housebreaking & mysterious pain

Question
i have cockers 2yrs and 5yrs. the dogs are house broke when they want to be. all they have to do is stare at me and i know they or he wants to go outside. its like they are to lazy or apathetic at other times and do their business where ever and whenever they feel like it. mostly its centralized in a couple of rooms. so here is the gig. they, both of them, know exactly what to do to go outside. sometimes they are closed up alone in the house for multiple hours until the wife or i get home which is a staggered 8 hours. they, neither one,will do their business indoors. they wait till one of us get home and take them out. what do i do and if you have cockers yelling at them or hitting them with anything is not an option. i have had 3 children to raise 2 grand children and the cockers are every bit like my kids were growing up. the other thing is why will they be lying down sleeping and all of a sudden one or the other will let out this yelping sound like they were just pinched or bitten. this behavior is a frequent happening. its not like a bad dream yelp its a hurt yelp. they have no fleas that i can remember ever. they are groomed and washed as required. my vet said its allergies i say thats bs and probably would have been better off saying "i don't know". can you help?    thanks mike

Answer
It is possible the house fouling is deliberate, just showing you, you can't stop it.  They need to be trained to understand their status.  The 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/

It any of the grandchildren are old enough, 4-H dog training is a great idea.
In my area, clubs form soon after the first of the year.  Even many urban
areas have 4-H.  For info look in your phone book under government listings
for extension or cooperative extension offices.  Ask specifically about a dog
or canine club.

The pain is not an easy problem either.  Try carefully running your hands all over them, feeling for a lump or tender spot.  If you do find something, call it to the attention of the vet.  Another option is another opinion from another vet.