Puppy peeing when owners arrive home

Question
We trained our now 7-month shih tzu by the book and did everything right.  She is a wonderful dog.  She is kenneled during the day when we are at work/school (no more than 5 hours) per day.  She is also kenneled at night during sleep time.  Just since Christmas, when we arrive home and let her out of her kennel, she pees right in front of us.  It's as if she is mad at us.  Just once over this past Christmas we were late coming home -- she was in her kennel for 7 hours.  That is when she started this peeing thing.  Now when we return home even from church (we are gone maybe 1.5 hours) she pees!  We don't understand this since she holds it all night for more than 9 hours.  We are frustrated and don't know how to stop this.  When she does this we take her out and she pees more, but it is hard to understand why she does this.  Are we to re-train her to get her to stop this??  Is she mad at us from that one time at Christmas?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hi Lori;
Yes, I think she is doing this for attention, although negative in nature, she is lonesome for you!
I think you will have to leave her in another area while you are gone...it is too long for her to be alone without you for that much time, and now, she is going in the crate as if it is her only territory to control.
So, I would give her an exercise pen or run in an outside location or garage to give her another idea of where she is allowed to go when you are not around.
I feel that she is going to continue this behavior otherwise, and it will get worse...
You don't want to feed that into your equation,
So, get going on a new strategy to give her another option!
Let me know how you go.
Best wishes,
Melissa
P.S. Praise her when she goes every time in the area she is supposed to!
This is the right kind of attention, and she will learn ....don't scold her even for the other..that is not going to do anything but encourage her!