Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have a 15 week old puppy who we are trying to house break. I got the book puppies for dummies. ( It was recomended by the breader) Any way we purchased a crate and are crate training her. The first two weeks were great. But now she is pooping in the crate! The book dosent say anything about that. In fact it says that they wont poop where they sleep. We only put her in the crate at night for 6-7 hours while we are asleep and when I leave to run arrends. I stay at home with the kids so she is not in the crate in it alot. I dont know what do do now, any suggestions.
Are you sure that she doesn't need to poop before you put her in her crate at night?
And if the crate is big enough that she can poop but not have to sleep/touch it (so she can poop in one corner and sleep in the other) then you'll need to get a smaller crate or make the one you have smaller so she can lay down and there is no extra room.
Also, is the poop runny? If it is runny, they can't hold that in even if they want to. If it is, it might be her food and you will need to change to a higher quality food
You probably just have to adjust her feeding, walking and crating schedule. If you are only putting her in the crate for night time sleeping, then feed her dinner earlier. Then before bedtime, walk her until she poops and praise her.
You probably just have to adjust her feeding, walking and crating schedule. If you are only putting her in the crate for night time sleeping, then feed her dinner earlier. Then before bedtime, walk her until she poops and praise her.
We have a 15 week old puppy who we are trying to house break. I got the book puppies for dummies. ( It was recomended by the breader) Any way we purchased a crate and are crate training her. The first two weeks were great. But now she is pooping in the crate! The book dosent say anything about that. In fact it says that they wont poop where they sleep. We only put her in the crate at night for 6-7 hours while we are asleep and when I leave to run arrends. I stay at home with the kids so she is not in the crate in it alot. I dont know what do do now, any suggestions.
6 to 7 hours is a long time for a 12 week old pup to hold urine and poop. A general rule of thumb is one hour for every month of age. 3 to 4 hours is about the limit for dogs of that age. By 5 or 6 months she'll probably be able to last the night.
Thank you for all the advise.
Her poop is a little runny. Her crate is just a little too big. I put a dog bed in it to fill up ths space but she een pooped in the bed. We take her outside each night before we goes in the crate for the night.
I usually feed her in the mornings only once a day as suggested. I think that she may be getting into the cat food that is self serve all day to them.
Oh yeah, my dogs think cat food is caviar! Put the cat food where she can't reach it. They also think cat poop is gold caviar, so make sure she can't get to the litterbox.
Thank you for all the advise.
Her poop is a little runny. Her crate is just a little too big. I put a dog bed in it to fill up ths space but she een pooped in the bed. We take her outside each night before we goes in the crate for the night.
I usually feed her in the mornings only once a day as suggested. I think that she may be getting into the cat food that is self serve all day to them.
12 week old puppies do best on 3 feedings a day, and then after 6 months, drop to 2 feedings a day. Large breed dogs are prone to bloat and feeding once a day can increase the risk factor. Two smaller meals are best. Here's advice from a vet: How to Have a Happy Puppy : The manual of puppy care and training..
A pup has too small a stomach to hold enough food to sustain it for 24 hours. Your pup is still a canine baby. Part of the problem may be your pup needs to gorge itself because it's so hungry, and that throws the digestion off. Try 3 smaller meals a day, on a consistent schedule, and make the last meal early in the evening.
To decrease the size of the crate interior use a box.
I agree that your puppy needs more then one meal a day and that a puppy that young will have a hard time making it through the night without a potty break.
I had Jazz's crate right next to my bed and she would wake me and as much as I hated getting out of bed we would do a middle of the night potty break.She never had an accident in her crate as she would whine and wake me up.
Puppies are just like human babies in that you will be woken up those first few months. They tend to take alot of work and people need to consider this when considering a young puppy verses an adult. Yes they are cute and adorable but it does come with a price and that may be your sleep!
Get a puppy be prepared for some sleepless nights but they are so worth it!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
