Potty Training a 2yr Old Dog (shepherd, train, puppy, outside)

[JuleeM13]

I’m hoping someone here can offer me some assistance. My boyfriend has a 2 year old shepherd mix dog. We got her together and I absolutely adore her and consider her mine too but other than the occasional overnight stay at my place, she lives with him and his roommates. We are in the process of moving in together over the next couple of months and plan to buy a house in the very near future. The issue is that she is not house trained.

I tried to get him to crate train her when she was a puppy but for whatever reason he didn’t. We recently got her a crate and she sleeps in it sometimes but the door is removed and she has never been locked inside. The roommates have two other dogs and they are not house trained so she has picked up some very bad habits. When at my place she will use potty pads and she does go outside, but if there are no pads down and she has to go, she will in the house.

So can anyone give me some pointers on how to get her house trained as quickly as possible? I don’t want to traumatize her by locking her inside the crate all day right away. A dog walker is an option but I’m still afraid to lock her in there immediately for even 4 hours and we can’t afford more than one midday walk a day right now. I can take a week off work to work with her but I’m sure that it’s not going to happen that quickly. Any help you can give on training an adult dog with some bad habits will be much appreciated. Words of encouragement are appreciated as well! Hoping it's not too late to break these habits. Besides for this problem she is such a sweet happy dog and I want to keep her that way! Thanks!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Ues the 'search this forum" tool to look for other threads on this. Or just scroll down and you'll see some great advice, esp. from Viralmd. As she is an adult dog, I don't think it will take long if you follow Viral's advice. She is already half-way there by using the potty pads. I'm sure you can do this but she will have to be with you as the guys don't sound like very responsible pet owners!

[JuleeM13]

I've read Viralmd posts and they are very helpful! I for sure plan on using that advice in terms of the praise and special treats. However they don't really mention the crate training issue. We can't be with her 24/7 because we work so how do we break the habit when she is alone for part of the day. How do we begin crate training an adult dog who has never been locked up?

[Viralmd]

Crate training is a PROCESS. You can't just put the dog in a crate and shut the door. Start by always feeding her in her crate.

Look at this tutorial: Crate Training | The Humane Society of the United States

Also, remember to always go OUT WITH YOUR DOG (on a leash) when potty training. You have GOT to deliver the treats the nanosecond she finishes, not when you get back to the house. Have the treats WITH YOU.