Are the older retired dogs crate-trained or housebroken ?
A. They are neither crate trained or housebroken to a human home. However, because of the way we house them here, they are housebroken to their home in the kennel. The adults very rarely “go” inside. As I have placed my older adults, the universal feedback that I get is that housebreak in a day. They already want to go outside and they know how to whine to get what they want. Simply taking them to the same door and the same place outside regularly and/or in response to fussiness, should be all it takes to get them started. I select for quietness, so sometimes puppies or adults will go to the door and just wait for you to find them in need. You can train her to use a bell to ask to go outside. Hang a bell from the door knob (or from a screw eye in the door frame) and as you go outside, bump her nose into it and say whatever command word you are using e.g. “out.” It is amazing how easily they pick this up.
