rehousebreaking a mini schnauzer

Question
hi Karen,
Thanks for your help. I have a miniature Schnauzer who's almost 3. My wife and I are getting divorced and initially she wanted the dog (murphy)but after three months she decided he was too much work! Unfortunately when I got him back he was no longer housebroken. I'm looking for some hints as to how to rehousebreak him? p.s. I have always had a problem with him occasionally sprinkling furniture; he was neutered at 13 months again thank you for your help.

Answer
Sorry to hear about you and your wife.

First I would have the dog examined by your veterinarian to make sure that he doesn't have an underlying problem such as a bladder infection or stones, both of which schnauzers can be prone to. Once he is found to be healthy, I would get a crate if you don't already have one, and pretend that you just bought yourself a new puppy and pretty much start housebreaking from scratch. Of course, he will be able to "hold it" longer than a puppy, but he should progress quickly with a simple reminder of what he has "forgotten". (http://www.cuhumane.org/topics/hseold.html)

Since he was prone to occasional marking before (which is generally done by more dominant dogs), I would also practice "Nothing in Life is Free" with him. (http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm) And it never hurts to get a dog into on-going obedience classes to help to get a better handle on the dog.