Retraining Dog Potty Problems

Question
I have a bischon frize that is 4 yrs old that was not crate trained as a puppy and needless to say, he has never been potty trained either. I am at a loss for how to correct this aweful behavior that keeps me very busy cleaning my carpets. For example, today he came right from being outside into an area in the home that we normally have baby gated off and went directly over to the couch and peed on the corner. Do you have any suggestions? We have a fenced back yard that I let him go out in but I do not usually go out with him (though I do see him potty out there). Another weird thing is that when he does go potty outside he tends to lift his leg on the leg of the patio chairs or deck railing and he poops on the concrete patio near the fence gate...  

Answer
I would treat him just as if he were a new puppy, Jen. Get him a crate that is large enough for him to lie down in comfortably, but not so large that he may be tempted to potty in one end of it and sleep in the other. I prefer the enclosed, plastic crates with the wire doors, because they are just easier to use and easier to clean. I've found that most dogs seem to prefer them to the all wire crates, as well. This is probably because the enclosed ones feel more den-like.

Keep him crated when you are out of the house, and also at night if he's having accidents in the house during the night. To start with, do not give him any bedding material in the crate, because this often will encourage a dog to potty in there since he can 'bury' or 'hide' it in the bedding. After a week or two, if he does well, you can put bedding in there, but not to start with.

When you let him out to potty, go with him and have him on a leash. Walk him around the perimeter of the yard by the fence so he can hike his leg if he wants to, and then to a spot in the yard where you'd prefer he poo. Always take him to that spot to poo. While you're out there, when he uses the bathroom (whether it be pee or poo), wait until he's finished, and then praise him and pet him and give him a treat and play with him, etc. Make going to the bathroom outside a wonderful, wonderful thing! After he's pottied, you can let go of the leash and let him run around if he wants to, but when you go back in, keep the leash on him just in case.

When inside, use baby gates to keep him confined to the room you're in, or keep him tethered to you on a leash that's at least 6 feet long so he cannot sneak off and potty, and so you can immediately get him outside if he DOES start to potty in the house.

Another solution might be to get him a belly band to wear while he's loose in the house. It will not prevent him from trying to pee on things, but it will make trying to pee on things very uncomfortable to him. Instead of peeing on whatever he's trying to pee on, he'll end up getting his belly wet, which is essentially a self-correction. You will have to be diligent in keeping him clean and the belly band changed (I'd get at least 2) in the beginning. You'll also need to keep an eye on him at first to keep him from trying to pull it off.