11 yr old greyhound housebreaking relapse

Question
Our 11 year old greyhound has taken to not asking to go out. He was very good about this previously. I work out of my home, and am available to take him out for potty breaks at any time - usually at least every two hours. Still, he will come in the house, after peeing and pooping, and then proceed to poop again. On the floor. And yes, I give him more than ample time and encouragement and praise. He even started walking in his poop and tracking it around the house.

We decided to go back to crating him as a re-training method. He was started pooping on his bedding now. Same thing - has been out (even outside with us for long periods of time, with the attendant encouragement and praise) but he stills soils his crate. He does not have diarrhea - normal healthy stools. He is in good health, active, and gets good nutrition.

We're at the end of our rope with this behavior. I'm wondering - can dogs get senile and lose their housebreaking? I realize our dog is not that old, but could this be the problem? We've never had any issues before in the 6 years we've had him ( he's a retired racer/rescue dog). There have been no other changes in routine/diet/living situation. We don't want to have to surrender or euthanize him, but there is a point when daily dog poop in the house gets to be an issue, healthwise, laundry-wise, dog-washing-wise (from when he lies in his excrement).

Please advise. I've not found help elsewhere, except for the suggestion to crate him, which hasn't worked.  We love the dog, but are getting frazzled.

Answer
At 11 years of age, your dog is considered a senior, Carolyn, and yes, dogs can become senile and even suffer from diseases such as dementia, just like people can. I'm wondering if your dog might not simply be starting to lose control of his bowels. Have you tried taking the bedding out of his crate? Don't ask me why, but sometimes dogs will soil in their crate if they have bedding, but as soon as you take out the bedding, they quit.

When you take him out for potty breaks, even if you have a fenced yard, put him on a leash so that he understands that he's not out there to play, or to sniff the bushes, etc. It helps if you always go to the same spot in the yard, and teach the dog a 'command' that means 'you need to go to the bathroom now.' I tell my dogs to "Go hurry." This is so you can praise the dog using part of that command ("Good hurry," in my case), so they know exactly what they're being praised for. Wait until the dog has finished doing whatever he's doing before you begin to praise him, or he could get distracted and 'forget' to finish before going back inside! ;^)  Then you can let him off the leash, if it's safe to do so, and play with him if you like.

When you bring him back inside, keep him on a 6 foot leash, attached to you, so the moment he starts to have an accident, you can verbally correct him and immediately get him back outside. You can either tell him "NO," or make a sound like "eh eh" when he starts to potty in the house. The point is to startle him enough that he stops what he's doing, which gives you time to get him out. When he finishes outside, praise him as usual.