peeing and pooping in our basement

Question
I have 5 dogs, 3 basset hounds and 2 german shephards.  I love them all. My problem, they are going to the bathroom in my basement.  The basement is theirs, I have a dog door which accesses to the outside fenced in area, so it is not like they can't go outside.  I am sick of the smell and cleaning up the messes.  I feel 3 of my males are doing it. Without knowing which one is doing it, how am I to reprimand the guilty one(s)?

Answer
Unfortunately, if you don't see it happen, not much you can do about it. And if they have free run of the basement, there's no way to train. You're going to have to come up with some sort of management, not giving them free run, and putting them up when not under your direct supervision. You have to go back and retrain like they are puppies. If you can smell the basement, it certainly smells like a potty area to the dogs, so a thorough cleaning with an enzymatic cleaner is in order, and eliminating their access, if you want to break this habit. It's also possible that the males are competitively marking over each others scent. You have a job ahead of you if you are going to fix this problem. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com