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Make sure the crate is not too small for him. If you keep him in the crate and he carries on and pees and poops and then you let him out, he may decide that is what he needs to do to get out of there. When we crate trained our dogs they were only in the crate at night, and that was mostly so they wouldn't tear things up or get into some kind of trouble or danger.
My 8 week old lab puppy did pee in the crate, I think it was from the overall change, the unknown people, new environment, now this box... It was a terror to put him in a crate during daytime. We backed off. Then at night, when he got sleepy anyways, I gently nudged him into the crate with soft blanket on its floor. I think we had only a few accidents overnight, and I made sure that the last pee was at 10pm, and the first morning pee was at 5:30-6am (whenever he started moaning/whining in the morning). The early wake ups were tough on me (I think I had culture shock because this was my first dog), but slowly as he grew, his capacity to hold in increased.
During daytime he mostly was not in the crate, even though I had read books as well, and tried to do the crate training. That was just not for us, as I eventually understood, and it doesn't have to be a matter of guilt - all people and dogs are different.
The couple of times I tried to leave him free overnight in those first weeks, he peed/pooped wherever he liked, so crating for the night became a must for us. Our first trials into the crate-free nights started at 3 months, but not in the real house, rather in a small shed/cottage. He did pee a couple of times on the bed, while sleeping at the bed feet - felt and looked very guilty afterwards. At around 8 months old, he was allowed into the main house at nights, and by that time he could hold from 9-10pm to 7-8am. Also he already knew what he was and wasn't supposed to chew.
Update on Nico:
She is coming along quite well, and is very smart, already knowing commands like sit and lay, almost always peeing outside during potty time and being rewarded for it. The crate is not going so well, though... She eats and drinks in it, I've made sure it is appropriate for her size, and I've even been able to get her to settle down in it for short amounts of time, as I leave the room, with use of positive reinforcement and treats. But the problem still remains... If I leave her in there, for even about 10 minutes, she poops. No matter how often I take her out for potty breaks, she poops in the crate. And only while she is whining to get out. I read some more, and I think this has something to do with her being from a rescue litter. In the pound, the puppies felt free to poop and pee where ever they like in their crate, so I think this is where this behavior comes from, despite all of the things I've been reading stating that puppies don't like to poop where they eat and rest.
But, during the night, I've been letting her sleep in my bedroom with the door closed, and she roams free. Much to my surprise and delight, throughout the whole night she does not whine, and she has never once had an accident! Through a whole night in my bedroom! All she does is curl up beside my bed on the floor and lay there until I wake up and take her potty. It's incredible.
I would ditch the crate entirely, because she seems to be doing so well this way, but I still need to leave my house periodically during the day, and the crate is my only other option. If I continue being consistent and working daily on having her feel more comfortable with the crate, will she break this habit of panic poop?
She should break the habit soon. Honestly, it seems like she's gotten you trained where she knows if she poops and whines she is out. I'd keep working on the crate training. It can be very beneficial in the long run.
Update on Nico:
She is coming along quite well, and is very smart, already knowing commands like sit and lay, almost always peeing outside during potty time and being rewarded for it. The crate is not going so well, though... She eats and drinks in it, I've made sure it is appropriate for her size, and I've even been able to get her to settle down in it for short amounts of time, as I leave the room, with use of positive reinforcement and treats. But the problem still remains... If I leave her in there, for even about 10 minutes, she poops. No matter how often I take her out for potty breaks, she poops in the crate. And only while she is whining to get out. I read some more, and I think this has something to do with her being from a rescue litter. In the pound, the puppies felt free to poop and pee where ever they like in their crate, so I think this is where this behavior comes from, despite all of the things I've been reading stating that puppies don't like to poop where they eat and rest.
But, during the night, I've been letting her sleep in my bedroom with the door closed, and she roams free. Much to my surprise and delight, throughout the whole night she does not whine, and she has never once had an accident! Through a whole night in my bedroom! All she does is curl up beside my bed on the floor and lay there until I wake up and take her potty. It's incredible.
I would ditch the crate entirely, because she seems to be doing so well this way, but I still need to leave my house periodically during the day, and the crate is my only other option. If I continue being consistent and working daily on having her feel more comfortable with the crate, will she break this habit of panic poop?
That's what you shoud do then. Being a rescue dog, she has more than likely had some bad experiences in confinement like a crate.
I'd keep doing the bedroom thing...she will be a better more secure dog. I don't like crates either, I have one for emergencies, we live in a flood prone region, so my dog can be in one...and that woulld be safer in the car.
Sounds like she is in good hands...just keep doing what works for you.
Get rid of the crate. I've been able to housetrain every dog I've had without one. Just limit the puppy's area but try to spend as much time as possible with her. Hold her on your lap and let her sit or lie beside you. It's the way to do it without fear and terror.
At her age she can't hold it in very well so praise her when you take her out and she goes.
I totally agree.
My Pups went crazy when I tried to crate when young pups now seniors they have free roam of the house and never mess.
The anxiety on their part just wasn't worth crating.
We had very good luck with crate training from the beginning. Ours was not a rescue however. The size of the crate is very important. We had a Samoyed & we bought larger crates as she got bigger. Within a couple of years we could leave the house with her crate open and she was just fine. It did take 2 yrs. to be able to leave her alone even though she had 6 wks. of out of the house training when she was 6 mos. old. Try putting the crate in your bedroom with the door open at night and see if she goes in there. Ours found that her crate was her "house" and eventually went in there just to get away from everyone and be alone. kelsie
I got Arwen at 12 weeks. I tried the crate overnight and she was so loud that I thought my neighbors would call the cops. I knew then that she was not for the crate. I then went to enclosing her in the kitchen. This worked for awhile. Then in September, we just let her free in the house, of course making sure it was safe for her.
Keep working on the crate training. Even if eventually you don't use one regularly the fact is that a crate trained dog is more relaxed should it ever be necessary for her to be boarded or to stay overnight at the vets. Plus, if you ever travel by ari with her, she will have to be in a crate and a dog that's crate trained is much more relaxed and less likely to panic than one that isn't.
One thing you could do is combine the crate with an expen especially for those times you can't be there to let her out every hour such as at night. Put the crate with the crate door open inside an expen. Inside the crate put something with your scent on it as well as an appropriate, crate only chew toy and/or treat(s). Place the set up someplace easy to clean up or on something (i.e. a plastic tarp) easy to clean. If necessary put something over the top so she can't climb out.
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