How to prevent a housetrained rescue from going potty in the house?

[Alla]

Hi everyone,

My friend is adopting a doodle, and doing a trial run with her this week. Unfortunately the dog has been pooping and peeing in the house and not on the walks. She's 1.5 years old and housetrained. I know it is probably anxiety from being away from the previous owner, but this is a big issue. What methods can my friend take to retrain her?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

With all of my fosters I pretty much started out just like a puppy with take them to the door that I wanted them to go to and taking them out on leash like once an hour.  If I got results then I might wait a little longer.  Didn't wait for a sign from them for the first few days as I wanted them to get the idea of what I expected from them.  Then obviously if there was an accident I would clean up really well with natures miracle.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Start over from the beginning just like you would a brand new puppy.
Crate, out, praise, treats. Make sure she stays outside long enough with the dog.
So in her yard a potty place needs to be established. Take the dog out on a leash- even if there is a fence. Leave a few piles of poo to establish this area. To establish a smell.
If an unfortunate accident occurs, clean up the poo or paper towel soaked urine and take it outside to the ' spot'. Just leave it there.
Be patient, kind, and gentle.
Use commands! ' out'
Use potty bells. Those take a few weeks if the dog will take to them.
Clean all areas inside the home with a product such as Nature's Miracle.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Know that in a few weeks of establishing a routine, everything should be just fine. On a positive note, having another dog to show the rescue just how it's done makes it so much easier on the entire household.
Many times, rescue dogs leave the foster and again have to start this all over again.
Adopters call the foster a lot during the first two weeks to express concerns. Most times, the dog just needs to adjust and once again, they retrain to the home's routine

[jenn D]

I always treat them like a puppy as well. Restrict space initially, planned scheduled frequent potty breaks out side with lots of rewards for good potty manners. People don't like restricting the space but it works.

[Adina P]

Yup....treat as a puppy as they have all said.
Never loose in the house except on leash or in a small area or in the crate.  Take frequent breaks outside.  Does she have a fenced yard or are they limited to pottying on walks?  Does she have time on the weekend to just go on a really long walk or hang out in a park grass area for a long time after a short walk and then walk home?  A dog HAS to pee and poo eventually so if she can time it right to be outside with the dog for an extended time that overlaps with potty time...it just might work.  Bring treats and be ready to praise heavily for the outside potty. 
Has she caught the dog going potty in the house or does she find surprises?  If she hasn't caught the dog the dog has too much freedom to go when she's not looking.  Tie leash to waist and clip leash to dog's collar and keep dog CLOSE at all times or in the crate when the dog can't be watched like a hawk.  She doesn't have to scold the dog if caught, just a quick "AH AH!" and rush the dog outside to finish.  If doggy is on leash already, much easier!

[Stella]

Almost word for word what I was going to write!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When I got Clancy he lifted his leg on our wall on his first morning. He was two!  He obviously was housebroken.  My take  on it was  1)  he was in a kennel long enough that he had to go "inside" and, 2) he was establishing his turf.  We stopped it immediately, restricted his access in the house and had only a couple of other markings - but truly I would have given him away if I could have.  I have learned a lot since then and realize it is just re-training that one can successfully deal with.  We had an adult foster that wasn't housebroken at all.  We crated, we restricted his free area with baby gates, ex-pens, corrals - gradually increasing his free area (over 3 months).  We continued crating at night because while he was in our care he would poop during the night if out, but  heard that this stopped after a while in his furever home.