Question: Hello, I need some advice. My wife and I have a 7 yr old mini dach that she had before we got married, and we have a 5 yr old she got when we were engaged, which I raised pretty much solely myself. We also have a 3 yr old son, a 2yr old daughter and an 8 month old son. We’ve lived in the same house since we got married, which has been about 5 yrs. The dogs are house broken, (so I thought), and have been very good over the last 5 yrs until about 8-9 months ago. We have been finding pee stains, wet spots and even poop in the living room, sometimes in the kids rooms and on the hardwood floor in the kitchen. My wife is a stay-at-home mom and she lets the dogs out to play and go potty numerous times a day. With three kids to take care of she can’t keep up with the dogs messes’ sometimes. I bought her a steam cleaner and we are cleaning the carpets every week. The carpet in the living room is going to have to be replaced. I’m sure the dogs are either jealous of the kids, maybe they are trying to mark their territory, or they don’t get enough attention from my wife or myself any more, but whatever the reason, the potty in the house needs to stop, I’m ready to list them on your site if things don’t change.

Answer: Thank you for your email. First let me say that this behavior can be modified, but only if you work at it. So, before you decide to place them up for adoption, I think it is certainly worth trying to train them.

Since the issues began when your third child was born, it is possible that there is a connection. Dogs do not do urinate or defecate in the house out of jealousy, their minds simply don't work like that. They can, however, do this out of stress or anxiety.

The absolute first thing you need to do is to take the dogs in for a full, medical work up. Not just an exam, but a full work up including a blood panel and urinalysis to rule out a health problem. They may look healthy, but they are adult dogs and when behaviors change or appear out of the blue, the first thing you have to do is rule out a health problem. If they have a urinary tract infection or something else going on, medical treatment will clear it up.

If it turns out that it is not a medical condition they will need to be retrained. You must start from square one as if you are housetraining a new puppy. I would recommend getting them crates and having them sleep in the crate. Take them out first thing in the morning and then only have them loose in the house after they have gone or when you can supervise them. Use baby gates to close off areas of the house where you don't want them to go. Reward them when they go outside with a treat.

Dogs can exhibit behavior problems when their lives drastically change. If this is what happened they will need to be re housetrained, but I would also recommend figuring out a way to give them some time each day for attention or play just for them. You will need to make sure that they are getting enough exercise and stimulation. If they aren't, walk them more often, or consider hiring a dog walker to take them out for daily walks.