adult household urination

Question
Hi Jill,
My 4-year-old papillon mix has recently started peeing in the living room in the middle of the night, or early in the morning, before I get up to let him out.  Up until now, he's been very well house-trained and has not urinated in the house in a long time.  
I think this could be related to the fact that I've recently changed his evening/morning routine.  For the past six months, Toby would sleep in his crate at night and then in the mornings when I woke up, I would let him out and he would crawl into bed with me for a few minutes before I got up to get ready for work.  I've been trying to break the habit because I read that, for a number of reasons, it's not good to let your dog in the bed and because he would start crying and whining early in the morning and I didn't want to reward him for it.  So, instead, I've been getting up and then playing and cuddling with him in the living room.  Also, his crate broke a couple of days ago (long story - it was really old) and I haven't replaced it yet, so while he's usually been sleeping in his crate, now he's sleeping on the couch.
Any advice?  Thanks so much!

Answer
It isn't always "bad" to allow a dog to sleep in your bed.  What is "bad" is the plethora of really awful "trainers" and so-called experts who pass advice on to unsuspecting people.

It's true that taking a dog out of its crate when it's whining/barking IS a reward; however, the next step (taking him into bed for a few minutes) is not connected to his vocalization in his mind; if you can count to ten, the association between behavior A and behavior B is not made in the dog's mind.  Taking a dog into bed is perfectly fine providing the dog is bidable (responds to your commands), has never demonstrated aggression or possessive behaviors, will get off when commanded, and will accept sleeping elsewhere when required without cacophony.  If you choose not to have a dog in bed with you (either for reasons listed above or simply because it's not your taste, perfectly acceptable), the LIVING ROOM is absolutely not the place for him to sleep!  He isn't urinating because he can't contain it, most likely, because he would not have been able to contain it once released from the crate, either.  He's urinating because of the separation issue, the change in security, etc.  You can choose to replace the crate or you can simply confine him to a smaller area such as the kitchen or bathroom, with soft bed, water and a few safe toys.  Allowing a dog 'run of the house' is placing a huge responsibility on him/her, one some dogs react to with anxiety.  Further, taking away his crate (I don't agree with crating dogs for long periods but some dogs actually like their crates and would sleep in them voluntarily) has also rocked his boat, and then removing the reward of being with you in the morning has worsened it.  He may be feeling quite anxious and unsure of his place.  Use positive reinforcement training to teach this little dog a trick or two; the Papillon is a marvelous obedience dog. This will help him feel far more secure.  Reaffirm his house training skills by reward and praise when he eliminates outdoors.  If this behavior is becoming habitual at this point, be sure to sanitize the areas he has urinated on (you can use a professional service to remove odor from rugs).  If he should begin to generalize and start urinating during the day, you can use a belly band while retraining him.