# Dog Peeing in the house at night



## Busy1of4

We have 3 year old Cavoodle female. She is house trained during the day however the night is a different story.

Our back door has a dog door so she can come and go as she pleases. During the day she goes out and we have no problems. The problems arise once we all go to bed at night. Every morning the dog has peed in the loungeroom. I got rid of the carpet in the loungeroom so there is no odour, we have had new flooring laid which can be mopped and I use Urinefree so there should be no scent left. The wee's the dog does are large puddles so I don't think it is her marking territory.

It's crossed my mind that the dog may be scared of the dark but she's happy to go outside and bark at the neighbours cat at night.

Any idea on how to stop this?


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## pawsplus

She needs to be crated at night, period! Put a crate next to your bed and get her used to going in happily for a treat if she's not already used to crates. Crate her at bedtime and when you get up in the a.m. get her right outside to pee.


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## Busy1of4

I think you are right , I've just ordered a crate because she's peed again tonight!


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## doxiemommy

I disagree. If the puddle that the dog leaves overnight is large, as the OP says it is, then the dog obviously needs to pee and can't hold it. If it was not a large puddle, then, yes, maybe a crate would help the dog hold it til morning. But, if it's a large puddle the dog really needed to go.

I would suggest removing access to water in the evening, say 2 hours before bedtime. Also, maybe add a walk in the evening, say 30 minutes before bedtime, that tends to flush the system, perhaps if her system is purged of all feces and urine before going to bed she won't need to go during the night.

Also, is there anything that has changed, the environment, the routine?


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## pawsplus

doxiemommy said:


> I disagree. If the puddle that the dog leaves overnight is large, as the OP says it is, then the dog obviously needs to pee and can't hold it. If it was not a large puddle, then, yes, maybe a crate would help the dog hold it til morning. But, if it's a large puddle the dog really needed to go.
> 
> I would suggest removing access to water in the evening, say 2 hours before bedtime.


 Removal of water is a given and is accomplished by crating the dog. I agree that a walk would be a good idea--the problem w/ allowing your dog to come and go at will is that you have no idea when she last peed before she's in for the night. Could be 5 min. or 3 hours. Get her out on lead and make SURE she pees just before crating her.


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## Busy1of4

I'm taking all of the advice on board.

So at the moment she gets fed about 6pm but generally doesn't eat all her food. She has a good quality dry food. I always leave water down for her.

Last night I left the water down for her until 8pm then took it away she also had no food left. She went out several times before I went to bed at about 9.30. Then this morning two large puddles again at 4am when my husband got up for work.

So do you think I should;

1. Feed her a few hours earlier then romove her water earlier too.
2. Take her out for about 30mins before we go to bed.
2. Crate her as well.

I know it is most likely a people problem not a dog problem.


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## doxiemommy

pawsplus said:


> Removal of water is a given and is accomplished by crating the dog. I agree that a walk would be a good idea--the problem w/ allowing your dog to come and go at will is that you have no idea when she last peed before she's in for the night. Could be 5 min. or 3 hours. Get her out on lead and make SURE she pees just before crating her.


Removal of water isn't a "given" for everyone. Not everyone would think to remove water. Not everyone DOES remove water, or has a problem with 24 hour water access. My dogs have water available at all times and not one of our 3 has a problem. 
Also, some people have water bowl holders in their crates, so, suggesting a crate doesn't necessarily mean no water.

Second, if the dog is crated, many people assume that they can leave the dog in the crate all night, and it will be fine, no puddles. My point is, if the dog has to go so badly that there is LARGE puddle overnight, then the dog just plain has to pee. So, if the dog just plain has to pee, and they are crated all night, they may go pee in the crate. 
Yes, there is the generalization that many dogs don't want to soil the area they sleep in, but, that is just a generalization, doesn't work for every dog, AND, if a dog has to pee, it has to pee, crate or not.

That said, we crated our dogs at night until they were potty trained, so I guess, I don't TOTALLY disagree with crating at night, it's just that crating may or may not solve the problem, because, as I said, if the dog has to go the dog has to go, and will go in the crate if necessary. So, if you crate, I'd suggest a middle of the night bathroom trip may be necessary to prevent the accident in the first place.

I do agree that it would avoid having puddles in the morning that you don't find, so you can't clean up, but the OP says they have hard floors, so it's a puddle, which is relatively easy to find, compared to a wet spot on carpet.....


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## doxiemommy

Busy1of4 said:


> I'm taking all of the advice on board.
> 
> So at the moment she gets fed about 6pm but generally doesn't eat all her food. She has a good quality dry food. I always leave water down for her.
> 
> Last night I left the water down for her until 8pm then took it away she also had no food left. She went out several times before I went to bed at about 9.30. Then this morning two large puddles again at 4am when my husband got up for work.
> 
> So do you think I should;
> 
> 1. Feed her a few hours earlier then romove her water earlier too.
> 2. Take her out for about 30mins before we go to bed.
> 2. Crate her as well.
> 
> I know it is most likely a people problem not a dog problem.


