Messing in the crate

Could do with some advice please guys. During the day, as long as I take Charlie outside every couple of hours and after he's eaten, Charlie's great about doing his business outside. But at night, or if we leave him for a few hours in his crate to pop out during the day, he pees and poops in there. He loves his crate, and goes in voluntarily, and never ever whines in there so its not a fear thing. My neighbours say they havent heard him whine when we're out, so I dont think its a separation thing. He doesnt eat or drink anything after about 6.30 pm, he gets let out last thing about 11 and I come down and let him out again at about 3. But when I get up around 7, there's always poo and wee, same if we leave him during the day. I've divided his crate so he only has room to lay down and turn around, I thought that might deter him, but he's still doing it. Any ideas?

What exactly do you have in his crate - can you put a pic on here?

My hubby put in a perfect sized board and attached it with cable ties, its all safe, there's nothing that can hurt Charlie. Its reduced the size of the crate by half. He's get a thick blanket in there to sleep on and a couple of toys to keep him entertained. I can try to get a pic on later but I'm sorting my kids out at mo. I honestly thought reducing the space in there would do it cos they dont like to mess in their bed and it worked with my last pup but Charlie doesnt seem to care. I'm a bit worried cos next week I go back to uni and on a tuesday, I'll be gone from 8.30 til 2, and if he wees or poos, he'll have to lay in it til I get home which wont be nice for him

I think what you're going to have to do is open up the crate again, put a bed in half of it & that's the bit he won't soil. It's sounds like a retrograde step, but it isn't. He'll gradually learn that being in a messy crate isn't pleasant, but at least in the meantime he won't be lying in the muck.

Don't forget he's still only 3 months old! When he needs to go, he needs to go pretty quickly, they don't have the bladder or bowel control of an older dog.

Although Dempsey never mucked his crate (unless he had the runs! :-& ) his crate isn't huge, only large enough for him to stretch out. As a pup, we put the bottom half of a pet carrier inside the crate for his bed, and even when he couldn't hold it, he only ever mucked in the bit without the bed. By the time he'd outgrown the pet carrier he could hold on a lot longer so accidents didn't happen.

Ok thanks Caryll, I'll do that. I was originally putting paper at one end and his bed at the other but I didnt want him to get used to it and think it was always going to be ok for him to do it in his crate. I'll take the board out today and go back to that, see how he goes.

Good luck with Charlie..
Can I ask how old he was when you first got him... or when your dad ( i think) had him at his house?
I only ask becuase I have that read the mummy dog teaches them to soil outside around 7 weeks.. and my breeder said that it was about that time that Holly's mum was actually nudging her out side on the grass by 8 weeks.
we have been super lucky i think with Holly.. she sleeps 10pm till6.30am and has never soiled or wet.
I think he will get the idea in no time.. but as Caryll said best to leave him an area to go in where he doesnt lay in it.

They're all different, aren't they? Dogs in general, though, are slower at house training than bitches - no idea why!

I know that they find it more difficult to hold themselves than bitches do - it's probably a physical thing. Bandit was house trained fully by the time he was about 5 months old, Dempsey was about 6 or 7 months before I could really say he was house trained.

Mel Skora wrote:Good luck with Charlie..
Can I ask how old he was when you first got him... or when your dad ( i think) had him at his house?
I only ask becuase I have that read the mummy dog teaches them to soil outside around 7 weeks.. and my breeder said that it was about that time that Holly's mum was actually nudging her out side on the grass by 8 weeks.
we have been super lucky i think with Holly.. she sleeps 10pm till6.30am and has never soiled or wet.
I think he will get the idea in no time.. but as Caryll said best to leave him an area to go in where he doesnt lay in it.

