housetraining

Question
We adopted a female cocker spaniel from the AZ Humane society when she was around 10 months old. She is now 2 1/2 years,uses the doggy door, with and without us. We both work during the day and she is placed in a crate.  We do walk her in the evening hours. However, periodically, she will urinate on the carpet for no apparent reason. Can you suggest why she does it or how to correct the problem?  Thank you, Thank you. We're tired of cleaning up after her.

Answer
At her age, ingrained habits are hard to fix.  Exactly what goes on in those furry little heads is hard to say.  Could you be convinced she is doing it deliberately to show she is top dog?  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/

You will also need to keep a close eye on her, and crate her when you can't.  Use cloed doors or gates to keep her in the same room as you.