At my wits end!

[PomPomMom]

I'll try and make it this to the point because I need any advice I can get 😥

In June MILs friend asked us if we'd be willing to take on a 7 month old Pomeranian. Friend was the breeder but the Pom had been returned to her as the lady who adopted him was struggling with mobility and couldn't walk him. We already have a Pom and she wanted him to have company, we met him with our dog and they got on well so we took him. We immediately realised he wasn't trained at all and began the training to sit, walk on a lead, house training etc. We have a dog flap so we taught him to use this so he has constant access to our garden.

My problem is that 4 months on he is still weeing and pooing in the house at night. He uses the dog flap in the day absolutely fine and will go out if we tell him at night but then still uses my dining room to wee and poo at least twice during the night. I've tried setting my alarm and putting him out every 2 hours, I've tried catching him in the act and telling him no, he knows it's wrong because the minute I look at him to take him outside he runs off and sits in the other room before I've even seen what's downstairs.

I'm a literally at the end of my tether. As a family we have had 5 dogs over the years and never had such an issue with training, especially not when he has constant access to the garden. I'm cleaning the area thoroughly but I'm paranoid the smell will be seeping into the wooden flooring, I have my neice overnight quite often and she's crawling so I'm having to keep her out of the way whilst I clean up and it's causing so many issues at home as my husband and I are arguing constantly about his behaviour.

Can anyone please suggest anything at all?

Maybe he doesn't like the garden on his own at night as it's now a scary place and feels more comfortable in the house.

When you said you have set an alarm and put him out at night do you go and stand outside with him?

Does he display any separation anxiety symptoms as that can be a cause of night time accidents?

Most youngsters, if put out at night, instantly forget all about peeing and pooing and just want to get back where it's safe. It's dark, cold and scary in the garden on your own at night. I've spent so many nights outdoors in wellies, a nightie and a dressing gown waiting for a succession of young dogs to get done but it's the only way.

Can you crate him at night? Then get up to take him out if needed.

When is he fed, when is his last walk etc? Having to poo so much in the night sounds unusual.

I agree with others that he's probably scared to go out in the dark alone.

However I would also look at his meal and walking times too. If their meals are too early (or too late) they have no choice but to go overnight.

I would crate at night for this issue. It must be horrible waking up every morning to this.

He’s got to much space at night
have you an area with Lino or tiles in the kitchen
we bought a child baby Dan playpen ,made of metal that we fixed across the kitchen,as it goes in a circle and straight ,we fixed it giving pup half the kitchen with water bowel toys and bed in ..so we also used the space in the day if we had to go out ,so we put ours in that space at night ,with puppy pads ,and that solved the problem,only when puppy pads were dry in a morning did we remove the baby Dan gate pup only got access to lounge when one of us was with him .

It really didn’t take long either for pup to get the hang of it
I know people don’t like puppy pads
but I don’t like wee and poo on my floor ,so I covered the whole area in puppy pads ,and when pup went out in the garden in the day ,I put puppy pads where I wanted him to wee outside .i used a command ..hurry up …and somehow we got there ,he was trained ,and all was ok

Yes crate

and going outside with him

he’ll learn

i spent a few 2am dog pee visits to the garden in my dressing gown being rained on

needs to be done

Crate him at night OP. He won't shit in his own bed. Easy peasey

I'd crate at night or do you have a tiled floor in a kitchen you can put him in? Or put up a baby gate so he won't feel
too enclosed. Put puppy pads down see if he starts using them as well.

Crating won't necessarily help - it all depends why he's toileting overnight.

So sorry to come back to this post so late, I managed to lose my Mumsnet access during a phone change!

I've tried being outside with him but he just sits and looks at me, I've tried being inside, I've even tried hiding behind the door 😅I've spoken to the vet and she said it could be behavioural or it could be marking but it's hard to say so I'm now considering crating him overnight which I really hadn't wanted to do.

With regards to him needing to wee and poo so much overnight. We have just been away for a few days in our motorhome and he didn't have a single accident overnight and was going out at 930pm then not again until 7am - so I don't think it's anything medical causing him to go so often in the night.

Thank you so much for everyone's kind and supportive messages x

Where did he sleep in the motorhome? Was he closer to you than he would be at home?

My money is on some kind of separation anxiety.

There is nothing wrong with crating him at night. Put a cover over the crate so he feels safe

He was on the couch whereas his bed is on my bedroom floor and is usually next to my bed so I'm a bit stumped. Unless he got in bed with DD and we didn't realise as he's not allowed in our bed at home but does sometimes jump up in the motorhome.

I'm going to have to buy a bloody crate aren't I?

He will see it as a safe "den" not a cage or prison. And he won't want to mess in it.

It's just him being downstairs alone overnight that I think he won't like as my other dog stays upstairs in our room. I don't have the space to put him a crate upstairs either.

Why can't both dogs be in your room together?

TBH I'm not really surprised he's toileting in the night if everyone else (plus your other dog) are upstairs and he's downstairs alone.

Dogs like to be with their family.

As I've said further up the post, he is usually in my bedroom in his bed which is next to my bed. If he goes into a crate as suggested by the vet and other posters, he would need to be downstairs as unless I knock a wall through I don't have the space for a crate upstairs - hence my comment that I worry he wouldn't be happy downstairs.

He does have his own bed but often chooses to share with my other dog which isn't an issue so in a crate, he also wouldn't have that option.

So when you’re in the van together the dog is fine. Interesting.

if your first dog is in your bedroom overnight, why can’t the new dog join you both? Keep your door shut so no escaping to poo on the kitchen floor. Everyone’s happy?

Ah, got you. I thought he was already downstairs on his own.

Poms are small - is there really no room for a crate? Even on the landing?

My other dog gets up a few times in the night and goes outside for a wee or sometimes goes and sleeps downstairs on the wooden floor if he's too warm. We've tried shutting the door but it just sets our other dog off pacing about.

We've got fitted wardrobes and very little floor space and the landing is a box landing due to changing the layout of the upstairs so we honestly have nowhere at all to put a crate, other than in the kitchen or dining room.

I've found a teddy online that has a heartbeat and replicates litter mates. I may buy that so he doesn't feel completely alone.