Dog Advice - Overnight Accidents

genie_us

Hi, I'm looking for some advice on a problem we're having with our dog for the last few months.

We have two dogs, a beagle who will be 4 this year, and a rescue dog of mixed breed of the same age. They're best friends!

We got both dogs a couple of months apart when they were 1, and they were both house trained when we got them. They sleep in the kitchen at night, but in the last 6 months or so the beagle has started going to the toilet on the floor. He only does it at night time for some reason.
The rest of the day when they're inside if either of them need to go to the toilet they hover by the back door and we just know the signs when to let them out etc.

At first we thought it might be because we were leaving water down too late in the night and he wasn't able to hold it so we take it up about an hour before bed time now but it hasn't made any difference.
He doesn't cry or anything when we put them to bed so I'm not sure that it's any sort of distress, but I guess it could be.
Their routine hasn't changed at all since we first got them - they're outside during the day in the garden while we're at work, then we get home and they're walked for around an hour then they get fed and watered etc and usually snooze on their beds.
Their diet hasn't changed, other than a different flavour of their food every now and then but it's the same brand as always.

We're thinking we just have to re-train him but the fact that we're at work makes it difficult, and that he only does it at night when we're asleep means we can't reprimand him at the time.

He was sick over Christmas, unfortunately he got a dose of Leptospirosis which the vet reckoned was picked up in the local woods on a walk. Thankfully he was vaccinated so with 2 weeks of antibiotics there's not a bother on him since. He's had the all clear from the vet, so I don't think that the peeing at night problem is a health issue - plus it has been happening since late last year before he was sick.

It doesn't happen every night but maybe 3 or 4 nights a week. Mostly it's just wee but sometimes poo as well, and he always knows what he's done, when we go into the kitchen in the morning the big sheepish head on him!


Has anyone dealt with this before? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

andreac

Would you try crate training him? Might help get him back into a routine. Its prob just a habit now so you need to break that habit someway.

genie_us

Thanks Andreac

yes I did think of that but for some reason I'm a bit reluctant. I think I'd have to put our other dog in one too or he'd be less than impressed!

toadfly

Wouldn't be any harm getting him vet checked just to make sure its not medical. It could well be a habit at this stage. If you get a crate jeb tools online is the cheapest.

lorebringer

If he is going to the toilet through out the day and you are letting him out to go before you put him into bed, I would have a chat to the vet about the issue. Adult dogs should be able to hold on until morning (the odd accident can be looked over, or if they are ill or something) and if your dog is having difficulty, he may need to be checked for an underlying medical issue.

Dingle_berry

You shouldn't have to take away their water, AFAIK they should always have water available, especially if fed dry food.

With a dogs sense of smell if they pee somewhere once it will smell like pee -and if its been pee'd on before..... Is it a mat/rug/carpet that the dog keeps peeing on? The same area of a wooden floor where there may be pee left in joints?
When cleaning up after do not use household cleaners as they can contain things like ammonia that smell like pee (to a dog). Mop up the excess, use lots of warm water to blot/rinse the area then: There are special odour eliminating cleaners available in big pet shops (I think tescos do the RugDoctor brand?)

aonb

The poor dog! He obviously knows hes done 'wrong' when you come into the kitchen in the mornings. If its only 3 or 4 nights in the week, its obviously an accident - being caught out - rather than him doing it every night because of fear/anxiety/stress etc.

I assume you are letting him out to wee/poo last thing at night before bed? Maybe you could go out into the garden with him for a minute or two so he walks around and does lots of wee's while you are out there with him? And maybe bring him out again before you actually go to bed. I have a youngish dog that went through a similar phase - we just make sure he goes out a couple of times into the garden before bed, and the accidents are fairly rare now.

genie_us

Dingle_berry wrote: »

You shouldn't have to take away their water, AFAIK they should always have water available, especially if fed dry food.

With a dogs sense of smell if they pee somewhere once it will smell like pee -and if its been pee'd on before..... Is it a mat/rug/carpet that the dog keeps peeing on? The same area of a wooden floor where there may be pee left in joints?
When cleaning up after do not use household cleaners as they can contain things like ammonia that smell like pee (to a dog). Mop up the excess, use lots of warm water to blot/rinse the area then: There are special odour eliminating cleaners available in big pet shops (I think tescos do the RugDoctor brand?)

Guys thanks a million for all your comments and advice, it's much appreciated.

This makes a lot of sense to me, he does it at the same spot each time, on tiles but against a wooden table leg. We have been cleaning it with bleach. Also we've rubbed lemon juice along the bottom of the table leg because I read somewhere that they don't like the smell of lemons!
But I'll definitely try ammonia free cleaning the next time it happens.

I will also try aonb's suggestion of going outside with him in the evenings before bed time to see if this helps.

Thanks again!

Lima Golf

Found this great. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Industrial-Strength-Stain-Odour-Remover/dp/B006OZ21ZW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362006779&sr=8-2

It smells fantastic too. I used to add a few cap fulls to the mop bucket and wash the entire kitchen floor with it when I was house training my puppy. It's much cheaper at my local vets so try a local store first. It smells so nice I continued to use it on my floors long after he was house trained!

genie_us

Thanks Lima Golf, I'll definitely give that a try!