How to Paper Train a Senior Dog

Whether you want to paper train a senior dog who is having some incontinence trouble, or you are paper training an older dog because you are away too long during the day, it is not difficult if you are consistent with your paper training.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Newspapers
• Potty or wee wee pads
• Clicker
• Treats

1. Take your dog to the vet if you think she is not holding it as well as before, or if she is suddenly having accidents in the house. It could be as simple as an easily treated urinary tract infection (UTI) or incontinence caused by spaying, called spay incontinence. Or perhaps she has developed intolerance to her usual food that makes her potty in the house.

2. Put newspapers or absorbent potty pads in the area she usually goes. Dogs tend to always potty in the same place. Some dogs need a bit of privacy or will feel uncomfortable going potty in your presence, especially if they are used to doing it outside.

3. Clicker train her to let her know it is OK and that the proper place to do is on the paper. Even senior dogs can learn very quickly with clicker training. Clickers are available at any pet store. You will also need some small, soft, low-fat treats for her.

4. Prime the clicker first. This means that your dog understands that when she hears the click, she gets rewarded and praised right afterwards. Have a small handful of treats in one hand and the clicker in the other. Click once and immediately treat. By the time you have done this about ten times in a row, you will notice your dog looking not at your treat hand but at the clicker hand. She understands now that the click makes treats happen.

5. Immediately after your dog potties on the paper, click and treat her. Don't disturb her in the middle of her business, but give her praise directly afterwards. Of course you can do this without a clicker too. Just give her lots of praise and rewards for going on the paper.

6. Do nothing if she misses the paper and potties next to it. Scolding her for pottying will only confuse her at this point. Simply don't praise or reward if she misses. Clean up the soiled paper every time. It is more sanitary and your dog may be fussy about pottying on papers that are already messed.

7. Make sure she has a large area of paper to go on at first. As she gets more accurate, you can make the paper potty area smaller and smaller until you only need a small enough area that she will hit and you will be able to clean up easily.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use treats make sure they are small and low fat. If you use a lot of them, compensate by making her next meal just a little smaller. It is unhealthy for dogs to be overweight, especially senior dogs.
• Feeding a high quality food or raw diet will make her stool volume smaller and less smelly. Cheap food produces larger and smellier poop.
• An advantage to your senior dog pottying on paper is you can easily see if her urine is very dark or tinged with blood. This often indicates a UTI, so take her to the vet.