Help with Puppy problem

[bjgrazi]

Our 12 week old female puppy has started peeing in her crate.

I took her out at 7:30 and she just went to the bathroom in her crate (It's not yet 8:30). We've ruled out UTI with the vet. She has just enough room to move around.

Any suggestions?

 

[Mermaid02]

Don't clean it up immediately. Make her stay in it for a while.... she'll learn she doesn't like it. Tough love!

 

[noseybuddy]

Both of my dogs did that when they were puppies. It took me a long time to house train both of them. I would confine them to the kitchen because they would urinate so frequently. I felt like I was outsite all the time. Don't know the reason for it, but it eventually stopped.

 

[MeanLaureen]

How big is her crate compared to her? Does she have room to get up and walk around? If so, find a way to reduce the size of it so she just has enough room to comfortably lay down. Maybe a board blocking the back part of it. If they have enough room to make a "bathroom" area in their crate, they will.

 

[pumba]

their little bladders are not that big........we started off going out every other hour and if they had an accident in between ....we did it every one and a half and see if that worked........megara was a heavy pee'r ....she went each hour and then she would sleep all night......keep trying cause eventually they get the picture......disinfect the crate so she won't smell the odor and think that is where she is supposed to go....keep the lestoil handy.......my house smelled like lestoil for a few weeks.....hahaha

 

[bekkiz]

Do not let her have water all day long. You can perscribe how much water she takes in, and it will be easier to control how much she puts out.

 

[bjgrazi]

She has just enough room to lay down. I take her every 1 1/2 - 2 hrs. I'm getting frustrated and I go back to work in less than 2 weeks and I'm worried.

 

[minkydog]

Since I am currently in the potty-training business, I thought I'd weigh in. Puppies, like children, "go" frequently, about every 60-90 min. If you feed and water Muffin at 7:30, you need to take him out within 30 min to avoid accidents. Dont give him free access to water & food all day long. Give him water breaks every hour or so, and several small meals each day, followed by a walk outside. Make sure the cage is only big enough to sleep in and turn around in.

At first you may feel like you are spending all day outside. This too shall pass. Eventually your puppy and his bladder will grow up and it won't be such a problem. Most pups are pretty reliable by 5-6 months.

Cathy--mom to Minky(5), who would rather explode than wet in the house.

 

[stamper]

Oh this is so hard, but it will pass. Hang in there.

I would'nt go that "tough love" route. They won't learn to hate it, they will learn to live with it and set up a pattern for wallowing in it for life.

Did she "go" at 7:30 when you took her out? If yes, good. If no, then put her back in crate for only say 15 min. and try again. When she does go out side...praise, praise, praise. Make it a party! Also, it's useful to start ueing a command...as soon as she starts to "go" say something like "pee-pee, good girl!". Eventually this will be something she will do on command. If she has an accident inside....ignore it and calmly clean it up. Remember, even a negative reaction is a form of attention and can reinforce a behavior. Praise what you want to keep, ignore what you want to go away. Takes time, but works.

Back to the problem at hand, did she eat after her 7:30 outing? If yes, this likely triggered the need to go. Puppies are food in, pee/poop out. So, I'd take her out within say 5-10 min. of eating/drinking. Also, we have one dog that doesn't always "do it" all - only enough so it doesn't hurt any more first thing in the AM...guess he's in too much of a hurry to get his breakfast.

Like Pumba said, make sure to clean/ disinfect the crate each time she has an accident. You'll need an odor neutralizer to really get rid of it. Try something like Nature's Miracle or our fave is called Urine Kleen...it's made here in Maine and available online through GG Bean...if you can't find it let me know...I'll track them down for ya.

Good luck! Puppies are so precious. I should know....we have 6 at the moment. You think you have pee problems!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

well...I am having a similar problem...we took in my friend Min Pin because her son was allergic...because of this, she kept Sami in the kennel crate all day long!! She has pooped and peed in it almost every night and yesterday, when I came home from work, she had pooped then "plastered" the kennel in it..I do have a smaller crate...should I use that or wait...she is only 4 months and she does go when I take her out and is reponding to the clicker really well...I just think that 4pm is her poop time and no one is going to stop that!

