Our pup has been great until recently when he was neutered. Now he urinates in his crate everynight. What could be wrong?

Hi!

I spent countless hours on the internet trying to find an answer to a new situation with our 7 month old shi-tzu/cairn terrier mix which we got from a pet store. (I know...we never intended to go this route but it happened for good reason) Upon finding your site, I feel you are the person to talk to, as I agree with your training philosophies.

From day one he had never, ever soiled his crate. (He has however, exhibited submissive urination) Our routine/food...... EVERYTHING...is the same, and for the past three months he has been excellent and highly trainable.

Until Now....

He was neutered and one week later began urinating in his crate...every single night!!!! He also is whining at times when in the crate during the day which he never did before. All of this new behavior is puzzling to us and we simply can't go on with the baths, scrubbing of crate/floors on a daily basis for much longer. We have had him checked thoroughly by the vet for urinary infections - which wouldn't make sense because he only urinates in the crate at night, but we checked anyway. We can't help but wonder if this is a result of his surgery - or is this crazy? These two new developments only occurred after the surgery.

This dog is very eager to please and has up until recently been a total pleasure. Unfortunately, this is a problem we need to fix soon because it is very difficult to deal with each morning. There is no water after 7:00pm. He gets fed at 5:00pm. He goes out around 9:30pm and is out by 6:30am. He has never had human food and is very good at the basic commands of SIT, STAY and COME, in other words he is smart and we are diligent. He gets plenty of fresh air and exercise. I am home all day, and my children spend time with him as well as my husband.

What has gone wrong??? HELP!!!!!!!!

Ready To Throw in the Soiled Towels.

THANK YOU.