Beatrice did it twice in the same night. On the carpet, in the middle of the family room. The second time, Nancy Fry caught her mid-stream and rushed her into the back yard.

That was the last time she had a problem with the bearded collie. Beatrice's timing was good. Her frustrated owner had about had it. Like a new parent, she'd read all the how-to books, followed all the rules and kept a close eye on the puppy. The other members of the household weren't quite as devoted.

Four months into it, Fry started to wonder if getting another dog was a mistake. And then, Beatrice gave her owner a break.

"The evening I was most in despair, she got it. I knew she had it in her. We just weren't communicating to her what we wanted her to do."

When Beatrice has to go, she's subtle about it. She just walks over and sits by the door. That's not uncommon, said veterinarian Heather Dawson of Bloomington's Ambassador Animal Hospital.

"Not every dog will tell you. You have to pick up on the physical cues. That's why you have to keep them close to you."

Accidents are inevitable and may be a result of inadequate house training, a medical problem or a behavior issue. Figuring out what the problem is takes patience - sometimes more than owners have.

The first thing you need to do is rule out a medical problem.

Dogs may have a urinary tract infection, stones in the bladder, diabetes mellitus or incontinence. With cats, Dawson first checks for feline lower urinary tract disease, a bladder inflammation that can be caused by stress and makes it uncomfortable to urinate, also resulting in frequent urges.

Often there is no medical cause for household accidents. They're behavioral, and although there are medications that can help, Dawson recommends trying everything else before putting an animal on a lifetime of medication.

Still, she has to gauge the patience of owners who may be so tired of dealing with early morning cleanups

that they're considering giving up or euthanizing the animal.

"If it's 'Fix it now or we're done,' I would use the medicine sooner rather than later," she said.

With dogs a year old or younger, the problem is usually related to incomplete house training, she said.

Older animals may have developed arthritis, which makes them reluctant to use the steps to get outside. Sometimes, it's senility: the pet simply forgets what he went outside to do and doesn't remember until he's back indoors. Arthritis and senility can both be treated with medications.

Karen Williams has consulted with pet owners for 10 years, working with them to resolve behavior problems through her business, "A Better Way" dog training. When house training, the two biggest mistakes people make are giving them unlimited access and lack of supervision, she said.

Limit their access and be there to correct them and you'll have a much easier time of it, she said. Treat a puppy like a toddler, making sure he's within your sight, and if you can't be there, confine him.

Cat owners are more likely to have to deal with house soiling, Dawson said, and behavior problems are more difficult to resolve. Anything from a change in household routine to a different type of litter can trigger litter box aversion.

"The big one in cats is anxiety. Something happens and the cat gets anxious or upset and then you start seeing them go outside the box. Anything that changes their world can spark anxiety."

She spends a lot of time asking about the litter box. Cats like it clean and are picky about where it is, along with the type of litter. When all other causes of stress have been ruled out, she might recommend anti-anxiety medications. Rather than try and give a cat a daily pill, she's had some success with a hormone injection, given about every six weeks to calm them.

As frustrating as the problem can be, owners need to keep in mind that punishment isn't the answer and may make matters worse, Williams said, especially if the act was triggered by anxiety.

"They don't necessarily remember that they urinated on the floor and it may only make them more fearful, more anxious and cause more accidents."

Figuring out the problem is a process, she added, and you may never find the answer.

"Humans want to understand why. They're animals and can't explain why. We just have to deal with what's happening. People expect that animals shouldn't want to go on a carpet. The animal doesn't care. They don't know it's a $10,000 Persian rug."

Beatrice's owner also offered some encouragement.

"It's like being a parent. You can do your best and there will still be problems. Don't expect perfection. Give yourself a break, give the dog a break. Do it all with love and gentleness and you'll get there."

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Solutions

Here's some advice on how to avoid and prevent accidents. The first thing you should do is rule out a medical problem. Make an appointment with your veterinarian and provide as much health and behavior history as you can.

Cats

• Start with the litter box. Often, it's a cleanliness issue. Scoop the litter box at least once a day. Change the litter and wash the box with soap and water at least once a week, more often if you're having problems. Avoid cleaners with a strong odor.

• Changing litters. If you've recently changed brands, go back to what you were using or offer a blend of the old and new. Offer different types in different boxes, such as clumping and non-clumping, sand and shredded newspapers. Some prefer no litter. Alter the depths too, and if you have an older cat, look for a litter pan with shorter sides in case sore joints keep him from stepping inside.

