12-Week old Beagle pees in crate

[SealingWax]

Hello, everyone. I have a question about our new little girl, Maisy. She's 12 weeks, a Beagle, and a darling. But she has no problem at all peeing on herself. I've read and read that dogs WILL NOT do this, that they want to keep their bed clean. Maisy will pee any time, on the floor and things, which is normal when little, but that she goes in her crate every time we put her in there is driving us all to drink (even the 9-year-old, but she drinks tea).

I've:

1. Restricted her water after 8:00 p.m.
2. Set the alarm for every 3 hours at night to take her out - sometimes she's still dry, a lot of the time she's wet her crate (with a cushy beddy thing in there or nothing at all between her and the crate pan, it doesn't matter a bit).
3. Never left her in there more than an hour during the day.
4. Fed her on schedule (9 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m.).
5. Never punished her for messes, since I don't catch her doing it.

She never poos in there... WHY does she know to hold it for poo until I come to get her, but doesn't care a bit about urine?? I'm going stark raving mad. Please help!

[Lucky Rescue]

It might be a good idea to get her completely checked for anything physical that could be causing this. She certainly should be able to hold it for more than one hour.

You're right that puppies who are properly raised do not like to soil their beds and don't like to lie in it.

Some puppies, like the ones in petstores, are raised to lie in their mess and can be very difficult to housetrain.

Where did you get her?

[angie79]

how long have you had her?? no little pup starts out perfect... maybe it will take a couple days for her to realized the crate is hers..

[SealingWax]

Hi! Wow, thanks for the fast replies, or for the replies, period!

We got her from a breeder in Amish country right down the road from us, Middlefield Ohio. Mom & Dad were on the premises. There was a litter of 10! Only 1 girl, we got her!

Anyway, we did notice that the puppies, even at 8 weeks (when we picked her up) were not allowed to be with mom. They were separated, and by themselves in a common "room" (a large kennel-like area made out of wood filled with newspaper). I wondered at the time if they'd been separated right after weening, which I feel is too early, since mom hasn't had a good chance to teach clean habits in the den area!

I feel this is probably because she just went anywhere in that... but it's been 4 weeks since she was there... I was hoping just a little bit of good habits would be forming by now. But once she doesn't mind the feel & smell of urine under her, how to change that?? Will she become aware of it and not like it when she gets older? Or is that just not going to change now that it's set in?

Ta again for your replies!
Laur

[BMDLuver]

Perfect, purchased right from the hands of the puppy miller. It will take a fair amount of time for your little one to be clean. Is your crate perhaps too large? If the pup is able to find a spot away from where it sleeps to pee then it's too large. Use a piece of plexi glass with holes drilled in it to reduce the size of the crate if that's the case. Use wire, such as floral wire to secure it to the bars. Move back as puppy grows until it can be completely removed.

[SealingWax]

They didn't seem to be a puppy mill - the mom & dad were the only ones on the property, and these puppies were the only litter. They said they have 2 litters per year. I found their name on a Beagle breeders list on the internet.

She has a nice black crate, with a cool divider thing that you can make any size. I have her divided off until she is just able to stand, turn around, and lie down. And she'll go. On herself. Right there in that small space. But NEVER a poo! She knows not to go poo in there. But she just doesn't mind pee.

[Beaglemom]

First, let me welcome you to the board! You've come to the right place to get advice. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people her who will help you. Please post pictures as we would all love to see her!

Originally Posted by SealingWax

They didn't seem to be a puppy mill - the mom & dad were the only ones on the property, and these puppies were the only litter. They said they have 2 litters per year. I found their name on a Beagle breeders list on the internet.

Do you know if it is the same female having these litters? Because if it is, she is not getting the break she needs to heal fully from the first litter.

Originally Posted by SealingWax

She has a nice black crate, with a cool divider thing that you can make any size. I have her divided off until she is just able to stand, turn around, and lie down. And she'll go. On herself. Right there in that small space. But NEVER a poo! She knows not to go poo in there. But she just doesn't mind pee.

Most puppies, when raised in the right environment and not in a cage like a petstore do not pee nor poo in where they sleep or eat. It sounds like your puppy may have had no choice but to pee in the areas where it did eat and sleep when it was with the breeder. I would get her checked just in case it is medical though, like previously suggested.

I also think you were correct when you said that she was removed from her mom too early. I've heard of people doing this before, where right after the pups are weaned, they remove the mother. This is not recommended as the mom does teach the pups how to behave even after weaning.

You may have to work a little harder in housebreaking her as she will go in her crate. Take her out after every meal, playtime and when she wakes. Everytime you see her sniffing like she is going to go, take her to her spot. You may want to use a command like "be quick" or something like that so that she will then learn to go on command.

Hopefully there will be someone else who can offer more advice on how to break the peeing in crate habit.

[Lucky Rescue]

Two untitled unhealth tested dogs pumping out litters every single heat. Bad breeders. The Amish are big time puppy millers and backyard breeders.

