Crate Training A Puppy...

[redhen]

Sooo.. we got a pup the other day and i'm TRYING to crate train him..*sigh*
The problem i'm having is he is peeing and pooping IN the crate when hes in it... (hes mostly only in it at night..)
Wondering if hes having a hard time figuring it out because he was raised in a welping box with his siblings..and they also had to use the box to go potty in...
How can i get him to stop going in the crate? We take him out a LOT... several times a night..anytime we hear him whimper or wake up in the carte. But hes still having accidents inside the crate...
What to do?

 

[Hound]

Either his crate is too big or he isn't having enough trips outside, so he's having to go in there.

ETA Puppies in a whelping box will defecate/urinate away from their sleeping area. They have an innate instinct not to mess in the 'den'.

 

[Unclebean]

Quote:
I agree. A smaller crate may help. Good lock with the new addition!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Does he still have room to lay down after he poops?

 

[redhen]

I think the crate may be too big for him.... its the medium size..but the small is too small for him. He wont be able to turn around in it... (i'm using the hard sided plastic type crate)

Hes not in the crate long at all.. just at night time... and when we hear him moving in there or he whimpers..we bring him outside. Like 3 times a night.. (which i think is a lot..) and he STILL finds time to pee or poop in there... (probably does it after we bring him back inside..

..)
He also HATES to go in his crate at night... he yelps and wont stop until he wears himself out. I feel bad..but he has to get used to it..
During the day time h'es with us or in a play pen...

 

[NellaBean]

My last puppy, my 11 month old chow mix......took FOREVER to get potty trained. She had accidents in her crate all the time. It was ridiculous. I got her at 3 months and I think it took a good month for her to not have any accidents at night. She only just in the last month or two learned how to be in the house without randomly peeing. For some reason, she just didn't get it.

Don't worry, it'll figure it out eventually.

 

[Hound]

When he goes out at night are you taking him on a leash, or putting him outside?

It sucks, but having them on a leash and waiting it out until you catch them at the right moment does work quicker in the long run.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
we stay with him outside... we dont always use a leash though..cause we bring him in our dog pen to go..
And we always say.."go potty".. and then when he goes we praise him.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

Some people may disagree with me, but this has worked for me with at least 8 puppies so far.

I do not worry about the puppy soiling the crate. I put a newspaper area in the back of the crate, in fact, so they CAN go in there. I start separating puppies out into the crate for naps by themselves at 7-8 weeks. Before this they have access to a crate in their exercise area.

Without fail, around 11-12 weeks, my puppies start asking to be let out of the crate to go potty. First the poops stop, and then the pees. I have never had this fail with a single puppy I have trained in this manner. I've never had one that was hard to get to stay clean in the house, or that would foul a crate later.

These are puppies that have been raised in a clean environment, and encouraged to potty on newspaper away from the play and sleeping area from the age of 3 weeks. However this has worked with 2 other puppies which i acquired from other breeders.

So, I say don't stress about it. Fix a potty area for the pup inside a large crate, and focus on rewarding all the outdoor potty activity that you get. When the pup is ready, he will stop going in the crate.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

Use FOOD REWARDS for outdoor elimination. You want to really be making an impression on how beneficial it is for him to go potty outdoors. Take the rewards with you so that you can reward the puppy the second he is done. When my puppies squat to go, I will hold out the cookie so they can see it while I am saying GOOD PEE PEE GO PEE PEE.