I have a 4 1/2 year old bulldog that we adopted from a breeder that could no longer care for them. We've had her since sept of 2010 - and can not house break her. I've never seen a dog that will pee on the blankets or bed she sleeps in. she's done this since we got her. She'll pee in her room, on the couch... and most places with a rug or carpet. We've tried everything to help her and properly train her - but she doesn't seem to get it. It's almost like it's a totally normal thing for her to sleep in her own urine. She has a lot of health problems that the breeder seemed to brush off as something temporary or new that just happened. Her ear for instance has calcified from constant yeast infections. When we first brought her home - the smell was so horrible - but she wasn't bothered by it... I got her to the vet and he said that it's been going on for so long the nerves in her ears are dead. The breeder told us that she sometimes gets a little yeast in her ears but it clears up within a few days... at some point they "showed" her... but I can't figure out why they filed her teeth. She's NOT an aggressive dog in the least so its not like they had to because she's a biter. She's missing fur on her back - it's a veryt small patch which the breeder said fell out due to a hormonal issue which would now be OK since she had been fixed... on a closer look... it's a scar. The "breeder" also never gave us any papers, and can't provide me with a date of birth. I honestly think the breeder was borderline hoarding - and realized she's not giving proper care to her dogs and that's why she gave them away. While I will never part with my sweet bully girl... we're left trying to correct issues that have been around for quite a while. Does anyone or can anyone provide me with any information on how to help and stop the peeing everywhere? We recently bought a steam cleaner - because it's getting too expensive to rent a lot... if there's nothing I can do but clean the carpet all the time - then so be it. It won't make me love her any less... we accepted a great responsibility when we took her and I just want to do the best things we can to help her out.

Well this post just made me bawl. I commend you for taking on your trouble girl and sticking with her to the end. Not a lot of people would do that. I would hug you if I could.

It seems like you have been dealing with this for quite a while, and I am a bit stumped as to where to start. It gets frustrating for both parties when we offer a solution and you have already tried it. Would you be able to tell us what you have tried?

Have you tried behavior modification? Or a different routine? What is your routine like now? And she is up to date with vet check and vaccinations? Has this urination only started after her spaying? Has incontinence along with urinary tract and bladder infections been ruled out?

If you could just give us a bit more info we may have a solution or help you with a new trial and error game to play.

The routine right now is... we're up at 630... I bring her out after the 20 minutes it takes me to wake up our other bully Clyde (he's not a morning dog. Lol) usually when we let her out... I have to kind of herd her to the grass to go... lately - she won't budge from the deck if she doesn't feel like going. I don't want to force her and then make going out an unpleasant expierience for her altogther, so I always make sure to have small treats and lots of praise when she goes. If she doesn't go, I never scold her, but she doesn't get anything (it's a weird version of lets make a deal. Lol) I'll be taking her to the vet to have her checked for a UTI, I never thought that was a possibility... I hope that's not the case I would die if she's been in any kind of pain and I didn't know. Now... a problem we have is that at any given time her routine can change. Sometimes she'll keep to a routine for a few weeks to month - then without warning it's like she never knew about it. We don't crate her, because during the day we keep her separated from Clyde... he's getting old and grumpy... sometimes he'll snap. Top that with bonny's bathroom issues... it's better to keep her in her room during the day. She has water in the room, and her toys that she likes to roll around with - but we tried the crate and she pooped all over it. She's seems like a really happy dog. I don't know what I'd do without her... I just want to help her out, and make sure she's happy and healthy.

Was she crated 24/7, so that she's used to peeing and pooping in her own space? And doing it on pee pads or anything soft (probably was in her cage)?

Was the breeder a byb or a puppy mill?

I don't know if that's how they kept her... but I'm leaning toward exactly that. The breeder we got her from had a small farm of unwanted animals and strays... I don't think it was a puppy mill - I really think the bredder just couldn't keep up with proper care. I keep in touch with the breeder... I don't think she took good care of some of the animals - but realized it and that's why she gave some up. As mad as I am about it... I know she did the right thing by giving them up, and I'm sure that was heartbreaking. The important thing is - we do the best we can to take the best care of her and spoil her... she eats better than I do... we cook for them! Her ears are affected by most foods so I make her chicken and rice with veggies for all meals... and when its cold weather, it's like a soup. Lol that and a spoonful of lowfat yogurt daily seems to be helping the ear problem.

Also... you hit the nail on the head... she pees on almost anything soft... carpet, her bedding, the couch once... never the hardwood floors. I never even thought of that. Do you have any suggestions? I'm thinking of training her to operate the carpet steamer so she can clean as she pees. Lolololol

I'm a cat person, not a dog person, but I do know that the dog experts on this site have posted a variety of useful ideas to break dogs of pee pads and peeing on soft things.

You could do an advanced search using pee pads and dog expert names such as Altenweg or Lucky098 or shazamataz or Aurora_Bell to find threads that discuss pee pads and potty training, or check in the page margins for associated threads.

Those dog people will see this thread and will tackle this problem when they come online. They're volunteers and have lives apart from this site, so please be patient.

It definitely sounds like she was trained with a pee pad and could possibly have been crated/kenneled for long periods. So, just to make sure I read this right, she is in a separate room while you are gone for the day and also separated at night while you are home? I am a big fan of crating while you are away, this soothes anxious behaviors and is a wonderful house breaking tool. Does she mess in the house while you are home or only while you are away?

I would ask the vet to check out spay incontinence, if this is something that just happened after her spaying. Sounds like she wasn't taught the difference of where to pee and where not to. The best thing you can do, is go back to basics. Treat her like a puppy. After she finishes eating, drinking or playing take her out side and wait with her until she does her business. I know it's time consuming, but it's going to save you a lot of cleaning time in the end. Keep doing what you are doing with the praise and treats, you are on the right track. (if you do get her to use the steam cleaner, make sure to let me know how you did it ;) lol)

I have a dog, a rescue as well, who suffers from intense separation anxiety. She not only messes in the house when left alone, she tears my house apart. If you were to meet her, you wouldn't believe it. She is so well mannered, calm, respectful and just over all a well behaved dog. The minute she is left alone, she becomes a demon dog from H.E.L.L. I HAVE to crate her, or my house would be demolished. She too was never taught proper "potty" manners, so it took me leaving her in the crate with NOTHING in it. No towels, no blankets no toys. I also made sure I had the right sized crate. Crates act like dens for dogs in the wild. They only need to be big enough for them to stand, turn and lay down. If there is anymore room, they will designate a bathroom area. Now, we still have accidents, just today I had to clean up a real stinkin' mess. All dogs, no matter how well they are trained, will have the occasional accident.

How long have you had Bonny? Do you guys get much exercise time? When a dog is out walking and playing I stimulates their bladder and bowel making them want to use the bathroom more often, this will lessen the chances of her needing to use the bathroom when she is back home. The thing is, if it's nothing medical, your dog is at the age where she should be able to hold it for longer periods. I think this is really a behavioral thing.

Are you allowing Bonny and Clyde (love the names! ) to free feed, or are there set feeding schedules? Free feeding will increase your chances of accidents, set schedules give you a better timeline for scheduled bathroom breaks.

Like Wonder Girl mentioned, if you do an advanced search on house breaking tips (just type house breaking or dog peeing in house in the search bar at the top) and you will have pages and pages of useful information at your finger tips.

If you keep us posted, we can continue offering any and all advise we have to give :)