dog peeing

Question
I have a 6 year old lab that came from the pound. she's a great lovey dog except for one thing, she pees when she is left alone. She sometimes will poop as well. I thought that medically something was wrong so the dr. put her on an antibiotic and still she continues to be naughty. Is there any way other than crating her to break her of this? It is nasty. I cant get rid of her as we have all become so attached to her and at 6 years old is she still trainable? Please help, I cant take much more nor can my carpet cleaner.
Sincerely Shelley  

Answer
If crating solves the problem, crate her. Many people, even some that fancy themselves dog experts, do not understand how crates work with dog's instincts and need for a den. Crating isn't cruel. What is cruel is dumping a 6 year old dog at the pound because you can't control fouling the house. I wonder how many dogs are dumped at the pound or worse, because the owners didn't try crating. The dog may be
happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
itself.