Housetraining older dog

[Penny Less]

I am having real problems with little rescue bitch. The first week I had her she wee'd indoors a few times, but that soon stopped and she never poo'd indoors.It was during the warmer days though and I left the back door open, even overnight sometimes !
When she came into season she wee'd and poo'd indoors overnight. I changed her last meal times to later in the evening to see if that made a difference.
Shes been ok for a week or so but has started pooing indoors again. Two days running the back door has been open and she has still messed indoors, though it was raining a bit outside and I wonder if this had something to do with it. She is 8 now, am I resigned to her not ever being clean? I have done the standing outside with her etc but she looks at me as if Im mad ! If I go down the route of putting newspaper down am I encouraging her to mess indoors?
My house is a terrace, and the kitchen is in the front so backdoor leads into the dining room which is carpeted. Im loath to use a dog crate as being a puppy farm bitch I hate to shut her in.

I seem to have been posting about dog problems for ever with various dogs, always rescues !

 

[AmyMay]

I don't think it's enough to leave a door open and hope for the best (in this case). Start treating her like a puppy, by actually taking her out.

 

[meleeka]

I don't think it's enough to leave a door open and hope for the best (in this case). Start treating her like a puppy, by actually taking her out.

Agree. Even at that age they can learn to wee on command. My Springer was 7 and it took a couple of months of me taking her out and saying “go for a wee” (with praise when she did) we had very few accidents indoors and I got to know pretty quickly how often she needed to go.

 

[pippixox]

Even if they seem confused at first I agree you have to go out with them and if anything stop free access to the garden (less likely this time of year anyways)
I had an interesting issue with my first rescue. He was clean, but also clean in our garden! He appeared to see it as an extension of the house. So would only go on walks. But of course some times you want to just let them in the garden and I was getting fed up of last toilet of the night having to be on a mini walk around the block. So on walks I would praise ‘wee wee’ when he did it and then used the word on lead in the garden. Took a week to get him to go! I think sometimes they get confused

 

[Penny Less]

Erm I did say I did the standing out side with her !

 

[twiggy2]

I would stand outside with her on a lead, don't look at her or speak to her, she will ok confused until she understands what it is all about- that's normal.

 

[Penny Less]

Trouble is she knows to poo outside, I think its laziness as even when the door is open she has not gone out. She has been outside the last two days. I think she may be a fair weather outside pooer !

On another note I am really pleased that I have managed to get her weight down from 18kg to 14.4 ! Another kg should do it.
Then I need to work on my Christmas flab.