If the dog mostly stays downstairs, I wouldn't want to see him lying on concrete floors. It is harder to clean urine from carpet. Urine can also soak into concrete but that can be fixed. If the carpet stays the urine may well still soak into the concrete although the carpet will prevent a lot of soaking in. If you have only the concrete, it is easier to clean up but some urine can still soak in. In either event, you should go down there daily to clean up. Try nature's miracle.

Just wanted to add that Natures's Miracle is a good product to use. I think they have one that is specifically for dogs.
Also, have you taken the dog to the vet to have checked out? Possibly a urinary tract infection could be the cause of the "accidents". A "sample" in a clean container(we use those small white bathroom cups put in a zip lock bag)taken with you to the vet is a good idea. Usually antibiotics will clear this up. Hope you find this info useful and good luck!

Our 13 yr. old spaniel started becoming incontinent a while back. Because this is so unusual for her, I took her to the vet who diagnosed a sphincter problem. She takes a pill twice a day and so far no accidents. Seems as they get older, the muscle tone that holds in urine and waste gets a little flabby and they hardly know they are going (until they see the result).

Thanks for comments, premier, zoey_neohio, and gardenchick1.

I should mention that the dog has been taken to the vet, and the vet has said there's nothing that they can do - no bladder infection, or anything like that. We think that she just sometimes can't handle the stairs.

We have a variety of carpet cleaning things, but I'll recommend Nature's Miracle to DH!

At age 14, I'm sure she is having a problem with the stairs. Why don't you keep her upstairs on the first level of the house so she doesn't have to deal with the stairs. I'm sure she would prefer to be with the family too. Good luck.

Premier, we have tried that, but she seems to strongly prefer being downstairs, where there is peace and quiet. At times she enjoys being upstairs and petted by the kids, and sometimes she seems to just want to be by herself.

I am sure you know what is best for your dog, but I was thinking maybe if you got her on some kind of a schedule where you would carry her up the stairs and than she could go out side for taking care of business and to get some fresh air and see what's going on in the world.

At 14, I would think that she would still be interested in sniffing around things out doors and I would walk her away from playing kids so she wouldn't be nervous about that.

I know if you work, a schedule is kinda hard, but if you can eleiminate a couple accidents a day, that would be a good thing.

Just an added thought. Did the vet actually test her urine or do blood work? I am very surprised he said nothing could be done. Have you considered a second opinion?

I don't mean to offend you with my suggestions, I am just throwing my thoughts your way. I hope they help.

maybe a linoleum floor that can be washed easy?

Good luck with your furbaby, from a fellow dog mom.

Mrs. C.

The linoleum floor idea might work. Install of actually installing one, Home Depot sells pretty large sized precut one piece linoleum pretty cheap. Perhaps if you got a few and just laid them down, the dog would not be on the concrete and it would be easy to clean. I would set up a nice, comfy bed for her.

I don't mean to offend you either but it really isn't a good sign that she prefers to be in the basement. The dog should spend her remaining days in a more pleasant manner. Maybe if you set up a nice bed for her in a quiet area upstairs where she could be left alone when she wanted to but also easily interact with the family and go outside. Does anyone take the dog out on a daily basis or pay attention to her?

Thanks for new ideas - I'll have to stop by Home Depot, or maybe another local flooring place.

Zoey_neohio and premier, not to worry, I'm not offended - you've phrased it very well. ;) Thank you for caring.

The dog is about 60 pounds, so I'm not going to be carrying her upstairs. She did have her blood and urine tested at the vet's office, according to DH. She is let outside into the yard, and when she's out there she likes to dig holes and lie down in the holes. Winter is coming up, so she's not going to like being outside some of the time (when it gets cold, she enjoys lying in snow when it's not too cold).

Our kids are 6, and 4 (as of Monday), so the dog did decline in status in the family pack over the past few years... I definitely don't give her the attention I used to give her, and I do feel somewhat guilty about this. I'm also not too sure about her quality of life at the moment, so I get to feel guilty about that as well.

Unfortunately, the only place upstairs where I could see her possibly having a nice quiet and private area upstairs is the half bath, next to the side door and the kitchen, and that isn't currently accessible due to renovation. I had previously tried to get her to lie there on a nice big comfy looking dog bed - hmm, perhaps a large carpet scrap, once we get that more cleared out would work better for her.

