I put him in at night and ever since he's been here for the last 2 weeks he has been peeing in his crate at night. Last night he pooped in there as well. What should I do?. He goes oustside with our other sheltie everytime we take him out but continues to pee at night when locked in the crate. He is a rescue
help..10 week puppy is peeing and pooping in crate
- Thread starter rstedem
- Start date
Mignarda
Forums Enthusiast
Make sure his crate isn't too big.
Jess041
Forums Enthusiast
What is the max amount of time he is being left in the crate? Maybe he just can't hold it? Also, make sure he doesn't have too much room in his crate. Dogs don't like to soil their den, but if they have enough room to go in a corner of the crate and still have room to sleep in a clean place, they will. So make sure he only has enough room to lay down and sleep.
trini
Forums Sage
help....10 week old puppy is peeing and pooping in crate
How many hours is he in the crate at night? A 10 week old pup doesn't have muscle control fully developed and some may not be able to handle a full night without going out...especially if he is nervous and moving around at night. And being a resue he may have been in a situation where he was crated for such long periods of time that he had no choice but to pee and poop in his crate.
So, you may have the double job of helping him unlearn a negative behavior that he was forced to adopt as well as teaching him that his crate is his den and should be kept clean.
I know it is extra work for you, but I would get up in the middle of the night and take him out to give him a chance to keep his crate clean. Also, although you don't want to put him in a huge crate...make sure that the crate you are using for him gives him room to get away from a mess and not be forced to lay down in his own waste. A dog who has been forced to lay in his own waste is doubly hard to train to be clean.
Is his crate in the bedroom near you? If he is feeling insecure and not sleeping well that can add to the issue. If he is in a room away from you, it would be worth trying him in your room where he won't feel so alone.
Trini
How many hours is he in the crate at night? A 10 week old pup doesn't have muscle control fully developed and some may not be able to handle a full night without going out...especially if he is nervous and moving around at night. And being a resue he may have been in a situation where he was crated for such long periods of time that he had no choice but to pee and poop in his crate.
So, you may have the double job of helping him unlearn a negative behavior that he was forced to adopt as well as teaching him that his crate is his den and should be kept clean.
I know it is extra work for you, but I would get up in the middle of the night and take him out to give him a chance to keep his crate clean. Also, although you don't want to put him in a huge crate...make sure that the crate you are using for him gives him room to get away from a mess and not be forced to lay down in his own waste. A dog who has been forced to lay in his own waste is doubly hard to train to be clean.
Is his crate in the bedroom near you? If he is feeling insecure and not sleeping well that can add to the issue. If he is in a room away from you, it would be worth trying him in your room where he won't feel so alone.
Trini
Ditto what is said below.
I put the crate near the head of my bed and when I hear the dog moving around, out we go. A little one that young, that's a couple times a night.
Make sure the crate is not too big. Remember, when mama had them as tiny pups they just went whereever in their nest box. Now you have to make him realize to hold it. In part by making him not want to have to lay in waste and in part by being hysterically happy every time it is done outside in the right place.
Lots and lots and lots of trips outside both day and night. As the pup grows up you can start lengthening the time. Honestly, the best training moment around 3-4-5 months is actually seeing an accident happen on a floor (hopefully NOT carpet) while you moan and groan and act so saddened (not MAD, but truly lamenting) the mistake -- taking the little one out for bigtime praise outside with more pottying there -- and more lamenting as the mistake is being cleaned. Again, not mad at them and punishing, just great expression of sadness. The get it real quick with one or two drama acts on your part.
However at 10 weeks (or 8 since you have had him awhile) you can't expect a lot, mostly the praising outside and taking there over and over. Lots of holding pup and running for the door or walking quickly luring pup out depending on urgency.
Stick with it. Read up on potty training online. There's even some general guidlines of time holding it per age out there, though seriously there are times it is like every 20 minutes.
I put the crate near the head of my bed and when I hear the dog moving around, out we go. A little one that young, that's a couple times a night.
Make sure the crate is not too big. Remember, when mama had them as tiny pups they just went whereever in their nest box. Now you have to make him realize to hold it. In part by making him not want to have to lay in waste and in part by being hysterically happy every time it is done outside in the right place.
Lots and lots and lots of trips outside both day and night. As the pup grows up you can start lengthening the time. Honestly, the best training moment around 3-4-5 months is actually seeing an accident happen on a floor (hopefully NOT carpet) while you moan and groan and act so saddened (not MAD, but truly lamenting) the mistake -- taking the little one out for bigtime praise outside with more pottying there -- and more lamenting as the mistake is being cleaned. Again, not mad at them and punishing, just great expression of sadness. The get it real quick with one or two drama acts on your part.
However at 10 weeks (or 8 since you have had him awhile) you can't expect a lot, mostly the praising outside and taking there over and over. Lots of holding pup and running for the door or walking quickly luring pup out depending on urgency.
Stick with it. Read up on potty training online. There's even some general guidlines of time holding it per age out there, though seriously there are times it is like every 20 minutes.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
I agree mostly with what you've already been told.
The crate should be no bigger than the space allowed for the dog to lie down stretched out, and to sit up. Many crates have divider systems that allow you to expand the crate as the dogs grows.
Some will tell you to set your alarm and bring pup out in the middle of the night. I would disagree. You want the dog to learn to hold it. I would bring the crate close to the bed and hope that you are a light enough sleeper that you can wake and hear cues to need to go outside. If pup is moving around restless, then scoop up and bring out. Nice praise and back to bed. Start to introduce verbal cues....
