Potty in the house

Question
Hi, I have 2 cocker spaniels (sisters) who are 2 y/o. I trained them both to use the doggy door to do their business in the outdoor kennel. However, Maci (the alpha dog) started to assert herself and won't let Charlotte (her sister) out of the door. Charlotte is now peeing in the house as a result. This doesn't happen when I am at home and can see them. It happens when I am on a business trip and they are home with the family. They are both very attached to me, and I think its a combination of my absence and the fact that Charlotte won't stand up to her sister. I have tried treats and reinforcement for going outside when i am home and to no avail. I am thinking maybe to avoid the hardwood floors from getting destroyed by Charlotte's "accidents" I should buy a litter pan or diaper and just let it be. Maci has never gone in the house, by the way, even when I leave on business. If I didn't know better, she is making Charlotte out to behave badly to get back at me!!! Help!
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Nan,

Female dogs are prone to develop urinary tract infections. It could be that Charlotte has an infection, and simply can't "hold it", as she should. Spayed female dogs can develop incontinence due to the lack of estrogen. There is medication or hormone replacement can help.
Your first course of action should be to rule out a medical cause for these house training accidents.

It's true, you can train a dog to use a litter pan. I don't know how difficult it is to train an adult dog. You can read more about litterbox training here:

http://www.kturby.com/litter/litter.htm

http://www.doglitter.com/GetPage.aspx?D=12579146&T=4514150

You could also contain Charlotte, with the help of a child-gate or two, to one area of your home. Lay down either a thick layer of newspaper or puppy house training pads over the entire surface of this containment area. After some time, you may see that she relieves herself in one particular spot, at that point you need only paper that one area.

Is it possible to have a friend or family member come in to let Charlotte outside at some point during the day? That might be the simplest cure for the problem.

There are "doggie diapers" for female dogs that are either incontinent, or are having house training issues. You can see this product here:

http://www.petdiapers.com/diaper/
http://www.petdiapers.com/

The problem with these diapers is they shouldn't be worn all day, as urine can irritate a dog's skin. If you opt for this solution, you should check your dog's skin in her diaper area frequently for signs of irritation. If you see your dog's skin beginning to look irritated, apply some Vaseline to her skin before putting on the diaper.

Best of luck,

Patti