 

[stamper]

DisneyDmbNut,

First, good for you for taking Sami in...Min Pin's are such cute "big" dogs in little bodies!

You may be right about the 4 pm being poop time. How long is she left alone and crated ea. day? Can you get someone to go to your home and let her out for a potty break in the afternoon? If she was crated before for long periods of time, she may have gotten into a bad habid of going in there and living with it. How about instead of a crate, you try a small area on flooring that cleans easily...fenced off. If you are gone a long period ea. day, a small enclosed area is "kinder" to the pup than being couped up in a crate all day (not accusing you of anything, just can't tell from your post what your schedule is like). Pet supply catalogs have exercise pens that are great to contain a dog but have more room than a crate...think of a wire crate without a floor or top. Did you know that pups can be litter trained? Might help until she's able to hold it later than 4 PM. We have litter trained our litter of pups...they hit the box most of the time which is a huge help! I got a plastic tote from Wal-Mart...a shallow one. We use wood pellets for litter...pet shops also sell pellet type litter made from either wood or a mix of wood and paper. It's different than cat litter. It's easier when they are younger, but I think it would still be possible at 4 months.

Hope you hit on just the right thing to help her!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

My DH is a fireman and works 24 hours so the days that he is at work, she is in there for about 9 hours....that only happens every few days...Monday - Thursday. This week it was yesterday...all other days I am home or he is home...She poops every morning first thing...I have thought about gating her in the kitchen...maybe if I put papers down in the corner, that would work????

 

[stamper]

Yes, that would be a much better option for those 9 hr. days. 9 hours is much to long to be in a crate. Even for an adult that is too long...

Only problem with paper is that puppies will shred it....it's fun to play with! That's why we went the litter route...yes, they sometimes toss it around, but not as bad as the shredded paper. Wood pellets (for pellet stoves) run $5-$6 for 40 lbs. or you could use shavings like for small animals (just not pine, bad for dogs) in a pan of some sort to help contain it in one area.

good luck...it will get better!

 

[bekkiz]

A couple of other options
1) those plastic mats from the office store for under desk chairs

2) plastic backed drop cloths (you can find them in home depot, and they're pretty cheap). Duct tape them to the floor so they don't play with them

Also, you could look into getting an ex-pen like this : http://www.petedge.com/shopping/pro...08&iSubCat=507&iSubSubCat=509&iProductID=3292

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

What is a pellet stove and where would I get that...will she eat it??
She was so good yesterday...no poop in her kennel and just alittle peeps...DH is home with her today, but he isn't as vigilant about taking her out every hour like I am.
I only work till 1 on Fridays so I will have all weekend to work with her again.

Anyone use clickers?? She is really a smart dog ( much as I complain ) and is picking up on the "clicker is good" idea.
Oh..one more thing..she barks in her kennel at night if I don't put a warm towel in with her...is this because she is small? She loves my hot pack that I got at the mall..the kind you nuke, but I am afraid to leave that in her kennel because she might chew it open and eat the rice!

 

[Tantor]

We stopped liquids after 6 at night. That helped alot.

 

[stamper]

Oops, sorry Betsey....didn't see where you are from. They may not have pellet stoves down there in the sunny south! It's a stove for heat and instead of using large pieces of wood, they use pellets made of pressed wood. They look a little like rabbit pellets, only not for eating. Our guys have eaten a few, but quickly found they aren't too tasty There is a product called Second Nature pet litter...made of wood and paper pulps...more pricey though. I found a shop here a wood pellet litter - can't remember the name though.

As for her being cold, yes it's likely because of size. And Min Pins don't have much hair to keep them warm either. I don't think I'd leave her the hot pack. How about a nice warm blanket, fleece maybe. She can bunch it up and curl up in or under it as she pleases.

Glad she had a good day yesterday. Oh, we LOVE the clicker!! We use it for things that our dogs just don't "get" any other way. The clicker seems to make it "click" for them (pun intended ). You're being such a good dog mom!!! It will pay off soon enough.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

she has a fleece bed, but I think that the warmth makes her happy...i take a towel and stick it in the micowave before I go to bed and she doesn't bark..if I just put her in there with the fleece bed...BARKBARKBARK!!
LOL..she is such a princess!