Older dog -housebreaking issues

Question
Hello Lee- My boyfriend has an English cocker spaniel.  We belive her to be about 10 or 11 (she has cataracts) and he has had her for about 7 years.  She was a shelter dog and is not very fond of males, other than my boyfriend whom she loves very much.

Over the past several months, she has begun urinating on the carpets.  She is normally shut off to the bedrooms, so she will find a throw rug and go there.  If she does get into the bedroom, she often will urinate, even though it appears that she doesn't really need to (low volume).  This is obviously extremely frustrating. She goes outside often, so access and opportunity isn't a problem for her.

Well, due to the age of the carpet and the damage she has done, I elected to replace the carpet with carpet tile (so they maybe removed if there are future problems with her and easily replaced).  While I was doing the installation, I closed her out of the room so she would get hurt (tack strips, cutting blades, etc).  I took a break and she came in and peed on the brand new carpet!  All of her scent had been removed, so I don't get it.  I told my bf he should mark the rug to get her to back off (maybe not a horrible idea?)as a joke, but I don't know what we can do to get her to stop this behavior.  Closing her out works 99% of the time, but she seems to seek out the chance to sneak back in.  Any training ideas you have would be great.  Thanks in advance :)

Answer
Hey, Donna,

I'm sorry to hear about your problem.

You might want to check with the vet to see if she has spay-related incontinence. If so, there are medications which can control the problem.

As for peeing on the brand new carpet, she may have been put off by the new carpet smell (their noses are much more sensitive than ours), and wanted to make sure the carpet smelled like her den, not the carpet store.

You could try a product called "No-Go," which is available at many mom-and-pop type pet stores. It has an organic scent which deters dogs from eliminating where it's been sprayed.
The only other thing to do is think of any recent changes in her schedule, her diet, or the house itself. Urinating can be a way of reducing nervous tension, and many times a change in the household -- a divorce, a child going off to college, even new furniture -- can cause a disturbance in the dog's sense of order. If that's the case, playing games with her, especially tug-of-war (if she's up for it), can be a helpful tension reducer. Just make sure you always let her win and praise her for winning.

Also, you have to ignore her when she makes "mistakes." Even though it might feel counterintuitive, under certain circumstances scolding actually rewards, or reinforces, the behavior of peeing in the house. That's why it's better to ignore her.

I hope some of this helps! It's a tough thing to deal with.

LCK