posted 07-16-2003 01:40 AM           

I appreciate your advise but I don't think it is a medical problem because she is a very healthy dog I had her checked by a vet before. Also accidents usually happens only when we are not around which varies in time it can be as little as half hour or as long as eight hours. Why is it when we are around she can hold herself? and How can I make her understand that inside is not a proper place and if she does it on the newspaper she should be on it and wetting herself?

posted 07-16-2003 02:03 AM         

Next i would make sure I cleanse any soiled areas *really well* with a good arms work, soapy solution and white vinegar. Dogs have such good noses and a keen ability to find a scent to go back to, despite heavy cleansers.

I know its hard but try not to think of it as purposeful, dogs do not think in terms of spite or revenge. Have you tried crate training her? How long is she left alone during the day? If she is physically healthy, keep in mind it might be behavioral if she was neglected previously without any house training. it may be necessary to go back to the beginning with training like as if she was a 8 week old pup out every 2 hours, after every meal, crate training, someone coming home at lunch, and gradually build up the length of time. but please rule out any medical problems first.

posted 07-16-2003 02:22 PM         

If you haven't tried, CRATE TRAIN. I thought it was evil to do to dogs until I read up on it (there's TONS of info online on this topic). Dogs have a den instinct and don't mind staying in a correctly sized crate. Even my vet suggested it to me. It's great for housebreaking because they don't like to soil where they sleep.

Locking a dog in a room won't have the same effect since they can still go in the corner and have the space to get away from it.

If you decide to try and crate train and the dog soils the crate, wash it out with something that removes the smell. If you don't, he'll still detect the smell and keep marking it (that happened to us at first.)

My dog took about a month to really get the point. But, he doesn't mind the crate and he doesn't soil it anymore. Mind you, he was about a year old and was in a shelter for three months (with no rules of housebreaking... so we had to teach him a little bit.)

Also, you may want to consider cutting off the water a certain time before bedtime, or when he'll be unable to get outside for any peroid of time. I know if I drink a bunch of water before I go to bed, I wake up and have to use the bathroom.

When I read up on helping my dog figure out the bathroom situation, that's some of the advice I found. We usually cut off the water at 9pm and put him to bed at 11 or 11:30.

I'm sure it will take some experimenting with methods, but I'm sure you can find a solution to your problem. Any age dog can be taught, it just may be hard to break old habits.

Good luck!