Potty trainging older dogs?

Question

I have 2 dogs. A 3 year old,fixed, female cocker spaniel and a 1 year old,fixe, male cockapoo. The female has a habit of going potty in the dining room at night when everyone is asleep. She never does it in the daytime or when anyone would see her, so its hard to repremand her for it several hours later. We pull her food and water up in the evening and let her out for the last time around 10pm, but she still does it. What else can I do? If I kennel her at night she howls to no end for the entire night. Now the fixed male dog was doing great but now he has started lifting his legs on the sides of beds! Why is he starting this all of a sudden?! Any tips, Im really tired of shampooing my carpet every other day.

Answer 1

i would confine her to the service porch or kitchen with a baby gate across the door at night when you go to bed.  you could also crate her at night, dogs don't like to potty where they sleep. she may throw a little tizzy but just ignore her, she will settle down.  if you give her attention and talk to her she will keep it up.  

Answer 2

When your 3 yr old first urinated did you clean it with an enzyme cleaner that will get all the smell out of the carpet?  The reason I am asking is that we have learned in training that dogs have a smell that is 47X stronger than ours.   When they urinate someplace, they can smell it, even if it is cleaned up, and it is like a red flag for them to do it again.  That may be why your male has begun spraying the house.  He is marking his territory over her scent.  

Petco, Petsmart, and even Walmart sell enzyme cleaners that will clean up the urine with all of the odor too.  This will help to keep her from urinating in the same spot over and over.

I watch this show called "It's Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet.  Victoria is the trainer.  She was helping a lady who had a pack of poms who were spraying the house every day.  She had the owner hide around the corner and the second the dogs began spraying she had her jump into the room yelling and clapping her hands and they would instantly stop.  She would have her leave the room and watch again.  As soon as they started spraying again, she repeating the jumping, yelling, and clapping.  The dogs quit spraying the house.  It took her like a day to break them of it.  I have never tried it because Pepper and Bandit don't spray the house, but if they did, I would probably give it a go if it would help.

I wish I could help you more.  I think the idea of crating them at night is a good one.  You might even put an article of clothing or a stuffed animal with your scent on it with her in the crate and the howling may go on for a day or two, but then she should settle down.  We had to go through that with our cockapoo Pepper when he was a baby.  I think it took him a week or more to quit crying at night, but if the breeder had sent us with a toy that had her mom's scent on it, I think it would have gone much better.

Last but not least, if you have a local Petco or Petsmart, go there and ask them if they have any suggestions.  Many of the employees are very helpful!