messing in crate at night

Question
We have a female Boston Terrier puppy that is 5 1/2 months old. She  is doing very well in  the daytime going to the door to be let out to go potty. The problem is, at night she almost always poops in her crate.She is taken outside every night for 15 minutes before she is put in her bed, but does not go poop. We are getting frustrated, and wondering how to break this cycle. We are feeding her 3 hours before she is crated to see if this will help. Could it be the amount of time she is crated? How often should she be fed?
Thank you for any advise you can give. She is a sweet puppy and we love her in our family, but the kids aren't so happy waking to a mess every morning to clean up.   Liz

Answer
Puppy pooping in crate at night ;
I understand your concern about the accidents in her crate at night.  If she has a very large crate that may be the problem ?  Otherwise, I would try to feed her more in the day time and only a small meal in the evening 3-4 hours prior to bedtime.

The crate should be just large enough for the dog to stand up, lie down and turn around. If the crate is too large, the dog may use one area as a bathroom and another area for sleeping.[