Another house training question - sorry!

Hi, Myrtle is just shy of 9 months old and house training was going well, we had got to the point of leaving her crate door open at night and she had had no accidents for a month or more. However, the last 2 weeks she has weed by the french doors in the living room (where she and my older dog both sleep at night) a couple of times, which I cleaned up with biological washing powder solution. This has now escalated to every night and also defecating. We have started shutting the crate door again and she's clean in there. When I open it in the morning, she's not desperate to go out and this morning she's been up an hour and hasn't 'been' yet, and she's also been when the french doors have been open so it can't be that she has to go.
Whilst cleaning up after her yesterday I noticed that the urine had gone down the gap between the carpet edge and the door threshold, which I have tried to clean with a steam cleaner, but even I can still smell it! Is it possible that it is simply that she can smell her urine there so associates that area with toileting?
We are going back to basics with her house training, but any other suggestions would be great, esp. on how to get the urine out of the gap at the edge of the carpet!!
Thanks in advance, Jo

Hi Jo a couple of things to consider, is Myrtle spayed or could she be due in season, coming in season could affect her.
Have you changed her food/time of feeding and at what times do you feed her (at nine months she should now be on 2 meals a day) .
With regard to the urine, you can try neutralizing it by putting white vinegar down the gap, wash it again then drop a couple of drops of pure oil of lavender down the gap.

Back to basic house training is a good idea , (and you need to make sure she is 'empty' last thing at night ), so that's taking her to the spot you wish her to use to relieve herself at frequent times, staying with her and praising her when she does.
Also try teaching Myrtle to relieve herself on command, that way you will know she is empty at night.
To teach her to go on command you need to use a cue word so Myrtle understand what is required of her....
..go with her when she goes out to the garden to relieve herself and stay with her . When she is in the middle of relieving herself (so she associates the words with the action) say 'beclean' (or your chosen cue word) ,then when she has finished give her lots of praise and a hight value treat like a morsel of chicken. Eventually give a treat randomly, then eventually just praise.

Pretty soon she will learn relieving herself for you on command brings a reward and eventually it should become established behaviour.

Thanks for the reply. Myrtle isn't spayed yet; we are waiting for her to have her first season and then she'll be "done". I've been keeping a close eye out for any signs of coming into season, but she's the first girl I've had who hasn't already been spayed as I've only had adult rescues before so I'm not 100% certain as to whether I'd recognise all the signs! However, I have noticed this evening that whilst we were out walkies she was weeing a lot more than usual, but we often walk with entire males and they aren't showing any more interest than normal (BTW I always keep a sharp eye on her when entire dogs are about - the last thing I want to do is add to the number of unwanted dogs!).
She's on the same food at the same time as usual and is on 2 meals per day.

Hi Jo in that case I would guess Myrtle is about to come in season.
I think there must be some internal swelling which causes pressure on the bladder when a bitch is coming in season because they generally seem to urinate more. They also leave 'a calling card 'for male dogs by secreting a hormone in their urine, so perhaps nature lends a hand and ensures they relieve themselves more often at this time .
I would go ahead as described to counteract the soiling while keeping a sharp eye out for any swelling of the vulva/ vigorous licking/discharge which will indicate the season has started.

Thanks for the "heads up"! You may have just saved the world from another litter of puppies without homes!
Jo