Older Dog Peeing Inside

Question
Kristen, Thanks.  They estimated he was at least a year when we got him.  He has peed in the house before but stopped after we got it carpeted.  This was before the cat came into the picture mind you.  We are all carpet except for one room that he has taken a liking to.  The thing that puzzles us is that he is unwilling to leave the house to go out when this was never an issue.  He would gladly let us know he had to go out.  Now he whines a little and we attempt to take him outside but if he realizes we are not going for a walk he refuses to go out to the "spot" and turns back to the house.  You can take him back in and he will pee on the floor as soon as we go up for bed.  I hope this helps a bit more.  Thanks, again.  Jennifer
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Followup To

Question -
I have had my wolf/alaskan malamute for 15 yrs and we are unsure of his age b/c we got him from the SPCA.  Just recently he has started peeing in our home.  A few things have happened so we are not sure if its old age or just being stubborn.  Up until a few months ago he was mainly an outside dog and never wanted to come in.  well, we got a cat from the spca in the mean time and it took a few days but they get along fine.  the dog has taken a liking to being inside and almost refuses to go to his little lay out spot.  I am also expecting and wasnt able to run the dog for the first 6mths of pregnancy due to problems.  Prior to that he was run every day 5 miles a day.  Now we walk but its the only time he will leave the house.  I cant figure if he is jealous of the cat, mad because we only walk or is it old age setting in.  Please help, I dont know how to figure it our or even correct the problem so my husband had booted him outside for eternity.  He  has been my best friend the whole time I have had him and I dont like keeping him out of the house, but dont know what else to do.  we have called our vet but he hasnt offered any suggestions except he may be getting old.  This dog doesnt act old.  Once in awhile you see it but I dont think its age related.  Thanks

Answer -
Jennifer, you say you've had him for 15 years, but do not know how old he was when you got him. Was he a puppy or an adult dog? Either way, a 15 year old malamute is a very old dog. He's akin to being a human in their 80s! He doesn't have to *act* old to be suffering from incontinence due to old age. Has your vet offered any solutions?

Could you explain the situations where the dog is urinating in the house, so I can have a better idea as to whether it's incontinence or perhaps marking behavior due to the cat being added to the family? Dogs do not feel jealousy or anger, as you described it, but the addition of the cat to the family pack could be prompting your dog to mark inside the home to let the cat know that he is higher in rank than the cat is. It has nothing to do with being jealous; it's just pack dynamics. He probably could care less whether you're walking, or running, or hiking, or letting him pull a sled, or whatever; as long as he is with you, he's happy, regardless of what you're doing with him.

Please get back to me when you can to describe the situation further, and I'll do my best to help you!

Kristen

Answer
What a stubborn old boy you have! ;^)

My solution for him not wanting to go out because he thinks he's not going for a walk would be to simply leash him and take him out to potty. Then once he's pottied, take that time to maybe walk him around the house or play with him for a few minutes before going back inside. I think he might feel as if he is not getting the attention he once was, and pottying in the house gets him that attention, even though it is negative attention.

Kristen