House Training a Difficult Dog

House training any dog is a challenge at first. Trying to train a dog who is also stubborn, however, is even more work. Many rescued dogs come from homes where their previous owners didn't bother to house train them or weren't consistent with the training. The result is a dog that lacks understanding of expectations and may also have a lot of fears left over from their past. Patience, consistency and understanding can help you house train a difficult dog.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog crate or baby gate
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Instructions

    • 1

      Have your dog thoroughly checked for injuries or illnesses. Sometimes, dogs will seem defiant or difficult when, in fact, they are not feeling well. Unless you plan on breeding your dog, have him neutered. Dogs that are intact sometimes have more aggressive tendencies than dogs who are neutered. This is due to the higher levels of hormones in dogs who are not neutered.

    • 2

      Take your dog outside more often. This increases the likelihood that he will go outside. When he does, lavish praise on him. If you are unable to take your dog out in the middle of the day, ask a friend or hire a pet sitter. Your dog's difficulty may simply lie in a lack of a consistent schedule of going outside.

    • 3

      Feed your dog at the same time every day. Maintain a regular, predictable schedule for your dog, even if he doesn't go when he's outside. Get him into the routine of knowing when he will have an opportunity to urinate.

    • 4

      Keep your dog confined to his crate or in a small room with a baby gate when you aren't able to watch him. This is not to suggest that you should keep your dog in a crate all the time when he is inside. Keeping a dog crated for extended periods causes neurotic behavior in dogs, such as excessive licking and biting the crate. The crate should only be used when you are away and at night if you don't want your dog in your bed and you don't trust him enough to leave him out. Never use the crate for punishment. Your dog will then only learn to fear the crate and may urinate even more often in the house, out of fear.

    • 5

      Never use punishment to train your dog, no matter how difficult he is. Punishment instills fear and sometimes aggression and does not work for house training. If anything, ignore bad behavior or give your dog a time-out briefly if he does something unacceptable. Positive reinforcement is the best way to maintain a desired behavior in dogs. A difficult dog may require more practice and more reinforcement, but over time and with consistency, he will learn good behavior.