My mother is currently visiting so we're seeing more of the dog than usual - she just loves my mom. She actually came upstairs during dinner and lurked under the table, which she used to do but doesn't these days.

Sholland,I think you may have figured out the answer to all this. Dog loves Mom....can Mom take the dog and give her the attention she needs in her aging years?

I think the kids are just being kids and are probably too active and noisey for your aging friend. She just needs a calmer enviroment and some one on one attention.

Zoey_neohio, that would work well if it wasn't for my mother living 1000km away, in a condo, and if she was capable of taking the dog out for a walk. :)

I should mention that the dog also stays downstairs during the day, when the kids aren't home.

Back to the original question -- have you considered taking up the carpet and putting down an indoor/outdoor, polypropylene area rug? My understanding is they can be taken outside and hosed off, and even bleached when necessary. It'd give the dog something soft to lie on, would look better than concrete, and might protect the floor. Just a thought.

I'm not really sure what kind of suggestions you are open to, so I hope this isn't out of line. However, I am more of a dog person than a decorating person, myself. ;)

You can purchase an exercise pen that is made up of (usually 6 or 8) metal grate-type panels (similar to wire dog crates, but bigger). This could give your pooch some space to hang out in the main floor area, without being bothered by the kids (and without the kids being bothered by her). You can lay down a tarp or something waterproof underneath, so that you don't need to worry about her peeing on your carpet. I strongly suspect that the reason for her going downstairs is that she can't get up the stairs comfortably.

Another option, if it's just pee, is to get her some dog undies (also sometimes called "b!tches britches", the forum wouldn't let me post the actual word, lol) which are often sold in pet stores and their main use is for in-season girl dogs to contain the mess. A pair of boy's underwear (with the opening turned to the back the back for her tail) can also be used in a pinch. :) I suspect that the kids, just based on their ages, are a bit too much for her since she is older, but I think she would enjoy observing from a safe spot.

I hope this doesn't offend you in any way, but I think that there is a lot of value in teaching kids how to treat animals properly. I've had to train nieces and nephews on how to interact with dogs, so I know it can be challenging, to say the least. Best of luck to your family!

Hi. Lots of good advice here. I'm sure that there are parts of this saga that I dont know, but I'm having a hard time believing that if a blood and urinalysis were run, that the vet would simply say "there's nothing you can do." Is it possible that something was lost in translation from the vet to your DH to you? This happens A LOT. IF a full panel was done, and those tests were normal, I'd think that he/she would have discussed/offered incontinence medications. If the vet felt that there was a more significant anatomical or neurological bladder problem, they may have recommended xrays or an ultrasound, or a visit to a neurologist. Again, there is clearly a lot here I dont know, but I suspect that there is a piece of this puzzle missing.

good luck!!

Just a thought on the vets diagnosis... Did he/she suggest that maybe the dog could have bladder stones? I've seen many-an-older-pooch with pee-problems test 'positive' for bladder stones. What happens is that the stones fill the bladder and leave little room for urine. This inturn causes the dog to urinate more frequently. I've seen older dogs with stones return to normal after having them removed. Just a thought...

A product that works miracles for removing all traces of urine is NOK-OUT. I have six cats and they sometimes fight over 'territory' and it can get quite messy, if you catch my meaning. You just spray NOK-OUT directly on the stain and leave it sit. You DO NOT blot it up. The NOK-OUT will neutralize the odor! Don't be alarmed, but, the urine smell will get intense when you first spray on the NOK-OUT. After a few minutes the odor is neutralized. Another great thing about this product is that it deters the animal from returning to the scene of the crime. Once an animal urinates in a spot they will continue to urinate in that spot, but NOK-OUT eliminates this from happening. Many of my friends have used this and fell in love with this product! I sound like a sales-lady so I'd better stop now... Heres a link to the web-site if you're interested. If she's peeing in one spot maybe laying a plastic barrier over the carpet and then covering that with a towel or something that you can launder. Just another suggestion! Good Luck! I hope all this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: The NOK-OUT website