potty training-regression

Question
I have a 16 month old Wheaton terrier who has been crate trained from day 1.  She has been completely accident free (in and out of crate for 10 months now.  She recently returned from a week at a kennel (she has been there a few times before) and has been having bowel movements and urinate inside the house at night.  When we noticed this, we began using the crate again but she continues to soil the crate.  She is fine during the day, she does not seem to need to go more often than usual. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated, thanks!

Answer
Hello Lise!

It sounds like your terrier was somehow prompted by the kennel experience to revert back to pre-potty trained behavior.  Using the crate is probably a good start.  You definitely do not want to give her run of the house if she is going potty in the house.

One thing is to be sure you properly clean everywhere she potties (including the crate) to discourage using that same spot again.  Check out this blog post for tips on this topic:
http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2009/05/12/5-essential-steps-to-cleaning-dog-pee.asp...

Another is to be sure your Terrier has ample opportunity to go potty outside just before bedtime and immediately upon waking in the morning.  When she does the desired behavior, be sure to praise her and perhaps even give occasional treats.

If these suggestions don't work soon, you may want to consider a vet check to be sure she doesn't have a medical condition causing a lack of control.

Good luck!