Soiling in crate

[WILLIAM TAYLOR]

I've started doing obedience training with my 9 month old rottweiler/pitbull puppies. The obedience training is going well and I'm very excited that I've purchased the program.

I do have a specific question that I'm hoping for which I am hoping to find a solution.  My male puppy seems to do fine with not soiling in his crate if he's in there overnight and for short periods of time during the day. My female puppy, however, has no problem peeing and pooping in her crate even if she's only been in there for 20 minutes. She will do this even if she's been out and been outside and done her business. I'm not sure how to help correct this or what avenue to take to help her not defecate where she sleeps. Is there anything that I could be doing specifically that would help her get trained in this particular area? I appreciate any help and direction with my situation. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums!

If your female pup at the age of 9 months is peeing and pooping in her crate even if she's only been in there for 20 minutes, there is some problem going on. Here are some troubleshooting options/tips to consider:

-Ensure she is "empty" before being crated. Go physically out with her to ensure she has pooped and peed just prior to crating her. Keep her on leash if needed.

-If you're not sure your dog is empty, you will have to monitor her carefully while she is in the crate so you can intervene quickly by letting her out at the earliest signs of needing to go potty.  

-The crate may be too large. An ideal crate should be large enough for her to stand up, lie down and turn around, but snug enough that she can't easily pee or poop in a corner of the crate and rest comfortably at the other side. If her crate is too big, you may need to use a dog crate partition.

-Make it a habit of providing your dog a long lasting edible chew or stuffed Kong when told to “crate” so to inculcate the denning instinct, which teaches her to associate the crate with a place to eat and sleep and not go potty.

-Clean the accidents in the crate with an enzyme-based product that helps remove traces of any residual smells. If you use towels in the crate, make sure to wash them in your washing machine with a dose of your enzymatic-cleaner to remove odors.

-In some cases, it may help removing any absorbent materials from the crate. Sure they help make the job of cleaning up faster for you, but because these absorb urine, your puppy never gets to fully experience the discomfort associated with laying in their mess. Most dogs dislike standing in or sleeping in their own waste.

- Always praise and reward your dog when she goes potty outside and aim to train her to go potty on command. 

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-on-command/

-Feed her at scheduled times 

-Exclude any possible medical problems by discussing with the vet.

Keep me updated on how things go.