Okay, good information. And Kudos to you for adopting and what a regal dog !!! My first concern would be a physical problem and the vet NEEDS to check out your dogs back and back end to make certain there is nothing wrong physically. Nerve problems in the back can make it so your dog has NO IDEA of when it is time to go. You wrote: "~ We never yell or hit him when he has an accident. We just show him and tell him, "NO . . . bad dog! Kennel!" Pick up the poop and take it and him to the kennel where we put it down and say, "Kennel . . . good dog, kennel" We then meticulously clean the rug using a good quality dog accident cleaner & deodorizer. " This connect negativity with bathroom works and you should really stop doing it. THIS "Ronin has an accident perhaps once or twice a week, although never peeing. All the other times, we/I just take him out to the kennel and lock him in until he goes, when we let him right back in, praising him, "Good dog, kennel!"." Is also not a good idea. Next I would call the foster person and ask if they had the same problem. If all that turns out to be normal and this is a new behavioral problem I suggest a couple of things - First you have had the dog 3 weeks and he is going through a period of transition - so you are bound to have something come up. You wrote that he is okay with other dogs and people and he gets kennelled on a rgular basis. All okay *BUT* you have failed to write ANYTHING about his daily walking routine!!! This dog should be taken out on a leash walk at least 3 times a day. For at least 15 minutes a day. NO LESS. Im not tqlaking just a quickie around the block where the dog sniffs a couple of bushes. Im talking find a good fire road or an area where your dog can really get in a good pant. DONT let him stop and sniff the bushes or rocks or anything else JUST a good walk at a good clip. Just when you are heading back to the car - let your dog stop and sniff the bushes. Hopefully the regualr walks will help alot - they usually do. Be careful not to go to the same place for his walks. I suspect your new charge is bored, and not stimulated enough. But that is just based on what you wrote....When your dog does do its duty. It is important to first give your dog a command to poop - it should be unemotional. Just a fact - go make a meadow muffin....when the dog does, praise him highly. As if he has just brought you a bag with a thousand dollars in it. If your dog likes privacy (mine does) just make certain you bring a longer leash so he can hide behind a bush or tree for his duties. Another part of the training is to take his present and take it outside to a place where you will walk your dog daily. Be certain to stop and let him sniff his stuff, give the unemotional command and praise him....good luck - let us know how it goes.

Dog naturally does not want to eliminate in his den space, that is why crate training could be so successful from the start. It is more difficult if dog was neglected and forced to soil his crate... I would think that you housebreak adult dog same way as you do young puppy. It is really important if you stick to a really tight schedule like taking out your dog every couple of hours or depending on the breed/ small dog small bladder capacity/ even more often. I would go as far as to say - take a week off vacation when you bring dog home and teach the right way you want things happen in the house. Don't deviate from the route- same door, same spot, same way- do it for about a week. Repeating a cue word during actual process is great help for the future. Keep the water on limited basis at least for the beginning couple of days- give him after eating, after runs but do not leave water all the time, take the water last time few hrs before going to sleep. Make sure your dog does do things outside, yes, it could be rain or snow but you plan to be determinate. Remove your carpets in the house if possible at least for the time being, leave as many surfaces that could be easily cleaned or let the dog run only in the area where it could be easily cleaned. Pet stores do sell cleanser but it still does not eliminate smell completely at least for the dog- I can not smell anything of course. you have not told us if the dog is soiling in the crate. If dog can keep his crate clean it is very easy to teach, just take your time and take the dog out, after he sleeps, eats, plays, starts running in the circles and sniffing the ground or couple of hours in the house. Do not teach dog to go on the newspaper or doggie pads if you can avoid it. If it is a senior dog you might run into incontinence or urinary trouble but that is something to discuss with your vet.

I just had the carpeting taken up in the master bedroom and replaced with wood floors. Red oak. I have had dark stained , medium stained and no stained with three coats of finish . The no-stained (natural) is by far the easiest to care for. The darker floors show the dust and need to be dusted daily. I have a large dog and I don't see scratches all over the floor. The bedroom looks so much nicer with the wood floors. I have oriental carpeting in all the rooms. If it was practical, I would redo all the bedrooms upstairs with the wood, too. Now, about your dog. We had an Irish Setter that became incontinent at night at the age of 8. She had always been kept in the laundry room at night (it was a large room) Every day I had to scrub that floor and sometimes move the washing machine and dryer. I was very young back then...LOL. After awhile, what I most feared started to happen. The urine permeated under the tiles. I took some of them up, scrubbed them, replaced them and made a bed in the garage for the dog the same day. My husband built an insulated house for her and every night there she went. The bed and make-shift house was against the house wall. Every morning when she came in, her body felt warm. We lived in Pittsburgh and the winters there were very cold at the time. She lived another 6 years.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Having a baby is a wonderful thing and there is something special about having your first. I thought I had posted but I don't see my post and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. I have 5 children. If you can live with what you have, I REALLY don't think you should replace it, especially if you allow eating outside the kitchen, but even if you don't, kids are just plain hard on carpet. They ruin it with their art supplies, running in and out, spitting up, and in all kinds of other ways you probably can't imagine until it happens. Personally, I would clean it, maybe even invest in a steam cleaner, and keep it for as long as you can stand it. As far as having a young baby on the carpet itself, I don't think that's a good idea if it's new or old. Even when carpet looks clean it's usually not. If you could see underneath it, you'd be shocked at how much dirt, etc. is under there. Our pediatrician actually suggested we take up ours due to my son's asthma. When we took ours up and put down wood and tile his asthma improved, as did his allergies. Plus little ones can pull off fuzz, fibers, debris, etc. and put it in their mouths- and believe me, anything that within their reach that can fit in their mouths will end up there at some point! ;) You could use a blanket or what I did for my twins (they're 7 months now) might work for you. I bought interlocking foam tiles- not the kind w/ letters because babies will take them out and chew on them and because they stretch and start to come out easily and then you'll have to keep putting them back. Later when they're a little more mobile you can get a play yard if you want. I like my play yard because it keeps the babies from getting into things they shouldn't and because I know the area the boys in is always clean since nobody walks on it. The foam tiles are easily sanitized w/ 409 and a rag or a steam mop if you have one. I agree w/ the poster that said if you teach them to eat only in the kitchen you'll save yourself lots of headache in the long run by the way. And one more idea: Have you considered a tile that isn't slick? A slightly textured tile work for your dog and they're just as easy to clean. Congrats again on your upcoming addition.