My dogs know "Outside?" They also know "its not time" (that means I'm not getting up to feed you food hounds)
10 weeks is early to be fretting about house training.....in my experience you can expect accidents up to about 14-16 weeks.
After that, then yes, you may have an issue.
Hope this helps! I was fortunate in that Bacca was virtually crate trained from the start....we did have issues though when he was outside the crate....and that is the second part of housetraining 101.
The crate should be no bigger than the space allowed for the dog to lie down stretched out, and to sit up. Many crates have divider systems that allow you to expand the crate as the dogs grows.
Some will tell you to set your alarm and bring pup out in the middle of the night. I would disagree. You want the dog to learn to hold it. I would bring the crate close to the bed and hope that you are a light enough sleeper that you can wake and hear cues to need to go outside. If pup is moving around restless, then scoop up and bring out. Nice praise and back to bed. Start to introduce verbal cues....
My dogs know "Outside?" They also know "its not time" (that means I'm not getting up to feed you food hounds)
10 weeks is early to be fretting about house training.....in my experience you can expect accidents up to about 14-16 weeks.
After that, then yes, you may have an issue.
Hope this helps! I was fortunate in that Bacca was virtually crate trained from the start....we did have issues though when he was outside the crate....and that is the second part of housetraining 101.
missjenneygirl
Forums Enthusiast
I handle it very differently.
First, I never put a puppy in a crate in the same room as people are in. Every time you roll over, or get up for 'reasons' in the middle of the night you disturb the pup. Then he cries, you think he needs to go out, so you bundle up and out you go. Then, back in the crate, you hope he settles, and all can get some sleep.
This happens several nights in a row, and you are now training the puppy to go out in the middle of the night. A vicious circle.
Assuming the crate is the correct size for a wee one 10 weeks old, and you put him down after a spin in the grass, last thing, he should be fine.
I never worry about an occasional wet crate for the first several weeks. I use an old towel for bedding, and if it is wet, oh well. It is kind of like a diaper at that age. He doesn't want to wet, but sometimes mistakes happen. Ignore it, wash the inside with cleaner, put in a fresh towel and move on.
First, I never put a puppy in a crate in the same room as people are in. Every time you roll over, or get up for 'reasons' in the middle of the night you disturb the pup. Then he cries, you think he needs to go out, so you bundle up and out you go. Then, back in the crate, you hope he settles, and all can get some sleep.
This happens several nights in a row, and you are now training the puppy to go out in the middle of the night. A vicious circle.
Assuming the crate is the correct size for a wee one 10 weeks old, and you put him down after a spin in the grass, last thing, he should be fine.
I never worry about an occasional wet crate for the first several weeks. I use an old towel for bedding, and if it is wet, oh well. It is kind of like a diaper at that age. He doesn't want to wet, but sometimes mistakes happen. Ignore it, wash the inside with cleaner, put in a fresh towel and move on.
I am assuming that the puppy is parasite free and his stools are normal. I had a dog that I bought from Washington State. It had a bad experience being flown to me and she never could be crated after that. No matter how small I made the crate - she would soil it overnight. Even when she was totally reliable in the house, put her in a crate and she would soil it. I actually ended up sending her to live as a single dog in a pet home where they understood she could never be crated. They did all kinds of things with her during her 15 years but she never got over this one issue. Hopefully this will not be the case with your dog but if it is, it isn't the end of the world. Dogs were never crated when I was growing up and we managed to teach them house manners in spite of it. Interestingly, she didn't consider the recovery cage at the vet's office to be a crate so when she was spayed, she didn't soil.
Caro
Moderator
I agree, you need to be taking him out to toilet during the night, if you are already going once I'd up it to twice. Their bladder muscles aren't really developed at that age, and also don't hold a lot. My female actually could not hold on overnight until she was 2yrs old.
missjenneygirl
Forums Enthusiast
I think that if there are no health issues, there is no reason to get up in the middle of the night to take out the pup.
Don't you go off for the day, circumstances leading to the puppy being crated for 6 hours or more?
By 10 weeks old, the pup should be able to go at least 7 hours through the night.
If your girl got you up in the middle of the night for two years, then she trained you well. How could you ever leave her during the day if she couldn't hold it at least 4 hours?
We move puppies into individual crates at 8 weeks old. When they go to their new homes at 9 weeks, they are underway and used to the idea of sleeping through the night. I certainly don't run downstairs letting out 4 or 5 puppies from crates to pee in the middle of the night.
Breeders have to start crating them at that time. You just can't imagine the mess you have if you left them in an xpen overnight. The puppies stomp through it and your house smells really, really bad. The clean-up is a awful way to start your day. Ask Ann how she liked it...
I think dogs need to adapt to our schedules not the other way around.
Don't you go off for the day, circumstances leading to the puppy being crated for 6 hours or more?
By 10 weeks old, the pup should be able to go at least 7 hours through the night.
If your girl got you up in the middle of the night for two years, then she trained you well. How could you ever leave her during the day if she couldn't hold it at least 4 hours?
We move puppies into individual crates at 8 weeks old. When they go to their new homes at 9 weeks, they are underway and used to the idea of sleeping through the night. I certainly don't run downstairs letting out 4 or 5 puppies from crates to pee in the middle of the night.
Breeders have to start crating them at that time. You just can't imagine the mess you have if you left them in an xpen overnight. The puppies stomp through it and your house smells really, really bad. The clean-up is a awful way to start your day. Ask Ann how she liked it...
I think dogs need to adapt to our schedules not the other way around.