I have an 11 year old Beagle that won't sleep through the night. He is up 1-4 times a night, some times to go the bathroom, other times to sniff outside or maybe just to get a drink. He and my other Beagle,who is 14 are also going the bathroom in the house when I am not home. They get multiple walks a day - before I leave for work, when I get home and before bed. They even have a walker 3 days a week! But still I come home to their "presents" Thankfully they use the pee pads I put down.. The 11 year old has always had a problem going in the house, ever since I rescued him 8 years ago but it has never been this bad. But out of my two issues, I would like to figure out a way to get my dog to sleep through the night. I've brought him to the vet to get tested to make sure nothing was wrong which they found nothing medically wrong, so it is purely behavoral! I have tried calming tablets but they don't work. Is there anything I can give him to help him relax but isn't bad for him?

Pee pads are an invitation to pee and poo on anything soft. Dogs don't distinguish between soft and pee pad. That might be part of your problem. Another part is that these are senior citizen dogs. Just like old people who have to pee a lot and may have accidents, so do old dogs.

Check back now and then. I'm sure the dog experts will weigh in with some tips for you.

I'm not a dog expert, but I'm a Beagle mom, of a rescue, for the past 9 years. I also had a Beagle growing up. My beagle has nights where he has to get out: to eat grass, he heard something, or just to howl at the coyotes. Yes, I try to shush him, but sometimes he needs to get out. Are the dogs peeing in the middle of the room, or only on table legs, corners, etc? How long are you at work? Three days a week with a dog walker is great, but what about the rest of the time? My Beagle is able to hold it for 4 hours. Sometimes, it's a bit longer.

Seeing as how you have older dogs, I would think that peeing on pee pads is pretty set in stone. To avoid more problems, I wouldn't take them away.

It's much harder to introduce a crate to older dogs but it can be done. Typically dogs will not mess where they sleep and that is what a crate would be reinforcing.

Have you tried giving Melatonin at night? A 3mg tablet at night should be OK.

I would also suggest to increase their exercise. Make them tired at night. Tired dogs are happy dogs.

Older dogs can become senile. They will do weird things such as this and they will potty in the house. Sometimes medications can help, other times they don't and you just have to suffer through their awkward aging process.

Try increasing their exercise before doing anything drastic.