an older poodle having accidents at night

Question
I have a toy poodle that is 8 years old and she is house broken but the last 3 or 4 months she has been using the bathroom in the house at night. at first i thought that we were not hearing us trying to wake us up in the middle of the night but then one night i was awake when it happened and i knew then that she was making no effort to wake us up she was just going to the living room and going and then coming back to bed. i dont know what to do since it is at night only. we dont cage her, she sleeps next to our bed in her bed in the floor. if you have any suggestions i would greatly appreciate them. Thank you, Melanie

Answer
I would start with a vet visit.  Such behavior changes are unusual at that age without some cause.  There is no training away a physical problem.  

If it is behavior, better leadership may help.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Try to think of any unsettling changes in her routine.  

If neither the vet or better leadership helps, you may have to crate her