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Old July 6th, 2010, 11:14 AM
wheatenmom wheatenmom is offline
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4 month old puppy started peeing in crate

Hi,

I have a 4 month old wheaten puppy. We brought him home at 10 weeks and started crate training immediately. Like all puppies, he had occasional accidents around the house (but NEVER in the crate). We are diligent about bringing him out first thing in the morning, right before work, a walker comes 2x during the (although that has stopped as of this past month because I am off for 2 months in the summer), right after work & then before bed. Up until 2 days ago he has been doing very well...but I made sure to not get too excited because I know puppies often regress & 'forget what they learned'. Yesterday, I came home & caught him in the act of peeing IN HIS CRATE I immediately got him to stop (we use a can of pennies to startle him) & took him outside. This morning, I woke up to find that he had peed in the crate again & it bothered him SO little that he slept in his own mess.

I know he is still very young and accidents are to be expected...but that isn't my concern...I'm stressed about the fact that he is now having accidents in his 'den' when this was never an issue before. I don't think it is a bladder infection because he can still hold his bladder for quite some time (usually 4 hours but after the past couple of days I'm going to go back to 3).

What are your experiences with puppies regressing, how can I get my dog to consider his crate his den again...like I said before, I don't get worked up if he has an occasional accident in the house (I wouldn't get mad at a baby for going in his diaper so I can't get mad at my dog if I didn't watch him & he went in the house)...I don't like that he went in his crate because I think that goes against what SHOULD be happening.

Thanks in advance for whatever help you may be able to offer
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Old July 6th, 2010, 12:10 PM
Mirela Mirela is offline
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Did you change anything about the crate? allow him more space? put new bedding? put bedding?

Is he drinking more because of the heat?

If you are sure it's not a medical problem, then you might have to go back a step or two to crate training - use a divider to give him a bit less space; take him out more often, remove the bedding...
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Old July 6th, 2010, 12:15 PM
wheatenmom wheatenmom is offline
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I just remembered (actually, the bf reminded me) that this weekend he picked up a new habit of walking with his bag legs spread so he can pee & walk as we go towards the potty spot. he KNOWS the potty spot, i usually rush him down the elevator but as soon as we're on the sidewalk i let him go at his own pace just to see if he gets it & he does...he darts to the grass & goes...not the past couple of times...we can rush all we want but he'll do a pee & go. maybe i need to call the vet & see if it really is a uti. funny how one extra piece of info totally changes how we perceive something.
also, he is crated in our room. i find it weird that even if it were a UTI & he couldn't help soiling his bed, he didn't whine to get let out (probably wouldn't have helped if it was that urgent) or whine to have his soiled crate cleaned up?
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Old July 6th, 2010, 12:18 PM
Mirela Mirela is offline
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Probably the best to have him at the vet for a checkup.
for a good outcome.
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Old July 6th, 2010, 12:50 PM
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Rgeurts Rgeurts is offline
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I would definitely take him for a checkup. There are several things that can make him urinate in his crate/while walking. Our older dog started doing that. We had tests run and found out he has calcium oxalate crystals in his urine which would indicate possible kidney stones. He has been walking/peeing for quite some time.From what I understand, it would be very rare for a young dog to have those problems, but we also have bladder problems with our 16 week old puppy. He also will urinate while he is walking/running/jumping around. I don't know if he even realizes he is doing it. His blood work all came out fine but the vet said she thinks he has a loose sphincter.

Good luck and I hope it's nothing serious!
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Old July 6th, 2010, 02:02 PM
wheatenmom wheatenmom is offline
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i booked an appointment with my vet to collect urine & have urinalysis for my puppy...unfortunately they are booked solid for today & we have to wait until tomorrow am.
any advice on helping us get through the night, i REALLY don't want to give him 2 baths in 2 days...he will look like dry tumbleweed should i get up every 2-3 hours to take him out?
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Old July 6th, 2010, 05:11 PM
cell cell is offline
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Do you monitor his water intake? My dog was wetting his kennel because we would feed him salty treats (dried pork like pig ears/rollies etc.) and then he would drink like a maniac and end up wetting the kennel. We stopped giving salty treats and stopped allowing him free access to water in the evening, only giving him a small amount or a bit more if he was exercising etc. He's been clean for a few months now since we've been more careful.
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Old July 7th, 2010, 12:19 PM
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Stinkycat Stinkycat is offline
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Before you take him to the vet try a few things.

Limit his water intake, I'm not saying don't give him water, just give him 1/4 cup when you wake up (after taking him out), give him 20 mins and let him pee again. Tell the dog walker to give him 1/4 cup of water when she arrives, then go for a walk and repeat.

Are you putting a blanket in the crate with him?Take it out if so and put a fresh one in. It could be that the crate is too big and the puppy is using one side for potty and the other to sleep. A crate should be big enough for the dog to turn around in, not walk around in.

4 month old puppies go pee every 30 minutes with continuous water. Peeing at night isn't uncommon, just cut off water intake 3 hours before bedtime. Make sure when you get home for the evening that puppy is allowed LOTS of water to hydrate him from the day.
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