Peeing and worse in the mornings

[ellie1980]

Hi All. My Cavalier King Charles, Scottie has now been at home with us since May, and from the inital few weeks of intense frustration and feeling like I had a new baby at home, things are much improved. There is still one aspect of Scottie's behaviour though that is leading to much frustration for me.

Scottie is very much "my" dog and is nicknamed my shadow. He wants to be everywhere I am, although I don't always let this happen - e.g. sometimes I shut him downstairs with a baby gate while I'm working upstairs. However, invariably, in the mornings, he has peed and pooed before we go downstairs. He does bark in the mornings from around 6.30am if not seen to, but if he has messed he seems to bark after the event rather than to ask to go outside. Scottie sleeps downstairs at night. I do hear a little bit of barking and whining from him when he's shut in at night, although this soon passes when he realises everyone has gone to bed.

Due to my husbands shifts, I often take Scottie for his last walk of the day between 10-11pm. He goes to the toilet outside fine on this occasion, so I do not believe that it is "toilet" related and that he can't hold it until 7 ot 8 the next morning. He's fed once a day in the morning.

Some mornings when my husbands working, he gets let out early in the morning about 5-6am and again he'll go out to the toilet. However, by the time I come down in the morning (maybe only an hour later), the mess is often there, as it is when my husband is not working and he isn't seen until 7am. I do wonder if it is stress/anxiety related as he can hold himself for periods during the day with no bother. On the odd occasion he sleeps upstairs when we have guests staying I don't hear a peep out of him until I get up, so whilst this may be the easy option, netither I or my husband really want him sleeping in the bedroom with us on a permanent basis.

Any help or ideas gratefully received, as I fear one morning I'm really going to lose it with him!