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You're in that place between dreams and reality. You hear the sound of a babbling stream as you drift off. But wait! There are no rivers in your house! You shoot out of bed as you clue into what's happening. Sure enough, a golden puddle awaits you smack dab in the middle of your living room.
Anyone who's dealt with a midnight urinator knows how much of pain this bad habit can be. But why would a dog who is otherwise house trained insist on “going” inside after the sun goes down? Finding that out will help you better address the situation.
Peeing at night can happen for a whole heap of reasons. Sometimes it's just a matter of not being supervised before potty training is complete. Other times, your dog could be marking his territory in a spot that he previously peed on and can still smell.
Another reason that younger pups have night time accidents has to do with when they eat and drink. Their bladders are small, and empty faster than older pooches. If you're giving your youngster a giant bowl of water before bed, she might not be able to hold it until morning. Thankfully, most of these problems are fixable!
To help your fur buddy make it through the night with no accidents, you'll need to be prepared. Try to come to the table with the following:
- An Alarm: You may think it's overkill, but it's easy to let minutes turn into hours when you aren't paying attention. Having an alarm can help you set a strict schedule.
- Cleaning Supplies: Don't just grab your favorite bargain brand! Dish out the extra dollars for an enzyme-based cleaner made specifically to beat dog urine.
- A Crate: Some dogs just need a safe space to become their den. A dog's instinct tells them not to pee in their den, so staying in the crate overnight might stop sneaky floor pees.
Peeing inside at night can also be a sign that your dog isn't feeling so hot. It's a good idea to get a full check-up to make sure all is well before trying to train your dog out of this unpleasant habit.
Below are some methods that you can use to help both Rover and you sleep through the nights. Remember, if you catch your pooch in the act of peeing inside, don't freak out! Clap your hands loudly and give a firm “no!”, then lead the dog outside.
The Rigid Routine Method
Most Recommended
6 Votes
Most Recommended
6 Votes
Set your alarm
Pick a time in the evening that is about two hours before bedtime.
Take the bowl away
When the alarm goes off, take away your pup’s water dish.
Go outside
Make sure you give your dog one or two more potty breaks before heading to bed.
Keep tabs on your dog
Bring your pooch’s bed in your room so you'll hear if he gets up.
Don't sleep in!
If your pup makes it through the night, be sure to get him outside first thing in the morning to relieve himself.
Reward a job well done
After he “goes” in the right spot, praise him with a treat.
The Cozy Crate Method
Effective
3 Votes
Effective
3 Votes
Bring in the crate
Put it somewhere that your family is, like a living room or bedroom.
Make it cozy
Think of what a den looks like. Try putting a towel on top of the crate and a fluffy blanket inside.
Check the size
Your dog should be able to comfortably lay down in his crate, but only just! If it's too roomy in there, the pup may designate a corner for peeing.
Put a treat inside
Let your dog know that the crate is a good thing. Give him a tasty treat once he goes inside and put his favorite toys in there.
Go outside before bed
Make sure that your pupper fully relieves himself before heading in for the night.
The Marking Menace Method
Least Recommended
2 Votes
Least Recommended
2 Votes
Find where your dog has peed
Locate all of the pee spots in your home. If you really want to be thorough, you can use a UV light.
Clean the spots
Get your heavy duty enzyme cleaner and soak the area.
Follow the label
Get your heavy duty enzyme cleaner and soak the area.
Try it out
See how your dog does overnight after a thorough cleaning. If he does not return to the pee areas, you may have beaten the smell!
Steam clean!
If your first clean didn't stop the night accidents, you may want to rent a steam cleaner or hire a professional. Then you'll know for sure that all urine scents are gone.
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 10/24/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
Chato is a rescue about one year old. He was not potty trained and we began to do so. Its been about a month now and we take him out potty every couple hours. How long does it take frenchies to understand to potty outside? We are crate training at night and pees inside crate. We do not feed or provide water after 5pm, he goes potty before bed time. Does it take for 1 yr old pup to hold it in at night?
Jan. 6, 2023
Chato's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, A healthy one year old dog with a good potty and eating/drinking schedule, who is able to stay asleep at night, opposed to anxious because of the crate being new, should be able to hold it 8-10 hours overnight. I would check with your vet to make sure there isn't a reason why he isn't able to hold it overnight. I am not a vet. If he is healthy and able, then he his history may have taught him to pee in a crate - like someone placing a pee pad inside a crate, crating him for longer than he could hold it for so he regularly peed in there, having a crate set up that was too big and had something absorbent inside - even a soft bed or towel, or he was kenneled in a cage somewhere like a pet store, where he got used to eliminating in the pen and lost his motivation to attempt to keep that space clean. Once a dog looses that natural desire to keep a confined space clean through eliminating there long term, it can be hard to train that way. If there isn't a medical issue causing it, and since your schedule doesn't seem to be the problem, then I would switch from a crate being used overnight, and instead set up an exercise pen in a room you can later close off access to, like a bathroom, place a disposable real grass pad on half of the pen floor area, and a non-absorbent dog bed, like www.primopads.com or k9ballistics, or a cot type bed, on the other side, away from the grass. He may still potty overnight, but at least it will be in a designated area, with grass being a consistent material with pottying outside too, and only taking place in that one room you later restrict access too. During the day, if he is also peeing in the crate when he needs to be crated, then have him stay in that pen in the one room when you can't supervise him, and when you can supervise, tether him to yourself with a hands free leash to prevent accidents. For progress with potty training to progress, he first needs to get to the point where he isn't having any accidents inside your home in the general area of your home. When that is happening consistently then extend the time between potty trips, adding another 15 minutes at a time, until you are up to 3-4 hours between potty trips. It will generally take about three months for a dog to potty train under strict supervision and schedule management, to prevent accidents during the process as much as possible, then another three months once they are consistently accident free most days for them to start alerting when they need to go outside on their own - opposed to waiting until the scheduled potty trip. Once pup has been alerting and accident free for several months, then I would stop putting them in the exercise pen and give more freedom out of the tether, until they can eventually be left free in the home - as long as they don't chew and get into other mischief. Only once fully potty trained for a long period of time would I try the crate again if pup has learned to associate the crate with pottying each time; introducing the crate not for potty training purposes at that point but just for travel and other uses if needed. Finally, if pup's desire to keep a confined space clean doesn't seem to be the issue and they are consistently holding it while in the crate during the day, I would set an alarm during the night and wake pup to take them potty after 4 hours. If you find an accident when you do so, then set the alarm for thirty minutes sooner, until you can catch them before the accident each time, then stick to that time for a few days. Once pup is keeping the crate clean, then slowly push back that wake up time by thirty minutes slowly, as long as pup doesn't start having accidents again. Pup needs to associate the crate with cleanliness and get used to holding their bladder. They should be able to do so at this age if they are sleeping well - once awake the time between potty trips decreases to about 4 hours again. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Jan. 9, 2023
make her a service dog she pees on me she wont listen to me all she know is sit, shake, speak ,and roll over, lay down ,up.
Dec. 18, 2022
supertramp's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I would start by enrolling her in an Intermediate Obedience class to use obedience to build respect and trust with you, while also working on focus and listening with you in public for the foundational commands you will need to work toward more advanced training. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Dec. 19, 2022