Reading some of my mail I stumbled on a fairly popular question that I get from my readers. Here is the email that I received:

Hi Amy,

I have a three year old boxer who I love and adore. I adopted him from my local shelter. His previous owners had to give him up due to financial problems, but he is in great shape and has all of his shots. Even though he is in great shape, he has a mild problem that has been causing quite a bit of problems for me at home. My boxer dog was never housebroken or trained any tricks at all. I know it’s harder to train a dog that is an adult than it is to train a puppy, but I was wondering if I still have a chance of teaching him that it’s NOT ok to pee inside the house.

Me and my husband bring him outside three times a day and whenever he is out, he might do his business or he might not depending on what his mood, but regardless of what he does or doesn’t do outside, he still will pee in the house!

Any help would be appreciated,

Rachelle T.

Thank you for your question Rachelle, I’m sure you’re not the only one with this problem.

Since your boxer still hasn’t learned that It’s not ok to do his business inside the home at this age, then my guess is that his previous owners kept your boxer dog outdoors. Of course this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in your boxers mind being indoors and outdoors is essentially the same thing, which would explain why he isn’t housebroken.

If your just starting to train your dog to do his business outdoors, walking him just three times a day might be not enough. Instead try to bring him outside about 15 min after each and whenever else you have time to go for a walk with him. This will ensure he does all his business outside and when he’s inside he won’t need to go. Don’t worry you won’t have to do this forever, only until your boxer dog is completely housebroken.

When you do spot him doing his thing outside or where you want him to do it, be sure to praise him. You can even carry a treat with you whenever you go outdoors. Since boxers love to please their owner, this is the most effective way to train him anything that you want him to do.

Also whenever an accident does happen indoors, make sure to clean it up right away. The odor can lead to more accidents happening in the future.

Do not scold or punish your dog even if you catch him in the act! This is a common mistake by new dog owners. Simply grab your boxer by your collar and gently drag him outside so he finished it up there. Eventually he will realize that that’s where you want him to do his business.

I hope this helps you with your problem! Feel free to ask me more questions if you have any. Also if you haven’t already, take a look at the boxer training book. There is a chapter that covers housebreaking your boxer dog.

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