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Pooping & Peeing in Crate (not too big)

Batman
December 9th, 2004, 12:19 PM
PLEASE READ MY UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM!!


So... Batman's housetraining is definitly getting better. He goes outside 85-95% of the time, and he is starting to let us know when he has to go. :thumbs up BUT... he is peeing and sometimes pooping in his crate only in the morning.

Basic Schedule:
6:30am - wakes up gets fed, walk, play, poop
8:45am - into the crate
11:30 - I get home to find him in a pile of pee or in a pile of poop.
(he will then be in the crate again from about 3or 4pm to 5pm

I don't know what to do! He is 3 months now so shouldn't he be able to hold it for 3 hours?? He doesn't have diarrehea he is in great health. He never goes in the crate at any other time. I am thinking that his feeding schedule has something to do with it. Today I tried feeding him in his crate at 8:45... but I came home to a poo. :mad:

Do you think I should try feeding him earlier in the morning? Like set my alarm for 4am?? Tomorrow I am going to come home from work at 10:30 just to let him out (but I can't do this all the time!).

PLEASE I need some advice!! This problem is not getting better at all. :sad:

GsdDiamond
December 9th, 2004, 12:30 PM
6:30am - wakes up gets fed, walk, play, poop
8:45am - into the crate

I would toss in another break to make it:

6:30am - wakes up gets fed, walk, play, poop
8:30am - outside for last pee/poop before crate
8:45am - into the crate

You could also look at what you're feeding him. Maybe it just goes right through him and he can't hold it. What type of food?

Batman
December 9th, 2004, 12:34 PM
Sorry I wasn't clear. He goes pee several times from when he gets up and then before he goes in his crate. ;)

GsdDiamond
December 9th, 2004, 12:55 PM
Oh, ok. So it's not that he doesn't have opportunity....he just either can't hold it or does it for spite.

If he's seen a vet about this, and they've ruled out illness, then I'd either look at his food, or it may be an issue of spite (hopefully not!).

tenderfoot
December 9th, 2004, 05:58 PM
He is still a baby and his system is still getting used to life. He might just be a 2-3x pooper in the morning. I have had dogs that were not done until the 3rd poop then I knew they would be good for some time.
Puppies have to relieve themselves whenever they change an activity - i.e. waking up = have to go NOW! He might be napping in the crate and then HAS to go when he wakes up and no one is there to let him out - so he goes.
You might want to make his morning & evening meals smaller so there is less there to move out. The afternoon feeding could be the bigger one. Just so you understand why I am saying that - the morning meal pushes out the evening meal and the afternoon meal pushes out the morning meal. If there is less there to push out then he might have greater success in his morning crate time. Sorry if I have crossed over into the gross out zone, but such is life with a baby.
Patience is really the key - with diligence on your part he will learn.

Batman
December 9th, 2004, 08:49 PM
Thank you tenderfoot! I am going to try that! :D I really appreciate all your advice.

:p There is no line to be crossed with me. I work with children and have 4 other pets... I spend most of my day cleaning poop, holding snotty hands etc..

coppperbelle
December 9th, 2004, 09:06 PM
How big is his crate? If it is a large crate then he has space to poop and space to lay down. Try blocking off half of his crate with a board so that he has less room. Dogs do not normally dirty their bed area. If he has no space to go he will probably hold it until you get home.

:) :o

Princesss04
December 10th, 2004, 11:16 AM
I have two puppies (8 mts old) they are just now at a point where they can hold it for about 4 to 5 hours. Have never tried any longer that that though. But when they were that little they had to go out every hour at the most two. So if I had to guess your cage is to big or he can not hold it that many hours.

Batman
December 10th, 2004, 04:05 PM
His crate is blocked off; there is only room to fit him in it and one toy. Today I fed him at 4am came home at 10:30 (no poop or pee)!!! I am going to try feeding him earlier because I really think that might be his problem. Some days when I don't work in the am he is left in the crate in the afternoon for 2.5 to 3 hours and he never has accidents then.

Batman
December 17th, 2004, 11:32 AM
So I have been feeding Batman a small breakfast at around 4 or 5am (when he wakes up to pee). That seems to get him to do 2 poops before I go to work.

However he hasn't peed in his crate in a while (a week maybe) but twice he has pood... although there are only smears on the cage. Either he is doing a tiny poo or he is eating it. :sad: Today I left him for just under 2 hours... I came home and there is poo all over his crate.

Could it be stress??? Does he hate being left in his crate so much that it makes him have a 'nervous poo'? Or would it be possible to completely elminate his morning meal and feed him at lunch and dinner?

Other than pooping in his crate he is down to only 2 accidents this entire week.

FYI - He came from a good breeder and the mom and pups all slept in a crate and had an x-pen to play and poop in.

Also I am off work for the next two weeks so if needed I can avoid leaving him in his crate for more than 2 hours if that would help.

SarahLynn123
December 17th, 2004, 12:05 PM
"Or would it be possible to completely elminate his morning meal and feed him at lunch and dinner?"

I could be very wrong but I worry that if his last meal is at dinner (5ish maybe) and then you skip breakfast and feed him is next meal at lunch (noonish) he would be going without food for 19 hours. Seems like a long time for a growing 3 month old pup. I am new at this though, so hopefully someone with more experience could help you out.

mona_b
December 17th, 2004, 12:30 PM
Question.
What are you using to clean the poop with?If there is still the smell of it,he will continue to poop in it.

Personally I would not cut down a feeding.He is still a baby and needs his 3 meals a day.

Correct me if I am wrong someone,but I have heard it is a bit harder to housetrain a small breed.

I have never crate trained any of my dogs,so maybe it is some type of stress.

Batman
December 17th, 2004, 12:58 PM
Washing the crate:
First I soak the crate in water
Scrub it with soap & water
Let it dry
Spray it with Petzyme & let the Petzyme dry


I also don't think getting rid of his morning meal is ideal... I am just so frustrated. I have read that Rat Terriers don't always take well to being in a crate. He resists going in during the day and will bark for several minutes once I am out of the apartment. At night he goes in happily.

During the holidays I will work on putting him in the crate while I am at home (when he is resting). I have been letting him sleep in his other bed (cat bed thing). Currently he is in cat bed which I put in the crate, and is happily sleeping. I suppose if it is anxiety this might help him like the crate more.