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Help! My wonderful boxer had a UTI about a 9 weeks ago and won't stop peeing in the house although I had her tested several time sover the past weeks and the tests all come out negative. She is 2.5 yrs. old and was never kept in a house until the August 2002 at which time she had to be immediately crated because she had heartworm and spent from then until 11/2002 in a crate (the whole time she was in the rescuer's house) at which point she came to my house we were told she was housebroken and she was free to wander about the house. That is when we found out she was not completely housebroken. We had just begun to see the light at the end of the housebreaking tunnel when the UTI struck. Of course she had urination issues which I let go at the time because she could not help it. It was so bad she would go in her crate on the way, to the door to go out, wherever she happened to be when the urge came on. I never scolded her or punished her in any way for this because it was part of the diease. The vet thinks she has become accustomed to peeing on the carpet and even though I have had it cleaned several times she can still smell herself and that is stimulating her to go where she should not. I am at the point of wanting to leash her to the bed post at night--the only time the action occurs (she does go out right before we go to bed)--or crating her at night, although I hate to do it because since my husband was deployed at year ago she has had to spend more time in her crate. I don't want to be cruel and make her do more crate time but I cannot let her continue to ruin the carpeting. The rescuer I got her from, who is also a dog trainer, said she must have a health issue that the vet can't find, or I am doing something wrong. She said dogs don't just lose their housebreaking and the peeing becasue she smells herself is a myth and I should give her up because I can't get her housebroken completely. So now I feel like the world's worst dog owner and am even more reluctant to tie or crate her at night. I just don't know what to do and I am frustrated and feeling like a dog owning failure--this is my first dog. I have had almost every pet imaginable=horses, birds, cats, etc.. and everyone who met my pets always said that they are really well behaved the dog is too except for this one thing.

>>Help! My wonderful boxer had a UTI about a 9 weeks ago and won't stop peeing in the house although I had her tested several time sover the past weeks and the tests all come out negative. She is 2.5 yrs. old and was never kept in a house until the August 2002 at which time she had to be immediately crated because she had heartworm and spent from then until 11/2002 in a crate (the whole time she was in the rescuer's house) at which point she came to my house we were told she was housebroken and she was free to wander about the house. That is when we found out she was not completely housebroken. We had just begun to see the light at the end of the housebreaking tunnel when the UTI struck. Of course she had urination issues which I let go at the time because she could not help it. It was so bad she would go in her crate on the way, to the door to go out, wherever she happened to be when the urge came on. I never scolded her or punished her in any way for this because it was part of the diease. The vet thinks she has become accustomed to peeing on the carpet and even though I have had it cleaned several times she can still smell herself and that is stimulating her to go where she should not. I am at the point of wanting to leash her to the bed post at night--the only time the action occurs (she does go out right before we go to bed)--or crating her at night, although I hate to do it because since my husband was deployed at year ago she has had to spend more time in her crate. I don't want to be cruel and make her do more crate time but I cannot let her continue to ruin the carpeting. The rescuer I got her from, who is also a dog trainer, said she must have a health issue that the vet can't find, or I am doing something wrong. She said dogs don't just lose their housebreaking and the peeing becasue she smells herself is a myth and I should give her up because I can't get her housebroken completely. So now I feel like the world's worst dog owner and am even more reluctant to tie or crate her at night. I just don't know what to do and I am frustrated and feeling like a dog owning failure--this is my first dog. I have had almost every pet imaginable=horses, birds, cats, etc.. and everyone who met my pets always said that they are really well behaved the dog is too except for this one thing.
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Crating at night is NOT cruel, and neither is tethering. Urinary tract infections are notoriously difficult to cure, though, and tend to come back again, so do have some follow up urine specimens checked. Wouldn't surprise me at all if she has lingering infection.

As to the smell, unless you treat the area deeply with a bacterianl enzyme odor eliminator product such as Nature's Miracle, yes, the smell can overwhelm the dog's instincts and make it nearly impossible for her to resist urinating there again.

Plus, your deciding to let housetraining go out the window while she was sick was a bad idea. Punishment for housetraining is a bad idea, too. Your goal is to have her outside so often that she will be there when she needs to potty, and YOU will be there, too, to reward her.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Thank you for your advice and easing my fears about crating and tethering. I will get some Nature's Miracle. I though I was being a nice understand owner by ignoring her constant dribbling and accidents due to her inability to control herself during her illness instead of saying bad dog and rushing her outside--I got her urine tested yesterday and she is clear. But it seems I have caused more confusion I her mind that I helped. I will start from the beginning again. Outside on a set sched. praise for pee etc...