pekingese peeing on floor at night

Question
Hi. when we adopted our peke from the spca we were told he had lived in a cage he was unable to turn in for 5-7 years.They were unable to be more specific about his age. he wasnt toilet trained as he was a stud male at a puppy mill. we have had him 3 years now. he has bonded with our family, has become brave enough to enjoy wide open outdoor spaces that initially terrified him, and has learned to use the cat's litter box when we are not home. However... every morning, although i take him out before bed and he has access to the litter box, there is a puddle on the floor in the kitchen. we keep him in the kitchen at night because  although he uses the litter box and will go outside, he has no concept that he shouldn't go when the urge strikes him.(carpets,couches..doesn't matter.) we have never had a dog before, he never barks to be let out, and we(obviously,if he is peeing in our presence) have no idea how to recognize when he needs to go. Long intro, but I wanted you to know his history. he has made great strides forward, but the pee clean up every morning is driving me crazy! Why is he using the floor when he otherwise uses the litter box and what can we do to help him?What are we doing wrong? thankyou. Ann

Answer
Hi Ann,
First of all, congratulations on helping your little guy. I have worked with many puppy mill puppies, and it breaks my heart each time, but it helps knowing they are now being taken  care of.

This is a tough one because of his background. You did not mention if he goes potty in the crate. If not, you can use that to motivate him to hold it and take him out periodically and place him on the crate. If he goes potty, reward him generously, and if not, put him back in the crate.

Write down all of his progress so you can see patterns.

If he goes potty in the crate, the best you can do is write down his progress and put him on the paper when you think he has to go and reward him for going. Motivation occurs when a dog gets rewarded for a certain behavior. He will then repeat that behavior for a chance of a reward.

One issue to think about is his pattern of having accidents only at night when you are home. He might be having anxiety when you are home if he is not with you. You can do two things: 1) help him get comfortable in the kitchen when you are home by periodically rewarding him when you are home
2) also think about having him upstairs at night with you, in a crate, play pen with a pad, in a bathroom, etc.

The more days in a row that you get a success and he doesn't have an accident, the more likely that he will change his pattern. The more he rehearses the behavior, the more it will be a really hard habit to break.

I have more housetraining-specific answers in AllExperts if you have more general housetraining questions.

Good luck!