Puppy urinating at night

Question
Hi, I have a 4 year old neutered dobermann who is fully house broken; we now also have a 8 month old dalmatian bitch who we have had since 10 weeks. We crate trained the puppy, but once she was big enough to not get squashed by the dobermann we have left them out together in the kitchen over night and when we are not at home.
The dalmatian has the occasional accident when we are at home, but she does go to the back door and cry to go out and the accidents tend to happen when we have not paid close enough attention and it only ever been wee's. Our problem is that when we leave the dogs, we nearly always come home to a puddle on the tiles right inside the kitchen door, this also happens nearly every night while we are in bed, about 50% of the time there will be a puppy poo as well. We use the command 'outside' for both dogs who will go out the back door and urinate/defecate on command in the garden, we make sure that we do this as soon as we get up in the morning, when we come home from work and before bed. They are left overnight from about 11pm to 6.30am.

My husband works varying shifts in the police so they can be left alone for anywhere from 30min to 6 hours but the result is nearly always the same. Though we can sometime go several days with no accidents and then it'll start again. I also have my suspicions that the 'presents' are not all down to the puppy, but the Doberman may be doing it too.

We have tried putting the puppy back in her crate overnight, but although she takes herself in there to sleep, if we shut her in she cries all night and the dobermann howls all night, and she'll just urinate in the crate anyway.

The kitchen is quite large (30ft x 15ft) part tiled part laminate the wee is always on the tiles by the door which we leave and return through.

I am now 5 months pregnant and am not looking forward to the prospect of getting up each morning to clean up after a newborn baby and mopping the kitchen floor each morning and after each time I leave the house.

Do you have any ideas how we can stop this with out shutting her away from the dobermann, which I think would only cause more stress and problems. I know she is still quite young, but when she seems to know that she shouldn't be doing this in the house and asks to go out if we are there, I just can't think what else we can try.

Thanks in anticipation

Answer
Hello Louise,

My goodness! You're 5 months pregnant and your policeman husband has a loaded firearm? I hope we can get these dogs straightened out in a hurry  or there may be serious consequences.-:)

I don't really see any alternative but to start using the crates. I'd suggest that you put their crates right next to each other so that they can be close. Since your pup pees in the crate, this would indicate her crate is too small. Reduce the size. Also be sure and clean any accidents with a pet specific cleaner.

I'd hope that if they are right next to each other that the crying and howling would stop. If not, try and ignore it for a few nights. I assume that when they make a racket that you let the pup out. This is only encouraging the crying.

If that fails, plan B would be to put a little playpen in your kitchen and confine them there. The operative principle is that they need confinement. Too much space is stressful for a pup.

Finally, I'd suggest that when you're home that you put the pup on a leash and tie it to your belt. Have the pup follow you wherever you go in the house. Also try to increase the exercise level for both dogs as well as providing them with rawhide bones and other chews. All these things should calm them and cure what is essentially a stressed out, neurotic behavior.

Good Luck!

Sandy