Personally, if it were me, I would set my alarm and take the dog out in the middle of the night. Our middle dog is a small dog, maybe 7 pounds. She was a rescue, abandoned, and had to fend for herself. She was a little challenging to potty train. She didn't have many accidents, but, in order to NOT have accidents, she needed to go out A LOT. In fact, she was 2 years old before she could hold it all night. She knew she was supposed to pee outside, so she would wake us up, so that we could take her out, and she would pee, a big pee, not just a dribble, so I KNOW she had to go. She didn't have accidents, and she alerted us that she needed to go, but, she just couldn't hold it all night, crated or not.

So, yes, crate her if you want, at least she won't pee in the loungeroom. But, even though you crate her, she may still pee, just in the crate. Because, if she has to pee that badly that she leaves a big puddle, then she has to pee. 
I would set my alarm and take her out, sometime around 2 am. If you walk up at 2 am and she's already peed, then you know you need to set your alarm sooner.

I would also feed earlier, remove water earlier, and walk her, because any of these or a combination of these approaches may help as well.

For our girl, around 2 years old, she finally could hold it, and still does. She doesn't need the middle of the night trip anymore. But, for us, that middle of the night trip was worth it, because, anytime the dog pees in the house, it's really starting a habit that can be hard to break, so for us, not starting that habit was worth it.


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## pawsplus

I agree that if the dog truly can't hold it, setting the alarm and taking her out, as one would do with a puppy, is a good idea. However, this is an adult dog and she SHOULD be able to hold it all night--she sees no reason to do so, however, since she has access to the outdoors all the time so she has never HAD to hold it. For whatever reason (she may have been frightened by a possum or raccoon, etc.) she does not WANT to go outside at night, and since she's never learned to hold it, she just goes ahead and pees.

So IMO she needs to learn to hold it. If this were me, I would:

(1) Walk her on lead before bed so I KNEW she had urinated;
(2) Crate her (no water) in the bedroom;
(3) If she gets restless at night, take her out (on lead)--otherwise set alarm for halfway through the night and take her to pee (on lead) a few nights running;
(4) Take her out (on lead) first thing in the a.m. 

Be sure to praise her to the SKIES for going outside.

I do think the problem, barring a physical problem, which should be looked into if all else fails, is probably that due to her constant access to the outside via a dog door, she has just never learned to hold it--she's used to being able to go as soon as she neesd to go. She just needs to back up to puppyhood and learn to do that.


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## pawsplus

Oh, and I wouldn't feed her in the PM. It's up to you, but I feed once a day only (dogs eat it all up w/ in minutes). This is more natural for gorge-and-fast eaters like canines and it means that any poop happens during the day.


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## Busy1of4

OK I think I will change her meal time to early in the day slowly or she may think her throat is cut because she is used to being fed at night, I am hoping we can over come this issue, she is such a beautiful dog.


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## pawsplus

Busy1of4 said:


> OK I think I will change her meal time to early in the day slowly or she may think her throat is cut because she is used to being fed at night, I am hoping we can over come this issue, she is such a beautiful dog.


Oh, she'll be fine. Dogs can fast for days safely! She needs to get used to eating her food up w/in a few minutes. Put it down in the a.m., give her 10 min, and remove it. She gets it again in 24 hours. She'll learn to eat it up when it's offered quickly!


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## Busy1of4

Ok I'll give all of the advice a go and see how she goes, hopefully a huge improvement.


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## doxiemommy

pawsplus said:


> I agree that if the dog truly can't hold it, setting the alarm and taking her out, as one would do with a puppy, is a good idea. However, this is an adult dog and she SHOULD be able to hold it all night--she sees no reason to do so, however, since she has access to the outdoors all the time so she has never HAD to hold it. For whatever reason (she may have been frightened by a possum or raccoon, etc.) she does not WANT to go outside at night, and since she's never learned to hold it, she just goes ahead and pees.
> 
> So IMO she needs to learn to hold it. If this were me, I would:
> 
> (1) Walk her on lead before bed so I KNEW she had urinated;
> (2) Crate her (no water) in the bedroom;
> (3) If she gets restless at night, take her out (on lead)--otherwise set alarm for halfway through the night and take her to pee (on lead) a few nights running;
> (4) Take her out (on lead) first thing in the a.m.
> 
> Be sure to praise her to the SKIES for going outside.
> 
> I do think the problem, barring a physical problem, which should be looked into if all else fails, is probably that due to her constant access to the outside via a dog door, she has just never learned to hold it--she's used to being able to go as soon as she neesd to go. She just needs to back up to puppyhood and learn to do that.


I guess we agree to disagree on some of this. Yes, she's an adult dog. So was mine, but she was just over 2 years before she could hold it all night. Every dog has different abilities. I am *not* the only experienced dog owner on this forum who has an ADULT dog that needs to (or needed to) have a middle of the night bathroom trip in order to not have accidents. 
Heck, I am an ADULT human, and I can't hold it all night either. But, that doesn't mean I'm not potty trained. It's just that I am a small, petite woman, with a small bladder, and I have to go once during the night. Talked to my doc, all is good, but, I am just one of those who has a small bladder.

