I just adopted an Australian Shepherd that is 8 years old and has been in a rescue agency since his owner died 2 months ago. He prefers to poop in the house rather than outdoors. Can he be re-trained, and if so, how?

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You should be able to retrain him in a month or so. The key is patience and repetition. Every SINGLE time he poops in the house, calmly take him to it, put his nose very close and tell him “no” in a very firm voice then immediately take him outside and use a keyword. I use “go potty.” It’s important to remain calm. If you start to act frustrated, he will become confused and not understand that it’s about the poo. When he does go potty outside, reward him with praise and treats. The key is to do it every single time, not just when you catch him doing it.

buy a kennel to put him in. it will natrually train him to hold it. dogs do not like to urinate or poo where they sleep. putting him in a kennel will keep him from peeing or pooing untill you let him outsied. i suggest you put him in the kennel after you feed him. and whenever you feel, you can take him outside and let him do his business. trust me this is the most effective way. just keep doing it and eventually he will let you know when he has to go by whinning and scratching on the door. this is how i trained my aussie.

Instead of scolding after the poo has occurred, I chose to reward for going outside with a treat. After watching my aussie male for habits, I have his 'poo and pee' habits, at least after eating, down. He pees immediately after coming out of the kennel in the morning, he gets a treat. I feed him immediately after he tinkles. He poos immediately after eating. This did not happen right away - I started putting him in his kennel after he would eat his breakfast for 10 minutes, let him out to go poo/pee, and if he didn't go, I returned him to the kennel for another 10 minutes. This way I wouldn't miss any accidents, or at least minimize the occurance rate of accidents. Also, when he begins to eliminate - pee or poo - I repeat the words "Go Potty". Firmly, slowly, but gently. He will now tinkle on command - or at least try - and he gets a treat every time. I will eventually remove the treats, but since we've been at this only 2 weeks, I will continue for at least a few months.