Hello everyone. A while back I posted about how I was attempting to convince my fiancee to get on board with adopting a dog. Well, in February we did it, and have a fantastic old man in the house now named Gabe.

Unfortunately, being an old man (the shelter told me he was five - more like 9-10), he's developed kidney problems and his diet is going to need to change a bit.

The biggest problem, however, is his kidneys' decreased effectiveness. If left alone in the house for more than an hour or two, it's guaranteed that I will have to clean up an accident. This is unavoidable - he simply cannot hold it for any longer, and has to have free access to water at all times in order to stay hydrated.

I have a full-deck gazebo/canopy (10' x 10') that I plan to use to shelter him from the elements outside while I'm at work, but when the temperature is too hot/cold, I won't leave him out there. So I'd like to ask if anyone has any tips. I simply cannot leave work every 2 hours to come home and let him out (or clean up another accident), and neither can my fiancee - she's even farther away from home than I am.

I know that teaching a dog to relieve himself inside is a HUGE no-no, but like I said, it's unavoidable. I'm thinking of paper-training him to an extent so that I always have one place to clean up. Are there any products that anyone here has used in the past for such a situation? My carpets are already ruined, but spending 15 minutes cleaning up an accident on the couch and carpet beneath it is something I'd like to stop having to do.

I'd like to point out that, once again, he's a shelter dog, and that for several months he was locked in a cage for the majority of the time, so eventually got used to living near his refuse. This combined with a bladder that fills very quickly means that crate-training is nearly impossible. I wouldn't want to deprive him of water and relief considering his condition.

Is a doggy door out of the question?

I hadn't thought of using a doggy door, but there are indoor cats in the house as well. I know one of them would be EXTREMELY curious and get into big trouble with that.

EDIT: My curiosity was definitely piqued with this post, so I looked up some electronic pet doors that activate via remote collar. Very interesting, but very expensive. There is an available sliding glass door insert that would work marvelously - but $500 is a lot to swallow.

If you had a walk-in type shower, not a tub one, maybe you could marker train him to go in there.

Indoor dog potty? There are a lot of models out there online and in pet stores.

 Quote: Ana Kozlowsky

Indoor dog potty? There are a lot of models out there online and in pet stores.

This was what I originally had in mind, and was actually coming here to find out if anyone had used one before. I guess I could look in the housetraining forum.

You can purchase doggy litter boxes. And I have one. It's larger and shaped differently than a kitty litter box. You can use special litter, but I learned from a breeder to use wood pellets (like those used in pellet stoves) instead. Not as messy as the litter or wood shavings. I decided to use this system for my small dog during bad weather. We'll see how it works. The breeder had 5 week old puppies using it. I was impressed.

If he can be trained to use the doggy door, could the cats be kept in a portion of the house which would not allow them access to the doggy door until you are home?

IF you decide to go the indoor dog box route, also look into pellets which are used for chicken coops, horse stalls, etc... I have no idea if they will be less or more than the types used for a wood stove, but they do work well (in coops) and absorb far more than shavings.

I personally would not give up on the pet door idea yet, but you know your situation best! Also, with a few accomodations (clear plastic sheeting?) your gazebo could probably be made weather friendly almost year round in Hampton Roads.