I Thought my dog was housebroken...

[rockinrobyn]

My husband and I adopted a new dog at the beginning of December. She was not house trained when we adopted her and I trained her. Now for the past month or so has been having accidents in the house at night. Is there something that I did wrong in her training that is making this happen? Anyone have any suggestions to fix this? She only does it at night while we are sleeping so we can't discipline her when it is happening. Also, she is not crated at night. Thanks!

[smock]

How about crating her at night?

Are you using an enzymatic cleaner when she does have accidents? Have you gotten her checked out by a vet to make sure she doesn't have a UTI?

And what sort of "discipline" are you using if you see her have an accident? Many types of corrections can be counterproductive (i.e. leading your dog to hide accidents from you for fear of getting scolded).

[redheadbaker]

The first thing I would do is go to the vet to rule out a UTI. Then I'd consider behavioral causes.

[rockinrobyn]

We could try crating her at night, but she usually just barks the entire time she is in there.

I spray a vinegar/water mix on the area after I clean it. We have also used a baby gate to keep her in one part of the house. She doesn't have an accident every night, and we always let her out right before bed and right when we get up in the morning.

We never see her have an accident because she does it at night while we are sleeping. We never her discipline her because we don't see it.

I didn't take her to get her checked for a UTI because I didn't realize that could be a problem.

[secondhandscottie]

I'd definitely get an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle, and get her checked for a UTI. Does she have constant access to water? You might want to try taking it away a few hours before bed if she doesn't have a UTI.

Good luck!

[independencegirl74]

Vinegar/water cleaner won't eliminate the pee smell from the dog's sense of smell, so definitely invest in some Nature's Miracle or GotPee or other enzymatic cleaner. And read the instructions: it needs to soak on the spot for at least 5 minutes before you blot it back up to give the enzymes time to do their job!

If after going to the vet, you've ruled out a UTI, I'd start crating her at night. Our 1-y/o pup still gets crated at night even though she's earned some unsupervised house freedom during the day. If your dog is healthy but peeing in the house, I'd revoke the privilege of having the whole house to herself at night and just keep her crated. She WILL eventually quit barking if you consistently ignore her and she knows the crate is an awesome place (bedtime crate treats, random treats to find in there during the day).

[janegold]

I would also get her checked out for a possible UTI. Our dog is housebroken but she has been having some "leaking" issues the past couple months as the result of UTIs. Our vet says UTIs are common for dogs with "tucked-in vulvas" (frequent in female dogs who were spayed before their first heat) and can require surgery. You may want to have this checked out.

Also, when this happens to our dog, the urine is pretty colorless/odorless. Is that the case for you guys? Have you noticed her drinking any more than usual?

[jen812]

I would highly recommend Natures Miracle, like pp suggested. My dog was having accidents in the house. As soon as I started using that cleaner, as opposed to other cleaners that claim they are for pet messes, the accidents stopped almost immediately.

[rockinrobyn]

Thank you for the tips. I will get some of that cleaner and see if it helps. She is not peeing in the house at night, just pooping. I hope the cleaner works like it has for others.

[yellowumbrella]

Do you take her on a long walk in the evenings? That can help get things moving in the bowel department and hopefully she'll go outside rather than needing to go in the middle of the night.

[yellowumbrella]

Also, maybe reevaluate your feeding times. When do you feed her?

[SpicedApplePie]

I would walk her until she poops before you go to bed. It might take an hour the first few days (I doubt it, but hey, might as well be prepared). How late are you feeding her at night? My parents dog used to eat at 5am and 5pm and would poop pretty much immediately after each of those meals and right before bed. I think getting on a schedule would help- walking around until she poops before bed is a great place to start.

[rockinrobyn]

I feed her at 5pm. I might try taking her for a walk though. If it doesn't fix the problem, we will both at least get more exercise.