Help with puppy pooping and peeing in his crate.?

Question

I have a 3.5 month old purebred chocolate lab. He has done very well with housetraining up until recently. On Saturday we woke up to him having covered his crate/kennel in p**p and pee. To make things worse he jumped around in it and splashed it all over the room it was in. Every time since then we've confined him to the crate he has done it again. We even tried putting him in a small room we have with the same result.

There have been no food changes. His poops are solid. He has plenty of opportunity to go outside and isn't left alone for more than 8 hours (only during the work days). We don't leave him in the kennel when we are home. His kennel just fits him and isn't too big or too small.

Help we are desperate!

Answer 1

When I started crating my puppy it was too big and he was able to pee or p**p then (sorta) get away from it. My vet said the cage needs to be big enough for him/her to comfortably move and lay down in but not enough room to go to the bathroom and get (even partially) away from it.

Hope it helps :)

Answer 2

YOu lack understanding of the crate.. If he can jump around in it the crate is too big.  

I have blog on housebreaking.. first you ahve to monitor the water situation  .

http://golden-joy.blogspot.com/2008/07/h...

I would also focus on th prasise and if you need instensive house training check out the link to the book in my online store which should be on the blog.. if its not email me or check some of my other answers.

Answer 3

The normal rule of thumb, is that a pup can only be expected to hold it for an hour for every month old it is, plus one hour.  That means four hours tops.  You are expecting way too much of a young pup, if you expect it to not go in it's crate for that long a period of time.

Answer 4

Eight hours is a LONG time for a three and a half month old dog of any breed.  The rule of thumb is one hour for every month of their age when they are puppies.  

The puppy could have parasites, he could have a bladder infection, or kidney stones although stones are less likely at his age.  

It could be a behavioral issue.  If it is, making sure he is getting plenty of exercise will help.  Take him for a nice long walk before kenneling him.  And then don't put him right into his kennel after his walk - give him some affection and attention, and then put him out for potty for a few minutes before kenneling him to give him one last chance.

Also, are you putting food and water in his kennel?  If you are, don't do that anymore. Maybe a little water if you're leaving him in there for eight hours, but not a whole bowl.  If you're letting him fill his bladder, you have to assume he'll have to empty it.  Most dogs will not even drink water if they know they don't have a chance to get rid of it - mine will lay in front of his water dish for HOURS if I am not home, but won't take a drink until I walk in the door because he has intuited that what goes in must come out.  Not all dogs figure that out, and a little baby  3 1/2 month old puppy hasn't grown his brain yet, so he probably hasn't made the connection between water and potty.

Answer 5

First, the crate should only be big enough that he can stand up, turn around and lay down in it. No bigger. Otherwise he will designate one area as a potty area, one as a sleeping area. If it's too big right now, just block off part of it with a box or somethign else around the house. Second, the crate should only be used when you cannot attend to the dog. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, use the crate as punishment. If he has an accident, do not put him in his crate. If he does somethign wrong, do not put him in his crate! If he has an accident in there, you need to wash everything with an enzymatic cleaner (like Nature's Miracle) including bedding and the crate itself. Take him outside to go potty right away. If he doesn't go, you confine him to the kitchen or small area and take him out again in like 15-20 minutes. You keep repeating this until he goes outside. Then lay on the praise like he's the best dog in the world. I can tell you, 8 hours is a LONG time to go for a 3.5 month old puppy. They are still developing bladder and bowel control at that age. If you are at work and can't get home to let him out, you may want to consider getting a dog walker to come to the house during lunch time for the next few months. And at night, don't give him any food or water for at least 3 hours before you plan on going to bed. That should reduce his need for having to go potty in the middle of the night.  Don't ever scold him for going in his crate, because by time you do, he won't understand why he's in trouble. I hope that helps

Answer 6

At only 3.5 months, he's too young to be left in a crate for 8 hours. Can you hold it that long? I can't, and I'm full grown.

Answer 7

8 Hours is too long to leave a 3.5 month old puppy (Of any breed) for.  The rule of thumb to use for them holding it is # of Months +1, so 4 1/2 hours right now.

You're leaving him in there too long, so he has no choice but to eliminate.

Either have a non-working neighbor come, or hire a Pet-Sitter to come in mid-day to let him out and play with him.

Answer 8

Have you had your vet take a look?  You might want to do that and bring in a stool sample.  

Answer 9

1 hour for each month of age, so your puppy can only hold its potty for 4 hours at the most.  The bladder isn't grown untli 6-months-old.  Dog walker, pet sitter, family help until he gets older.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting so

Answer 10

have u took him to the vet?

the vet may b able to prubsribe something for this cause