Need help with training issue

[k9Karen]

I'm dogsitting "The Alien" for the next week and a half. Fortunately, I'm off work this week, which gives him and my dogs a bit of time to adjust. He' a sweet dog, but too much puppy for my older furkids.

The problem my daughter has with him, and unfortunately, it's happening here too, is that he doesn't seem to want to "hold it". If he decides he needs to go, he just goes. Even when we're home. He will go as little as 5 minutes after he's just been outside and "done his business" - so you think he's safe. You just turn around, and there's a puddle or a pile. My daughter is totally frustated with this behavior, and I'm at a loss to help her, since I've never had the problem beyond puppyhood. The dog is almost a year old, seems to be intelligent, and should be long past this. At first I thought it had to do with her very irregular schedule, but even when she's home and on a reasonable schedule, it happens. It almost seems to be a type of passive-aggressive behavior. Any suggestions? Anyone ever have to deal with a dog like this?

[TheSkeptic]

Have you ruled out a medical cauise?

[k9Karen]

She's taken him to the vet and discussed it with him. No reason to suspect anything other than a behavioral issue. Her vet wasn't much help as far as recommendations on behavior modification.

One thing I didn't mention is that this dog was from a pet shop, so I'm assuming he is from a puppy mill. He was almost 5 months old when she got him. She really felt sorry for him, his price had been reduced drastically because they couldn't sell him, so he was caged all that time. He had a case of kennel cough he couldn't shake, and the pet shop paid all his vet bills until he was cured (it cost more than the dog did to get him well). Because pf all the antibiotics he was on, he had a couple of bouts with diarrhea during the first few weeks she had him. I've also wondered if not having been housebroken as a very young pup might be an issue?