Adult Golden Doodle needs to stay home alone for 10 hours on weekdays, having trouble with accidents

Question

I recently moved an hour away from my job, my 5 year old male Golden Doodle is house trained, he never has accidents when I'm home nor did he while I was at work before I moved, but now that I'm gone for 2-3 more hours at a time he sometimes pees in the house before I get home. I tried putting him in the bathroom during the day (with his bed and toys and everything... can you tell I feel bad about it?) but he would still pee on the floor in there too. It's just too long for him, of course I take him out before I leave in the morning and right when I get home but some days it's close to 11 hours that I'm gone for.

What's the best way to handle this? I know if he were more confined like in a crate he would likely be able to hold it (rather than pee on himself or where he has to lay) but that seems cruel. I can't have him ruining my house, it's already starting to ruin the flooring and I had to throw away my rug.

Answer 1

You're right, it really is just too long. Most healthy adult dogs can hold urine for about 8-9 hours maximum. And asking them to routinely go longer is inhumane. Crating him may work in the short term, but at the risk of his mental state as he forces himself to hold it for that long- in addition to the incredible boredom and lack of access to water that would come from being crated for such a long time.

I am not sure what your housing situation is like- would dog doors to a fenced pen or yard be an option? You could lock them at night to prevent unwelcome guests (raccoons, etc.) but allow him to let himself in and out during the day?

Alternatively, do you have the means to hire a dog walker? There are lots of professional dog walking options out there, but they can be pricey. Perhaps a neighbor's kid would like to walk him after school for $20 a week? If you live near a college or university, you could advertise there as well. Lots of students are thrilled to have time with a friendly dog while making a bit of money, although you'd probably have to pay more like $40 or $50 for the week.

If neither of these options are possible, you may need to look into more extreme choices. It's sad to say, but maybe you will need to find him a foster home until you can move again, or even rehome him permanently.

Good luck!