I rescued Lily from an animal shelter, she was abused, and caged a lot, when we got here she had a lot of missing and broken teethe, the vet couldn't even really guess her age, she is obviously an older dog, but she still is not potty trained! She goes to the bathroom on walks and she only goes outside when she pleases, otherwise she still messes in the house, it is quite frustrating, but I would not give her up for the world. I am so glad I could save her and give her a good rest of her life but I've heard once a dog is an adult it is really hard to train them. Is there any hope that she could be trained and stop messing in the house? Luckily she goes on the same spot and its in the basement, but still would be nice to train her.

If she's going in the same spot it sounds like the area still smells of her urine. Are you cleaning it with an enzyme cleaner?

When you say that "she only goes outside when she pleases", does that mean you have a doggie door and she is allowed to come and go? Because if that is the case, I think she may "forget" to go potty while outside. Both huskies I have had have been very ADHD. I imagine them thinking, "I think I'll go outside since I have to pee...Oh, squirrel!!!!" If she is allowed to go out without being on lead to potty on her own, I would suggest that for a while you take her out using a leash, show her a potty area, praise and treat her like crazy when she potties there and perhaps even teach her a potty command. (We say "go potty"... if you are ever in a hurry and need it get an ADHD husky to pay attention to his business it comes in handy!)

Good luck!

+1 on the enzyme cleaner. You can get them anywhere. She still goes potty in the same spot because she can smell her scent!
I'm sure with plenty of reinforcement and monitoring, you can keep her from peeing in the house.

Also, treat and praise a party when she pees outside. Scold her when she pees inside. She will learn the difference soon enough, as long as you are consistant.

Thanks for the advice. Where do I get the enzyme cleaner? I usually just lay down towels on the concrete and she'll do her business there then I wash the towels and clean the concrete. I'm just afraid she'll start messing somewhere else! Luckily she has always done it in the basement, and not upstairs, but that's what I don't want her doing!

You can get them at walamrt or petsmart. It will say "urine cleaner" or something along those lines. I haven't really found a particular brand I like. I think they're all the same usually lol.

Natures Miracle is your best enzyme........... just my

Available at most pet supply stores.

http://www.ilovenaturesmiracle.com/catalog/prod_detail.php?id=3

Thank you for the tips!