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Pug pottying in the middle of the night.

19 10:56:42

Question
Hi there!  I have a 5 year old pug who has been giving us a bit of trouble lately.  She's never been a barker, and never really given us clues for going outside.  We just make sure she goes out first thing in the morning, when we get home, and right before bed.  If we close her in the bedroom with us, she's fine.  However, if the closet door is left open, she will go to the bathroom in there during the night, and if the bedroom door is open, she will go to the bathroom somewhere in the house during the night.  Obviously, we just need to keep the doors shut. However, we need to keep the doors open on occasion for different reasons.  We moved to this new house a couple of months ago, and don't know how to rectify this behavior.  We never catch her in the act, so we can't discipline her.  Any ideas?

Answer
Pugs are generally quiet dogs anyway. Disciplining her isn't the answer. Very often dogs get confused when moved into a new place. Can you try crating her or putting her in a smaller area at night?
No food after five pm , no water after nine pm and make sure she gets let out frequently before going to bed. At her age, you also might want to have her checked for UTI's. It does happen, frequently to pugs , and not knowing what you're feeding crystals in the urine could be an issue. That would make it more difficult for her to hold her urine for long periods of time.  But I really tend to think she's just confused and her life is out of order. Going back to the crate , or a smaller area at night until she feels more comfortable and is consistently having dry nights is probably your answer.
Good luck
Cindi