First off, every dog is different, so it might just take some experimentation to figure out what the best solution is. These are all methods that have worked well for me, but they might not be as effective with your dog, life, schedule, etc.
Personally, I am a fan of crate training, and have had a lot of success with housetraining all my dogs this way. It might be difficult to crate train your dog since he's older, and was housebroken in a different way, but I'd say that it is worth a try.
Given his age, he should be able to hold both his bowels and his bladder for 8 hours. You should keep him on a tight schedule. Make sure you give him adequate time to do any business before you leave, and take him out as soon as you come home. Do not leave out food during the day. It is very important that you feed him on a schedule. I would recommend feeding him at night so you can take him outside right when he needs to go.
If you must use pads, then put one right next to the door. When he needs to go to the bathroom, he knows he must first go to the door, so he might have an easier time associating the pad with the bathroom if it's next to the door. If you notice he tends to go in a certain spot, even if you clean it, then place the pad there.
Also, if you and your dog are comfortable with it, you could look into hiring a dog walker. To supplement my income, I walk dogs in my apartment complex several days a week. If there is a community bulletin board or common area in your apartment complex, you could post something there. That's how I find my clients. You might even be able to charge your own prices, say $5.00 for just taking him out to potty.
Again, these are all things that have worked for me, so I hope this helps. |