Anyone have any advice on house training a 5 year old dog?

She's a chihuahua mix and I've had her since she was a puppy. She goes inside sometimes (not all the time and only urine). I want to solve this problem once and for all.Anyone have any advice on house training a 5 year old dog?
A dog can learn different routines at any age, try this:





Management is the most effective tool you have. Baby gates or a playpen to keep puppy in the same room you are in, or leash her to your chair or belt so she can't ever be more than a leash length away at any time. If you do not see her, she’s probably going potty. If you have to answer the phone or make dinner, put her in her crate or a playpen in the room you are in. By confining her to a small place, like an airline kennel, you will teach her to wait to be let out. She will be more reluctant to soil her crate, because if she does she will be forced to sit and look at it and smell it until you return. When you do let her out, take her directly to her assigned toilet area and praise for quick results. Take her outside( or to her assigned toilet area) on an unfailingly regular schedule - every hour on the hour and make every outing a party with cheering and cookies. Remember, this is not forever, just until she is housetrained.


Watch your dog constantly. One of your first duties is to identify what your dog does right before she eliminates. Does your dog sniff? Circle? Pause mid step / ear twitch / sniffing pattern, hold her ears in a certain position? Some dogs provide signals that are easy to spot, while others are more difficult. Watch carefully. Just as the dog begins to show signs, you can redirect (shake a rattle can to stop the potty action then pick up your pet and head outside-or to the potty area) and respond with enthusiasm, to go OUTSIDE (or on the pad). Once outside, stay with her until you witness the desired results and praise her as she goes. ';Good, go potty outside!'; Make her feel that she is the most special dog in the whole world. STAY with them until they go.


If you don't stay, you'll miss the chance to praise and you'll also miss the chance to name the behavior. ';Outside'; is where she needs to go, ';Go potty';, ';Find a tree';, or, ';Do your business'; (call it what you like) is what she needs to do when she gets there. If you stay with her, you'll also know for a fact that both duties were accomplished before she comes back in. Many young puppies are distraught about being separated from their owners. They may spend the entire time while outside just sitting on the porch. It's unlikely that your pup will want to ask to go outside if it is a negative experience to be separated from the security of its family.


Feed and exercise on a regular schedule. Remember, what goes in regularly, will come out regularly. How soon after she eats does she need to go out? Keep track, usually within an hour. Free-choice feeding may hamper your house training efforts - what trickles in will trickle out unpredictably! Your dog will probably need to go out immediately upon waking in the morning, soon after eating, after napping, and after exercising. If you can anticipate when she needs to go and hustle her to the appropriate spot at the first sign, you'll avoid accidents.


Potty pads are one more step to get rid of if the ultimate goal is to get your pup to go outside, so if you must have an indoor toileting area in the interim, try a low sided tray with a piece of sod or dirt - copy the surface of the intended outside target. At first, keep your puppy in a small area like the kitchen and cover the entire floor with pads. There can be NO MISTAKES!! Then slowly remove all the pads except in the exact area you want them to go on. You can also move the tray closer and closer to the outside door, until one day it’s on the other side. Use the above method to direct the pup to the “correct” pad area. In the long run, having an indoor potty area will slow down the process of getting the pup to go outside, so avoid it if you can.


If your puppy has already soiled on the carpet or floor, it is imperative that you get a good enzyme cleaner to rid the area of any smell, remember your dog can smell what you can not, and that odor triggers the elimination response. Make sure you are neutralizing odor on all the spots they use. Fresh spots will respond to white vinegar, but if a spot has dried before treatment, you need a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator product such as Nature's Miracle. Either way, the product needs to soak deeply into the carpet pad. If she has an accident, swat yourself with the rolled up newspaper, not the dog. It was your fault for not watching her closely enough! Rubbing her nose in it (yuck!), scolding or hitting will only teach her to avoid you when she feels the need, rather than come find you. Scolding the dog only teaches the dog to sneak off down the hall where you won't see her. Remember, she loves you and wants to do what is right, she just doesn’t know what that is yet.


Summary:


1. Never leave a puppy unattended. A Puppy you can not see is eliminating in the wrong place. Use play pens, leashing the dog to your belt, or a kennel to help contain your puppy.


2. Kennels or crates should be large enough for the animal to stand up, turn around and lay back down. If the dog can walk or step in the crate, they will eliminate in it. Never leave a puppy in the crate more than the recommended time.


3. SCHEDULE. Take the puppy out for elimination first thing in the morning, then about 45 minutes after scheduled meals, last thing at night, after napping and after exercise.


4. Watch for elimination signals from the puppy.


5. When you take the puppy to the elimination area, take her directly to her assigned toilet area and praise for quick results.


6. Stay with your puppy to avoid separation anxiety, ensure she does all she is suppose to do, and gets praised quickly for the correct results.


7. Be sure to name the activity so later your dog will eliminate on command


8. If your puppy has already soiled on the carpet or floor, it is imperative that you get a good enzyme cleaner to rid the area of any smell. Any smell left will trigger the pup to go again. Natures Miracle or a similar enzyme cleaner is the most effective. Rubbing her nose in it (yuck!), scolding or hitting will only teach her that you can not be a leader (you are pretty stupid if you think don’t want anyone to ever go potty), she will learn to hide her elimination, she will learn to worry about you when you leave the room, because when your return, you are angry,,,so you have just increased separation anxietyAnyone have any advice on house training a 5 year old dog?
just make sure you never scold her for it it will confuse her and make her believe that she didn't do a good enough job and next time she does it she will try and do a bigger poo or more wee as she thinks that is why you got angry
show her her mistake talk gently but firmly. get help from a dog trainer if necessary. if she does the right thing and urines outside, praise her.
she might just have a weak bladder. try a doggie door if you dont already have one
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!!!! praise when she goes outside rather that yelling when in..
................. she's 5 not a puppy anymore.. umm i dont think you can train her. but umm ...........!!!!!!!! get puppy mats she'll urine on those and poop
Show her what she did, scold her and then throw her outside. My puppy has been trained since about 9 weeks old!
Crate train her. If she's unattended or you're not home, then she goes in the crate.





If you catch her having an accident, yell and clap your hands to stop her and take her outside.