All I am saying is, IF this dog cannot, at this point, hold it, it's better to take them out in the middle of the night, rather than allow them to pee in the lounge or the crate, because you certainly don't want that habit (peeing in the lounge or crate) to carry over to the daytime.
Ideally, if you set the middle of the night trip, you would gradually wait longer and longer before you take them out. So, for one to two weeks, you take them out at 2 am. Then, you start taking them out at 2:30 for a couple weeks, then 3:00, and so on, so that you challenge them to hold it longer and longer over time.


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## Busy1of4

I intend on giving it all a go and see what works. Changing feeding routine and a more defined routine before bed etc should help us figure out if it's a) small bladder, b) behavioural but I am sure going to sort this out. Surely if it's behavioural she won't pee in a crate and if it is just that she really needs to pee she will pee in a crate. A process of elimination is what is required and at least in a crate I can contain the mess so it doesn't ruin my house!

If I get change in behaviour I suppose a vet check to eliminate any health issues but I don't think she has any health issues as there are no signs that she is at all sick.


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## doxiemommy

Good luck!


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## Busy1of4

Night one and no pee! Just took her outside and she did the biggest pee!


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## pawsplus

Yay! So you crated her and she lasted all night? Be sure to praise her to the stars when she goes outside!


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## Busy1of4

I don't have a crate but I managed to confine the space she could get to and didn't feed her last night only early in the day. We took her out before bed last night but she wouldn't pee. At 4am my husband took her out she wouldn't pee. At 7am my daughter took her out and she peed and got lots of praise.


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## doxiemommy

Yay! One night at a time!


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## Arkie

I'm going to go a little further with some advice already offered...If you were my client this is what I would tell you... Crating is a must, that part is absolutely correct. Furthermore, don't put any blankets or padding of any kind in the crate at first. You may put a Nylabone, or your choice of a chew toy in with her to give her something to do to keep from being bored. Boredom can't be corrected, so I highly recommend this step. Next, I would move to at least a four hour gap between water and bedtime. So, say you go to bed at 10pm normally...no water after 6. Then out to potty 15-20 minutes after last water, and again 15-20 mins before bed. Now, I would strongly disagree with middle of the night potty trips. If you do this that will become her habit, and it will be hard to break. Healthy adult dogs absolutely have the ability to hold it! They just don't know it. It's something we must teach them. Dogs have two things in their heads...instinct and habit. Instinct is what they're born with, habit is what we teach them. Instinct tells them to go potty when and where they feel the urge. We have to teach the habit of holding it... Not too long ago I had just come in from my run with my dogs. Gave them their food then their water...then I get a call from my daughters school that she was fallen off the monkey bars and possibly broken her arm. Naturally I flew out of the house, and ended up being gone for almost 16 hours (hospital, xrays, pins, cast, etc...) Now my dogs had eaten and drank before I left and I hadn't let them out afterwards. I came home to a nice clean house and both dogs at the door with their eyeballs floating  But, the point is, they held it. They held it because they've been taught that they have the capability to hold it. That being said, if you start with middle of the night potty trips, that will become a habit that will be hard to break. A true housebroken dog will go outside to potty when you say it's time. If my dogs weren't truly housebroken there would have been accidents with the incident I just described. If I allow my dogs to tell me when it's time for them to potty, what happens if I'm not home and they need to go? They'll go in the floor of course..... This is just my two cents. Opinions vary naturally. But if you want a dog that is truly completely housebroken I can certainly help you with that  Just remember, repetition forms habit...so be careful of which habits you form  Good luck to you and bless you for caring enough to try to get help with the problem instead of just getting rid of the dog!


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## Busy1of4

Well the crate arrived yesterday afternoon. So we repeated the same routine again but she got put in the crate at bedtime. No problems again.

She peed when we took her out in the morning, ah if it was this simple I would have done it ages ago!


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## pawsplus

Great!  Yeah, no need to avoid bedding, etc. if she's holding it. Sounds like she just needed to learn that she COULD hold it. Good for you for helping her figure it out!


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## Busy1of4

Thanks to everyone for their contribution to solving my problem! I know it's usually us humans that are the problem, animals and kids are similar it's up to us adults to sort out the problems!


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## Arkie

Pawsplus is right...if she's holding it you can absolutely put a soft blankie or something in there for her. But, if she wets on it, even once, it must be removed  Glad it's working out!


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## relli1130

Busy1of4 said:


> Well the crate arrived yesterday afternoon. So we repeated the same routine again but she got put in the crate at bedtime. No problems again.
> 
> She peed when we took her out in the morning, ah if it was this simple I would have done it ages ago!


I realize I'm very late to this thread, but am having the same issues. Busy1of4, if you are reading this...did the crate training work? I'm at my wits end here with the same problems...


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## Alisa♥

Four years ago OP said:



Busy1of4 said:


> Well the crate arrived yesterday afternoon. So we repeated the same routine again but she got put in the crate at bedtime. No problems again.
> 
> She peed when we took her out in the morning, ah if it was this simple I would have done it ages ago!


So I am thinking that's a resounding YES! Try crate training, I don't think you'll regret it.


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