• One more box than cat. That's the formula; one litter box is not enough. If you have one cat, you need two. As cats get older, they might not feel like climbing steps, so put one on each level.

• Accessible and private. Make sure the litter box is in a low-traffic area where there won't be any startling noises, like a buzzer in a laundry room. Also, it shouldn't be easily accessible to other pets or small children.

• Assign one person to clean it. It's easier to monitor usage if one person is in charge. The scooper can tell by the number of clumps and heaviness of the box whether it's being used as often as it should.

• Limit access. If the cat's found a favorite spot outside the box, limit access to that room. When cleaning a stain, use an odor eliminator made for pet stains, not an ammonia-based cleaner, which smells like urine to a cat.

• Try foil, contact paper or lemon. Place foil, which will startle them, or sticky contact paper where they're urinating. Also, try an old sheet that's been soaked and dried in lemon concentrate since they don't usually like the smell of lemon.

• Spray a pheromone. Feliway is a product with a pheromone similar to what cats carry in their cheeks and rub on vertical surfaces. It has a calming effect. Spray it in the area they've been using. You'll have to do it on a regular basis. Feliway also comes as a plug-in diffuser.

• Confine them. To get them back in the habit of using the box, confine them to one room, maybe even using a cage made for cats. It needs to be big enough for the litter box, which should be a good distance away from their food and water.

• Watch for territorial issues. If you have more than one cat, there may be a tiff and one won't use the box if the other is nearby. Keep the boxes far apart so the more timid one will have unlimited access. To figure out which one is urinating outside the box, confine them separately.

• Add some soil. If the cat's using a potted plant, sprinkle some potting soil, which doesn't have a lot of fertilizer in it, over the litter box.

• Make water readily available. To avoid urinary tract problems, keep the water bowl full, moisten their food, provide wet food, anything to help dilute their urine and make it less irritating to the bladder. Feline lower urinary tract disease is more common in sedentary overweight cats and can develop in response to stress caused by environmental changes.

• Use a quality product for removing stains and odors. Ask your veterinarian or check out the odor-eliminators at pet stores. Using a common household product may only temporarily mask the odor.

Dogs

• Maybe they're not completely house trained. Two of the most common causes of accidents are allowing too much freedom and a lack of supervision. Your dog should be in one of three places, with no exceptions: within your sight inside; confined in a small area inside or outside with you.

• Remember their limitations. Puppies will not have full control of their bladder until they're at least 6 months old. It doesn't matter whether they're male/female, neutered or type of breed.

• Take puppies outside once an hour. Go with them; don't just let them run or tie them out on a leash. As soon as they go, praise them and give them a treat. If you don't go out with them, they may forget why they're there and remember the minute they come inside.

• They may not tell you when they have to go. At least 50 percent of dogs won't bark when they have to go out, said trainer Karen Williams. Look for signs, such as waiting at the door, sniffing around or having trouble settling down.

• Maybe you're asking too much. No dog should go more than four or five hours without being taken outside, Williams said.

• Catch bad behavior when it happens. If you don't catch them in the act, reprimanding them later is useless. Rubbing their noses in it doesn't work. If you see it happen, get their attention and immediately take them outside.

• Maybe it's excitement urination. Puppies who crouch and urinate when they greet someone will usually grow out of it.

• Submissive urination is another issue. Dogs that urinate when greeted have no control over it. They're doing what young dogs do in the presence of adults, showing they're submissive, a survival instinct. Some outgrow it and it's more common in timid, passive dogs, who may greet you by rolling over and urinating. It's important not to punish them, which only reinforces the submissiveness. Let the dog greet you. Squat to his level and use a normal voice rather than an excited greeting. If you're expecting guests, take the dog outside ahead of time to empty his bladder or go outside to meet them.

• Confine older dogs. If they become incontinent, confine them to an area that's easier to clean. Use an enzyme cleaner made to eliminate, rather than mask, pet stains/odors.

• Incontinence is more common in females. If it shows up within a couple of years of spaying, it's more likely to be a result of changing hormone levels than aging. About 75 percent respond to medication.

SOURCES: Dr. Heather Dawson, Ambassador Animal Hospital, Bloomington; Karen Williams, "A Better Way" dog training, Bloomington; Dr. Julie Byron, assistant professor, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Urbana