2 year old corgi started peeing in the house again :(

My dog, Bridget, has been pretty well house-broken since she was about 6 months (she's my first dog, so it took awhile for both of us to get the hang of it). But recently, she's taken to peeing in our guest bedroom/office instead of outside. What I don't get is, I take her on walks every day (well, almost), and I take her outside all the time. We'll spend ten minutes outside, with me throwing the ball to her and trying to get her to pee, and she never will, so I will assume she doesn't actually have to go. Soon after, I'll walk past the office and see a new pee spot. I have never caught her in the act, so I just say "Bridget..." in a disappointed tone and clean it up. She knows it's wrong, cause she'll shy away while I'm cleaning it.
It's impossible for me to get mad at her, I'm just more concerned than anything. I thought we were past this stage. I also get really nervous cause sometimes, no matter how many times I'll take her outside, she won't pee for like 12 hours. And it makes my bladder hurt FOR her!
Once, we went to a hotel that's dog-friendly, and we stayed outside with her most of the time trying to get her to use the bathroom but she didn't go until we got back. She waited over 24 hours. That's not normal.
It seems to me that she ignores what should be instinct--going to the bathroom! And instead, she'll wait till she's inside and go. It's only happened a handful of times, even though this odd peeing behavior has been going on for a lot longer.
So I guess I'm wondering 1) why does she hold her urine so long and is it harmful? and 2) how can I get her to go potty outside, instead of holding it till she can't wait any longer and going inside?

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 31, 2009 at 1:29pm

Yet another reason why I like to teach them to go on command. Some dogs are very fussy about where they go. I would first have her checked for an infection. Next make sure this is not happening when she is sleeping. There is a condition that is not uncommon in spayed females where they involuntarily pee while relaxed or sleeping. There is medication for it our doberman is on it.
Last year my daughter sold her house and moved into an apartment. One of her dogs had a very hard time with the transition to peeing on walks instead of having run of the yard. Finally my daughter had to leash her while she was in the house or kennel her until she was sure she had done her business outside. It took several months before the dog finally got it.
It is easy to train a potty on command if you invest some time up front. Every time she goes say a command (I use go potty) that should be the minute she squats for either. If you do that every time she will associate the words with going. I like it because when it is raining and we are camping or if I have to change our normal schedule they will hurry up and get down to business.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 31, 2009 at 1:31pm

Also be sure to use a product like Urineoff to remove the smell. They can smell better than we can and are attracted to areas that smell.

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Permalink Reply by laladypoet on August 31, 2009 at 2:02pm

she just went to the vet last week, and she's totally healthy. and since she's always been weird about peeing, I doubt she's had an infection for 2 years :)
she sleeps in between us in bed, so I know she doesn't pee in her sleep.
but I will try the command thing, thanks!