dog peeing in same room in house

Question
Our toy poodle is 10 years old.  She is peeing in one room in the house.  Whenever the door is left open she pees in this room.  It is like she mysteriously make a bee line for the room without us knowing and gets out even if it is open 5 minutes.  I am at my wits end.  I hate to keep her crated since she does not pee elsewhere although she has always had a problem with soiling at various times in the house.  Usually far and few apart except now.

Answer
Hi Renee,

First, I would ask when your poodle's last vet check was?  The reason is that there may be a medical issue behind the urination.

I would also wonder and ask if your poodle was ever thoroughly housetrained?  What makes me ask this question is that you wrote that she has had 'a problem with soiling at various times in the house.'  Going back to housetraining 101, regardless of her age, might help.

Also, your poodle's age may be coming into play (another reason for a vet check to look for bladder tone issues, canine cognitive disorder, or other medical issues that could be contributing to the problem).  Given her age, and depending on what a vet check uncovers, you may have to make sure, especially now that your poodle is older, that she gets more frequent opportunities to urinate outside than she has had in the past.

If she is not urinating in other rooms, I don't understand why you would need to crate her. ?? Can you simply gate or close the door to the room in which she's been urinating?  It could be that any lingering odor from prior urinations is drawing her back to the same spot.  Make sure that the spot(s) she is urinating on are cleaned thoroughly with an enzymatic cleanser made for that purpose (available at most pet stores).

I also wonder if there have been any changes in your family, environment, or lifestyle that may have provoked the change in her urination habits as a contributing factor.  A new baby, a new pet, a move, change in work hours, and other things might effect a dog's potty habits.

Hope these suggestions help!

Best regards,
Madeline Friedman, M.A.
www.ny-njDogTrainer @ AllExperts.com