not consistent with pottie behavior

Question
hi. my 8 year old toy poodle was "pee-pad" trained at an early age and mastered  that quiet well for her first 7 years. however, in the past 7-9 months, she doesn't want to use the pad anymore. instead, she goes near the pad and pees somewhere around it? NOTHING has changed in our house, our routine, the brand of pee pads etc. if i go out of town, my sister keeps her and recently she practiced the same behavior at her house. something is clearly wrong.. ALL other behavior is normal.. any advice,tips,suggestions would be greatly appreciated..tim

Answer
Hello Tim,
I would first try expanding her area so that she has a larger potty area. You might also try deep cleaning the potty area. You might put a small tissue or napkin with her potty in the middle of the pads to encourage her to go near the spot.
If this doesn't help her, you might need to start walking her in between her pad visits. She shouldn't be experiencing urine loss yet, as 8 is about middle aged, but there could be something stressing her out. You can take her to the Vet to be checked out for urination issues, but I am pretty sure that this isn't the issue.  
Do make sure she is drinking water a!so. Its more important for her as she gets older.

I hope this helps you some. If you have other questions about this or Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask.

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