Sometimes dogs have trouble with housetraining when they are first placed. There are a number of reasons: they may never have been properly taught. Many dogs wind up in the shelter because their owners didn't know how to teach dogs correct elimination habits. Perhaps they have spent much of their lives outside or in kennels. Such dogs may not understand that elimination is reserved for outside.

You should train these dogs exactly like you would a puppy, with the big difference that they will catch on much more quickly, being adult and having a full set of bladder muscles. Confine them to a crate or otherwise watch them; take them outside regularly to eliminate. You might try using a phrase such as "Do it" or "Go potty" -- especially if your dog is a retired show dog, it may already understand this. Patience is your best ally -- keep your dog's schedule consistent until you're sure it understands where you expect it to go.

Don't punish a dog for going inside. You will get much better results much more quickly if you anticipate its needs and have it go outside, to your praise, each time. In fact, it is generally your fault if the dog eliminated inside rather than the dog's.

You should note that some aggressive male dogs may mark your entire house in an attempt to claim the house as his territory. You should first get him neutered, and then, since such aggression is likely to be a problem in other areas (such as growling when you approach his food), you should consult a book such as Evans' People, Pooches, and Problems.

Some dogs urinate submissively. If it is lying down, even on its back, when it urinates, this is not a housetraining problem. This dog needs work to raise its self-esteem. For now, avoid the problem by toning down your approach to the dog. If it is urinating submissively when you come home, make your arrival much less exciting. Don't look at it for a few minutes, then just talk to it. Finally, scratch it a bit on its chest (petting it on the head is very dominant). Avoid bending at the waist over your dog. Squat instead.

In the long term, to deal with the problem of a too submissive dog, you will have to teach it confidence and help it build up self esteem. A good way to to do this is to some obedience training, though take care to use motivational methods with little or no corrections (try Communicating with your Dog by Ted Baer for some good hints). Be unstinting in your approval when the dog does something right.
 
 

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