How to stop dog from releaving itself in crate

claytonsm18 · Post by **claytonsm18** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 1:31 pm

I am a new member to Gun Dog Forum and I have a GSP 5-month old puppy who is really well behaved. She has completely stopped having accidents in the house, she lets us know that she has to go outside very well. Her one problem is that she continues to urinate and poop in her crate during the day and night. She does her business right in the middle of the crate and proceeds to lay in it. I am clueless as to why she is doing this, she goes into her crate easily and willingly. The maximum amount of time we leave her in the crate would be for about 8 hours at night and during the day she is never in there from more then 5 hours straight because I come home during lunch to let her outside. She does not seem to be using these lunch breaks to her advantage though because she is often playing around too much and does not go to the bathroom. Also there is really no consistance to when she goes poop in the crate. Like the other day she was in the crate for 5 hours and no poop, but then the next day she was in it for 1 hour and she pooped all over the place and proceeded to lay and step in it. I think her crate is the appropriate size, just enough room for her to stand, turn-around, and lay down. Please help I am at my wits end!

jjackman · Post by **jjackman** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:35 pm

Pretty good chance that you're leaving your dog crated too long for their age.

My rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month of age between bathroom breaks. Sleeping at night gets you some extra time, especially if you feed in the mornings.

5 hours in a crate might be acheivable if they just had some vigerous exercise, have been awake for several hours, have not eaten in 3-4 hours and just urinated or deficated in the last 20 min.

Even with that, you're going to want to let them out ASAP to do their business

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:57 pm

jjackman wrote:Pretty good chance that you're leaving your dog crated too long for their age.

My rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month of age between bathroom breaks. Sleeping at night gets you some extra time, especially if you feed in the mornings.

5 hours in a crate might be acheivable if they just had some vigerous exercise, have been awake for several hours, have not eaten in 3-4 hours and just urinated or deficated in the last 20 min.

Even with that, you're going to want to let them out ASAP to do their business

I agree with Jassen on this one. You are leaving the poor little guy in there too long. Let him out alone and right when he finishes doing his buisness let him in and play with him. Reward him for going outside.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:59 pm

Can you leave him outside during the day? Or have another dog comeover to play with him or make arrangments to have him to go over to another dogs place while you are gone.

I have made arrangments for my new puppy to be over at my parents house and play with Bailey during the day when I am off at work.

snips · Post by **snips** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:39 pm

I totally agree with get the pup out during the day. He is in the crate so much he is used to being in his excrement. Pup needs the outdoors, even if it`s cold. There are ways of giving him a warm place outside.

rschuster54303` · Post by **rschuster54303`** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:08 am

I am going to chime in here, and I won't say I disagree, but I do know having previously lived in the city that a dog or a puppy outdoors during the day is not practical.

I for one had lived in a neighborhood that I would not trust the dog outside alone

On your point about the GSP, I can say that I have gone through this with every GSP I have owned and i am on number 7, I even have a pup comming this weekend. The main problem is yes they are in the kennel too much, but yet again some times that can not be helped.

As a solution for what the pup is doing, I can only make the suggestion that you keep to your schedule if you let the pup out at lunch, make sure it goes then. This can be tuff or they may have gone already but you gotta stick with it. Eventually the pups figure it out and you both are happier.

Good luck,

Rob

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:28 pm

rschuster I live in town but with a 6 foot fence and lock on the gates not alot of people will jump a 6 foot fence to go into a yard with an unfamiliar dog let alone 2.

You can buy a run for the dog and put a top on it. then just lock the run during the day.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:42 pm

An outside pen, padlocked, would be the ideal.

If you cannot do this, then my suggestion would be to put a fold up type wire crate on the end of your plastic type (I assume it is) crate.
Thus the enclosed crate is the kennel and the pup can get out and
relieve itself in the end crate without having to live with it.

You will need to get all the smell out the original crate and bedding as pup may well associate any smell left with where to toilet.

Pup is getting used to living in it's waste, and in all honesty this is pretty awful for the pup not just the owners

rschuster54303` · Post by **rschuster54303`** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:02 am

Ryan,

I guess barking, kids teasing the dog, potential theft, it is just a pupy after all along with any number of other problems that can develope between you and your neighbors must not be a problem in Canada?

Don't get me wrong I moved to the country and have 4.5 acres so that I can have indoor outdoor kennels, but what you are suggesting in town, any that I have lived in, isn't practical.

Regards,

Rob

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:28 pm

Hey, I have this thing about quality of life

Gdogger · Post by **Gdogger** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:14 pm

I happen to know the owners of this dog and I can assure you that its quality of life it just fine. So you can rest easy knowing that they care about its quality of life as well. They wouldn't be concerned about this problem if they weren't caring owners. The dog gets out regularly for excercise and for hunting/training. It is fully house trained outside of the crate but they are just having problems in the crate when they deviate from a strict schedule.

Thanks to everyone with helpful hints! She has been better in the last few days.

Greg

Wagonmaster · Post by **Wagonmaster** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 7:08 am

rschuster I live in town but with a 6 foot fence and lock on the gates not alot of people will jump a 6 foot fence to go into a yard with an unfamiliar dog let alone 2.

Unfortunately, this is not the only problem. When we lived in town, we had constant problems with kids chucking rocks and cans at the dogs inside the fence, even though it was a nice suburban neighborhood, or was supposed to be. We moved to a place where the dogs can run 18 years ago.

Wesley Boothe · Post by **Wesley Boothe** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:07 pm

Welcome to the forum. Since she is house trained, is there a room in the house that you could leave her in (closed off from the entire house) with the crate door open so she can go in and out of the crate and if she does have an accident at least she would not be lying in it. I know, it does not solve the problem, but might help her stay clean until she out grows the problem. Good luck.