He was 6 weeks and 3 days old when my dad picked him up Mel. At my dads, he was paper trained and used paper 9 times out of 10 while he was there, but when I got him, at 8 weeks and 1 day, he was having none of it. He's good at going outside but as Caryll said, when he needs to go, he goes, whether he's outside or in, so I make sure I take him out regularly. I'm not too fussed about it, he's still just a baby, but I'd have felt better about going back to uni if he wasnt messing in his crate. But I'll just go back to putting bed at one end and toilet at other. He's so bloody big now tho, when he stretches right out, his head is at one end and his feet at the other! Noone believes me when I tell them he's 3 months old, they think he's 4 or 5 months at least, he's gonna be absolutely massive when he's full grown - I'm scared! Lol

yeah he will get there.. They are all different and it is the same with human babies... girls are easier than boys in most cases.

Going back to Uni will be adding to your stress i would think.. but i am sure that if he isnt crying or fussing he will be fine

He doesnt mind being left, he's good as gold about being in the crate, its just the toileting in there that I worry about. But he'll catch on in the end, they all do in their own time. You've certainly been lucky with Holly, I'm glad she's settled in so well, bet you're all loving it

She has been great.. but she hasnt been left for more than 2 hours... so once we all go back to work ( me from home) things might change..
but for now we are all getting along well.
I am surprised tho that a 9 week old can hold a wee/poo for 8 hours???
She seemed to sleep a real lot today and did make a little fuss today about going to bed.. but only a few whimpers etc.. I dont know what she will be like when we have to leave her for half a day etc.??

My last pup was going right through the night at 8 weeks old, she was a bitch so I think Caryll is right about the male/female thing. Your best bet is to start extending the time you leave Holly in her crate now before everyone has to go back to work/school. Put some toys and a kong in with her and stay out of the room she is in. Extend it by half an hour each time. She needs to get used to being left alone or she'll just whine and whine when you leave her. If you start now, it should help you avoid separation problems when she's older. My greyhound had separation anxiety so abdi he literally chewed massive holes in the door and skirting board trying to get out of the room we put him in when we left him. Thats when we discovered the wonders of the crate! He whined literally from the time we left til the time we got back. It drove my poor neighbours mad!

mel im not to suprised about the pooing
but the weeing i am a little are you sure she not just weting in her bed as they just kind of leak ha ha when they sleep they dont actully wake to go for a wee
there bladder control really isnt that good untill around 6 months

Samson has always had his bed, food/water bowl in his cage as its a big one and he never messed not near his bed or food, do you get up through the night to let Charlie out if not try letting him out don't talk to him just put him out then back in crate and if this stops the mess, each night go down 1/2 hour later till he can wait through the night

For about a week after being left in the crate my pups Tango and Blondy used to mess so i reduced the size and they still done it on their blankets. I was told to leave the blanket dirty and make them unfortable but i didn't so i stopped feeding later than 6 and they didn't have a drink about an hour before bed that seemed to work for me now Blondy is great in the crate all through the night and during the day.

MissRogue, Charlie doesnt eat after 6.30, but I might bring it forward to 6 and see how that goes. Marty, I get up between 2 and 3 and take him out, but there's still pee and poo in there in the morning.

Well sounds like your doing everything right, the rest as they say is upto Charlie, i was lucky with Samson he was house trained in 3 days but Katie before him was about 7 month, some just learn quicker than others

He'll get there eventually, they all do it in their own time. I'm just gonna go with it and not stress about it. He's perfect in every other way so I really cant complain. But 3 days, seriously? I'm soooo jealous!

yeah he did it in 3 days but i lived and slept in the kitchen with him for those 3 days, by the end of day 2 he sat on the door mat to go out, i didn't do any paper training just outside every half hour, he soon learnt that's were business is done

bigwazza wrote:mel im not to suprised about the pooing
but the weeing i am a little are you sure she not just weting in her bed as they just kind of leak ha ha when they sleep they dont actully wake to go for a wee
there bladder control really isnt that good untill around 6 months

Everythign feels dry in there... she does do about 4 wees in the matter of 20 mins when she wakes.

Bruiser done that everynight at first, but he only messes the crate twice a week average, he is improving though and im sure you lil pup will, i just made sure i cleaned the crate and put fresh bedding in staright away so there was no smell left.
I try not to give him any food at least 4 hours before bed

i love that name "bruiser"
any pics?

lolalollypop wrote:i love that name "bruiser"
any pics?

hi, yes im going to upload a few later on when i get home