I've been letting Ellie sleep outside of her crate for about two months, and she's been doing great.  She wakes me up way too early (5am), but no accidents or anything in the night.  Well, that all changed last week when my mom came to stay with us.

Ellie has never shared the apartment with anyone but me. I expected her to be upset that someone was in our "den", even if she loves that person to death. And she does adore my mom.  But I was shocked when she pooped in my bedroom on Friday night.  I figured she was just upset/sick, especially since she waited to pee until I got her outside.  Then she pooped again, this time in the dining room, on Sunday night.  

It obviously upset her a lot that she went in the house.  She tried to run away from it and kept coming up to me with her head down looking for love while I was cleaning up (which I gave her - an accident is no reason to withhold affection).  But I decided she had to go back into her crate at night.

This has been a good decision for a number of reasons.  One, no more accidents at night. Two, no more 5am wake-up calls. Three, a dog who sleeps soundly and is well-rested in the morning. I think sleeping in the crate will continue long after my mom goes home. It's a better solution for both of us.