on a leash most of the first few days so that I could keep an eye on her. She had been trained to use a litter box and was afraid of the yard, but even though she had these things to overcome, was housebroken pretty quickly.

If he's the 'silent type' like Murray and doesn't bark to go out, try hanging a bell on the door so that he can signal you. (In the FAQ section below, under housebreaking, I think there is a link explaining this in more detail).

I'm guessing this is the heartworm positive boy from your other thread- Good for you! I'm happy to hear you decided to give him a home!! Please let us all know how he's doing once you get him home-

2hounds

I don't really have much advice. Gibbs (who I got in November) is 3. I just let him out whenever I let Lily out and we only had 1 accident. I believe taking the dog out frequently should get them into the routine.

~Heather

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Mommy to Lily and Gibbs