Great Dane potty trained, but started to pee in the house while we are gone

Question
My 9m old great dane has recently started to pee in the basement when we leave for the day. He is gated down there with water and room to roam. He has stayed in small areas for months while I got to work with no issues. He then started with chewin on my personal items and now has added peeing. It has just started over the past week, but hasnt been everyday also. I am not sure what to do?

Answer
Courtney,

We have a saying for Great Danes...NO FREE UNTIL THEY'RE THREE. Which basically means they do not get free roam of the house, or any space until they are three years old. Although your Dane may look like he is an adult, he is still a baby, and his brain will not mature for at least another year...if not more. I would highly encourage you to 1) Pick up his water when you are gone, trust me, he won't die of thrust. This is actually what might be causing him to urinate. He now has a much larger bladder that can hold more water, so he drinks and drinks and drinks...and then he has to pee, but has no one to let him out. I would also suggest that you get a colossal crate and put him back into the crate is he is chewing things up. It can take that one time for him to swallow the wrong thing and that can cause a blockage in the intestines, which not only puts his life in danger, but also your bank account. A surgery to remove a blockage can cost anywhere from $1,800-3,000. Finding a $200 crate is a small price to pay rather then paying for an un-necessary surgery. Give him some more time to mature, he is getting bored and doing things just because. Dogs can definitely chew when they are anxious or nervous, but most dogs chew because they are bored. I hope this helps!

Paula