If the puppies were left in this pen in or too close to their mess and taken from mom too soon, no wonder your little girl doesn't know how or care about being clean.

This is a tough problem and one that will require a great deal of patience.
I'll try and find some info to help you!

[t.pettet]

Had the same problem with a 3 yr. old lhasa foster. I started off like you're doing putting him in small crate at night because he wasn't house trained and couldn't be trusted - would eliminate both everywhere. After 4 nights of him soaking his blankets and himself, put him in larger crate with his blanket at one end and newspaper covering remainder. He immediately started getting out of his blankets to pee on paper, from there took soiled paper to a designated spot outside and every time he looked like he had to go would take him there, he'd pee and get a treat. Reduced paper to opposite end of crate and after about 2 weeks he would only pee on the paper covered section. He never lifted his leg would always squat. The people who adopted him from me kept him crated at night and slowly reduced size of paper (eventually stopped needing paper all together). He obviously had never been properly house trained as a pup and was given up because they said he was dirty.

[CyberKitten]

You have already got good advice. I just wanted to add (but please do not shoot the messenger - it seems to me your puppy is fortunate to have agood person like you and you are doing all the right things and puppies will be puppies and require lots of patience, as it sounds like you akready know. Never punish her fgor anything because she will not understand what you mean and only fear you - I say that only because you used thr word, not because you have done anything wrong.

Why you may not like my mesage is that I wanted to let you know that the Amish are notroious in the puppy mill business. I know many are shocked when they first hear this too but alas, they are found a biz and use theoir farms to raise puppies as they would livestock - which makes me wonder how they treat their other animals and I always was saw them in a fairly goodf light till I discovered this. Check out any search engine. Type in Amish and puppy mill and youi will see what I mean.

This means your puppy was likely raised in a bad sitiation and you do not know the genetics or any of her background. (A credible breeder is one who breeds ONLY titled show dogs who meet abslutely the breed standard and then some (or they would not have won!). They have a mentor and are involved in the real CKC or in your case AKC, not just some paperworj they give you that may well be meaningless. Also, no good breeder allows her female to have two litters a year. That is atrocious and leads to health probs - these dogslive in filth and are not given any love or socialization. Not all Amish are like this but alas, very many are and given what you have said, chances are high these ppl are millers. I would get your puppy to a vet asap to ensure she has no ill effects from her background tho beagles seem to do fairly well. (I had a beagle for many yrs and met ppl who had bought their puppies at a pet store and beagles seemed to do better than some other breeds puchased there - not sure why and this is not at a scientific reasoning, just my own observation in one location so is meaningless but may make you feel a little better.

I would call them and get as much info as possible. (If you can get the truth). I honestly do not understand how people who are so religious (granted, they live according to their own laws and my own experience with the few Amish people I have met has not been under the best of circustanmces (They refused treatment for their child I had diagnosed with a very serious cancer suggesting it was God's will. Those cases just take so much out of all of us who work with these innocent children but that is a whole other story!)

But even so, I was still shocked at how horrible they are in the puppy biz. This may have been discussed before on this site so a search here too might help.

I think you will jsut have tp assume your puppy needs extra socialization and has never been trained to do his biz in the right place and his mama prob lived in her own filth, sigh

Here are 2 that I found quickly but there are many more articles out there:

http://www.charityadvantage.com/njca...0for%20PDF.pdf

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/murray112805.html

Good luck with your puppy!! And we do want pix of your cutie!! I do wish you well - you ,ay have extra work to do but I bet she will be worth it!!

[SealingWax]

Hello. I'll try to post a pic, but I'm new at the digital thing, so we'll see.

Thanks for the kind words and advice. I wish I'd known about the Amish before getting her, although she's alive now and would need a good home in any case. It never occurred to me that they would be like that! They are only about 30 minutes from here, and we've always seen them around, they're supposed to be so pious and religious! How could they do that to dogs just for money? I guess I just don't understand people.

Anyway, last night was the worst night ever. I woke up with the alarm the first 2 three-hour segments, and she was wet both times... so I started waking up every hour, and 3 out of the four times I went to her, there was a little puddle! By the morning, she hadn't drunk all night of course, so there was only a tiny bit, but she still went!

I called the vet this morning... the other symptoms that go along with a UTI she does not have, but the vet's going to see her anyway, give her her next shots and check her urine.

I'm exhausted. I'd never get rid of her, any more than you'd get rid of a colicky baby, but it's sure getting more and more upsetting as the days go by... I don't know what I'll do if there's nothing medically wrong with her!

[Lucky Rescue]

they're supposed to be so pious and religious!

Don't mean to get off track here, but personally I've often that the most religious people are often the most uncharitable. Their brutality to animals is quite well known.

Your puppy is VERY lucky she ended up with you, and that you are kind, patient and understanding.

Get the vet check first, then take it from there. It's possible there is some incontinence/infection or some other physical problem...who knows? I"m thinking it may be, since she only urinates in her crate and never defecates.