intermittent peeing in house

Question
I have a 6 month old chocolate lab.  He's crate trained beautifully.  He never soils in his crate, not even the one day a week I'm gone for 10 hrs.  My problem is that he doesn't always go the door to let me know he has to "go."  There are few accidents in the house probably because I'm too busy letting him out.  However, when we play in the house, he will squat and pee in the middle of a "fetch."  It drives me wild.  He was neutered last week, but this problem has been ongoing.  He's a good boy and we do share a great relationship.  It's like he's saying, "I'm having too much fun to stop and pee outside."  Please help.

Answer
Hi Deb,
While you problem doesn't seem to be "marking", it generally takes about 30 days after a neuter to see any improvement.  I'm hoping that will help some.
You might also want to try increasing his crate time/decreasing his freedom in the house for a short period of time.   Meaning -- when he comes out of the crate, take him immediately outside and make sure he goes before playing inside.  Then play for just a little bit before putting him back in crate.   Sometimes people have to go so far as keeping the dog leashed in the house when not crated.  That way you have 100% control and if he squats or starts to lift leg, you give him a gentle tug and go immediately outside.   The key is to completely eliminate the opportunity for accidents.  I realize this can be very difficult but if you can successfully do it for several weeks, I feel you will see a huge improvement.

As far as working with him to give you a signal when he needs to go outside, try the bell trick (see below)(not all will apply to you, but it will give you an idea of the method)
Most puppies and dogs will alert their owners when they need to potty with body language, turning circles, sniffing, running to the door, whining, barking to go out. We can teach even very young puppies a smart way to let us know they "have to go" by hanging several jingle bells on a cord, then place them nose-high for the puppy or dog on the door knob of the door we routinely go out with the dog for potty time.

As you approach the door, ring the bells and say "let's go potty" or "let's go outside." Put a little peanut butter on one of the bells, so when the puppy or dog licks it off, the bells will ring. Let the puppy or dog outside, saying "let's go potty" or "let's go outside."

Before long, the puppy or dog will be ringing the bell by themselves. Sometimes it will mean "I need to potty" ... sometimes it will mean "I just want to go play and run." But always acknowledge the ring. They learn this practical trick in a short period of time.

When you have company and the bell rings, you can say "excuse me, my dog is ringing her bell to go outside." People will think you are the smartest dog parent.