dog peeing in house

Question

"Hi ~~  My boss's family recently added a 4 year old male Irish Water Spaniel(Diver) to their family.  This is Diver's 3rd home....he was with a family in Seattle, then in a foster home for a few months and now with my bosses family in Maryland.  They also have have a 12 year old male dalmation (Remy) and 2 young children (both boys). Since Diver arrived about 2 weeks ago he has peed on the sofa once and a chair once. These were not little wet spots but complete soakings!   Also, when it's time for Diver to go outside for his morning pee, Diver lays on the floor,  rolls on his back and exposes his belly.  Can you help identify the problem and give a possible solution to the unacceptable behavior of peeing in the house?   Thank you for your time and expertise,  :)  Patti"  p.s.  The first time they let Diver out to pee, he peed on the stone patio and they immediately said "no".....Could this be part of the problem?


Answer
Hey Patti,  Better the stone patio than the chair eh? sometimes you have to pick your battles.  Seriously though, I don't think that one NO is going to make a big difference at this point.  I get different variations of this question alot.  These unwanted dogs almost always come with a laundry list of past problems that their former owners didn't like any better than you do.  I guess we're all too kind hearted for our own good.
    To start with some good news, I've only owned 1 Water Spaniel and then it was only for a short time.  He has to rank up in the top 5 dogs I've ever owned & I've owned hundreds, so, maybe there's hope yet.  Water Spaniels are just great dogs.
    I'll try to make this as brief as possible.  This dog needs to go through a strict regiment of basic training at a slow, patient pace.  This would include crate training,  training to stand tied on a leash or chain, training to stay in a kennel or a pen & training to stay quiet & not kick up a fuss when confined to his quarters.  Feed & water him on a fairly strict schedule, dry food only.  If he's not been neutered yet, don't get him neutered now.
    I'll give you a quick overview, but understand there are real reasons for all of it.   You probably get an idea of where I'm going already.  The dog is not spanked, scared or yelled at.  Although at some point dogs need to understand Who's mad at them, but save this for later.  The dog is crate trained in the house, kenneled or chained outside, Never allowed to just run loose unsupervised, indoors or out.  Every time the dog is free, it is a training session.  
    This is a BIG commitment!  This dog & dogs just like him have been through alot & most of them had problems (genetic and otherwise) from the very beginning.  You're always hearing about dogs being "abused" or "mistreated" by their former owners & then "rescued" by their new owners.  Most of these dogs have inherent problems just like some people do.  It's great to have folks that are willing to help these dogs but a dog like this one took 4 years to get where he's at now.   It would be just plain cruel to take on this dog with only half-way measures.  These methods require alot of real work & some outlay of cash.  If you need more details, I'll be glad to help & I like a good challenge, but sometimes these dogs are better euthanized than put through another round.  Let me know.  Best Regards,   Rob