Old dog going in the house

Question
My dog will be 13 years old November 7th.  She is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever/German Shepherd mix.  Lately, she has been pooping in the house.  It is not consistent, and she usually goes at the same time every day, however, recently, she just goes when she feels like it.  We have the flexibility to come home from work during the day to let her out (on a leash) to go and she may or may not go.  When we take her outside, we are usually waiting 25-30 minutes before she will poop.  If we come in earlier, she will just go inside.  The vet cannot find a medical reason for this behavior.  Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Melissa,

First, try cleaning the area in your home where your dog has been soiling with an enzymatic cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle. This kind of cleaner will remove the odor which you might not be able to smell, but might be attracting your dog back to the spot.

If your dog doesn't have a bowel movment during the walk, bring her back to your home and in about 15 minutes take her outside again. Keep a close watch on her making sure she doesn't "go" in your home before you take her out for that second chance.

When you can't be monitoring your dog, she needs to either be crated or contained in a room (with the help of a child gate) if she can't be trusted not to soil in your home.

Have you tried adjusting your dog's feeding schedule? What goes in at a certain time, comes out at a certain time. That won't help your dog to be able to hold her bowels, but it might be helpful as far as your availability to take her outside.

You didn't say what kind of food you're feeding your dog. A "Low Residue" dog food might be helpful. Low-Residue diets produce only a moderate amount of internal residue and therefore a reduced amount of stool in the lower bowel. You should talk this over with your vet, and get a brand recommendation from your vet. If you decide to change foods, switch over gradually, over a period of about 5 days.

If there isn't a medical reason for your dog's incontinence, other than simply "old age", the solution is just to keep a close watch on your dog, and hustle her outside the minute she looks like she has to "go", and keeping plenty of newspaper on hand.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti