Bringing outside dogs inside

[Bosmum]

Has anyone been successful at re-training outdoor-only dogs to becoming indoor dogs? 

[Kermit]

YES YES YES!!!!

I can proudly say yes here. Years ago, I adopted two adult Siberian huskies who had been kept outside day and night since they were pups. It actually made them really easy to housebreak since they were so used to doing their business outside. It just took time and supervision. They became fantastic indoor dogs.

Also, my foster dog Samson was outside for 3 years in a very small pen before he came to live with me. It was a challenge with him at first, but after catching him in the act of peeing inside a few times and rushing him outside, he caught on ('cause he's a smart boy ). Again- total supervision at first. You kinda have to treat them like they are puppies. We kept Sammy in a crate a lot at first and sorta weaned him out of the crate. Now he is completely trustworty in the house, and I am particularly proud of him because he has come a long way.

[doggylover]

YES YES YES!!!!

I can proudly say yes here. Years ago, I adopted two adult Siberian huskies who had been kept outside day and night since they were pups. It actually made them really easy to housebreak since they were so used to doing their business outside. It just took time and supervision. They became fantastic indoor dogs.

Also, my foster dog Samson was outside for 3 years in a very small pen before he came to live with me. It was a challenge with him at first, but after catching him in the act of peeing inside a few times and rushing him outside, he caught on ('cause he's a smart boy ). Again- total supervision at first. You kinda have to treat them like they are puppies. We kept Sammy in a crate a lot at first and sorta weaned him out of the crate. Now he is completely trustworty in the house, and I am particularly proud of him because he has come a long way.

I think this is excellent advice!  I second it!
 

[Imani's Mom]

We strongly suspect our Jesse was an outdoor-only dog, and now he is a 100% indoor guy, other than bathroom breaks and rough playtimes.  For the first few days, we had to watch him closely or he would pee on the floor.   The first few weeks, he drove me crazy when it rained, as he would ring the bell as if he wanted to go out, but instead would stand in the open doorway and watch it rain- it was like he realized he finally had a choice whether to be out in the rain or not.

[zanie]

YES YES YES!!!!

I can proudly say yes here. Years ago, I adopted two adult Siberian huskies who had been kept outside day and night since they were pups. It actually made them really easy to housebreak since they were so used to doing their business outside. It just took time and supervision. They became fantastic indoor dogs.

Also, my foster dog Samson was outside for 3 years in a very small pen before he came to live with me. It was a challenge with him at first, but after catching him in the act of peeing inside a few times and rushing him outside, he caught on ('cause he's a smart boy ). Again- total supervision at first. You kinda have to treat them like they are puppies. We kept Sammy in a crate a lot at first and sorta weaned him out of the crate. Now he is completely trustworty in the house, and I am particularly proud of him because he has come a long way.

So how do you get him used to being inside?  Didn't he tear around and such and get too rambunctious?  We're struggling with that right now.  Dell spends a lot of time in his kennel because each time we let him out he destroys something.

[dober_gurl]

Try keeping him on a leash when he's out of his crate and baby gate him into certain rooms so he doesn't have access to the whole house.

[Kermit]

So how do you get him used to being inside?  Didn't he tear around and such and get too rambunctious?  We're struggling with that right now.  Dell spends a lot of time in his kennel because each time we let him out he destroys something.

Yes at first Sammy was very rambunctious, but somehow there was a point where he seemed to break past that. At first I never left him unsupervised, not even for a few minutes, because the few times I did he would get into something. He was knocking things off countertops and all that. It was frustrating for a while, especially when he peed on my vacuum cleaner. So in the beginning he spent a lot of time in the crate, yes he did. But I was working towards an end goal, so now looking back it was worth all that time in the crate, because now he never has to go in the crate. It was like an evolution. Of course, making sure the dog gets plenty of outside exercise time really helps. Plenty of running! So that way they are nice and tired when they come inside, and I have found that former outside dogs REALLY love cozy doggie beds!!!

[zanie]

So how do you get him used to being inside?  Didn't he tear around and such and get too rambunctious?  We're struggling with that right now.  Dell spends a lot of time in his kennel because each time we let him out he destroys something.

Yes at first Sammy was very rambunctious, but somehow there was a point where he seemed to break past that. At first I never left him unsupervised, not even for a few minutes, because the few times I did he would get into something. He was knocking things off countertops and all that. It was frustrating for a while, especially when he peed on my vacuum cleaner. So in the beginning he spent a lot of time in the crate, yes he did. But I was working towards an end goal, so now looking back it was worth all that time in the crate, because now he never has to go in the crate. It was like an evolution. Of course, making sure the dog gets plenty of outside exercise time really helps. Plenty of running! So that way they are nice and tired when they come inside, and I have found that former outside dogs REALLY love cozy doggie beds!!!

Sorry Bosmom, didn't mean to hijack your post.  I'm going to try the leash thing and keep him with me when he's out of the crate.