night time accidents

Question
I have a rat terrier.  Shelby will be 1 year old Sept 8 of this year.  She potty trained very well using bells on the door (now her nik name is Shell Bell).  She does not have accidents in the house during the day.  My problem is at night when I am asleep.  Everynight I take her outside and watch to make sure she goes #2 and if we go in and don't go to bed right away then we go out again.  In the morning I will find a pile of poo in the same spot everyday.  I make sure she goes before we go to bed (she sleeps with me).  At first I thought that it was my older dog but I know it is not him by the size of the pile.  What can I do.

Answer
Dear Katie,

This is a toughie because you seem to be very conscientiously taking her out for a nighttime potty.  Your best bet is to get a small crate (only large enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down in) and have her sleep in it next to your bed at night for a few weeks.  If she gets the urge to go, she'll most likely vocalize and you can get her outside to eliminate.  Always, always bring tiny soft treats to give her outside right after she goes (at night and during the day).  

I know she's going to protest at having to sleep in a crate instead of in your bed, but you must be firm until this problem is solved, and the safest bet is to plan on her sleeping in the crate for at least 2 months to really end this habit.  Since you will need to be responsive to her vocalizations to potty in the middle of the night, DO NOT RESPOND to vocalization you believe is just "protest" barking, which will likely occur for the first hour or so after you first put her in her crate.  If you succumb to the protest, you are just making your own life more miserable because you will be teaching her that barking/crying/etc. works and she should do it more.  IGNORE IT, until after she's settled down to sleep.  If she wakes up in the middle of the night to potty, she'll let you know and at that point you should hurry her outside with your treats.

The following is based on a 10pm bedtime/cratetime:  If she hasn't woken you up by 5am, get up and get her outside to potty.  Each day add 10-15 minutes to your morning potty run until you've reached the normal time you get up in the am.  Keep this schedule up for several weeks and then try an out-of-crate night.  She probably will make it through very nicely, but if she has an accident, you then need to decide what you'd rather do:  Crate her with no mess, or let her sleep with you with a mess.

Good luck and thanks for writing!
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com