My 14 year old rat terrier has recently been going down into the basement and pooping on the carpet. We have lived here for 14 years, so she has grown up here and she was trained to use the doggie door a few steps down from the kitchen in the breezeway and she has ALWAYS gone outside. She has been the best dog we have ever had ESPECIALLY potty training, she caught right on and never an accident.so, I was shocked when I went into the room she had pottied in and found all that "crap"! Well, she and I had a little talk down in that room in the basement! Now I close the door to the basement, so she is "forced" to go out the doggie door (unless the dogs bark at the slider for us to let them out) and I just found where she went potty right by the doggie door. I know she is getting very old, but she is very spry, she has a 6 year old mini datsun brother and a 4 year old fox terrier brother that keep her going. The mini datson won't go down the stairs to the basement and the fox terrier is very well trained and goes outside at all times. Still I had to be certain it was her, and I busted her when I was down doing laundry and left the door open, and here she came and went striaght for that room! I can't figure out why she would do this after all these years of knowing better and always going outside. Any ideas?

She's 72 years old in human years. Is it cold outside? Is there some other reason she might not want to go out?

I'm a cat person, so will PM the dog experts if I don't see any here soon. Please stay tuned!

I know and we took her age into consideration. Shouldn't be any other reason why she wouldn't go out. It's a pet friendly back yard with a privacy fence all the way around it, as it has been for the last 12 years. We do experience all 4 seasons. Could be the seasonal weather. It's just that the doggie door goes out under a back yard deck to prevent from getting hit in the face with the elements and they can ease their way out from under there into the back yard and to their potty ground. Thank you for your time and effort:)

Your dog is old!

I have two 14 year old dogs as well.. and every once in awhile, we will go through a spell of them pottying in the house. Are they house trained? Yes, they are very well house trained.. Have they done this in their younger age? No.. They never did.

You're just going to have to deal with an older dog forgetting what to do. Don't get mad at her.. it'll get you no where. Most older dogs don't realize what they did... and if you cannot catch them in the act of doing it, there is no point in punishing them.

Is it frustrating? Yes, very. You expect your dog that has been so good for so many years to not make a mistake. But they are getting older and they are forgetting what to do. They do dumb stuff and there is really no answer as to why they do it. I just associate it with doggy alzheimers.

Temperatures will also effect them. If its cold out, she is probably holding it for a long time and can no longer hold it. Are you watching her potty outside? If not, start watching her when you can. Make sure she is going potty. If she doesn't potty, don't let her sneak off alone. Keep an eye on her and within a half hour, send everyone outside to go potty again. I really like to do community potty runs, because it triggers those who don't want to, to potty outside.

Please don't get mad at her. She is an old lady. Just pick it up and move on.

Your dog is old and won't want to go all the way outside and it doesn't matter if he's house trainded he's just getting old.