Why is my dog Nala pooping in her cage?! Help!

[DreamDelta]

Our dog Nala just turned 1-year-old on July 2nd. She is relatively house trained except for a small number of "accidents" here or there. For the past few days when we leave her for a few hours in her cage when we come home she's pooped in her cage! She hasn't pooped in her cage in MONTHS, at least eight months ago! What's going on? Is she regressing? Is it possible that she may be sick? The poop hasn't been runny or loose. She also pooped and peed in the kitchen two days ago as well, something she hasn't done in months either. I don't want this to become a recurring problem.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[foolishmortal]

maybe she just needs to be let out more often

 

[diesel]

what kind of dog is she?

 

[onelilspark]

What size is the cage? It could be too big for her.

 

[dpmfloyd]

before you go out for a few hours, make sure you're taking her for a walk.

 

[LindaR]

The crate should ONLY be big enough for her to turn around in and lie down. And perhaps it wasn't cleaned enough (gotta kill the enzymes in order to kill the slightest hint of smell or they will go where they have gone before! White vinegar works really well for this).

Sounds like you need to go thru a period of "re-training" and take the dog outside to potty every time you take her out of the the crate. She also needs to not have free run of the house. Attach her to a leash and the leash to you.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Is she on a consistent schedule? The crate should be very snug for your dog too - having too much space is never a good thing. It sounds like she may have started having anxiety issues. We had a foster dog that had accidents all the time and when we set up our webcam, we saw that he was pacing and making a lot of noise so we started to feed him in his crate to start seeing it as a more positive place and then downloaded "Through a Dogs Ear" - a CD that calms down dogs (I was skeptical but it works) and just kept playing it on the computer all day. Accidents stopped immediately.

 

[DreamDelta]

maybe she just needs to be let out more often

She goes out every 4 hours, even though I know she can go longer without going out.

 

[DreamDelta]

what kind of dog is she?

Labrador Retriever

 

[DreamDelta]

What size is the cage? It could be too big for her.

I took the divider out of the cage months ago when she was consistently poop-free overnight. Do you think I should put the divider back in?

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

She goes out every 4 hours, even though I know she can go longer without going out.

Definitely anxiety coupled with maybe needing some more walking time. Another thing you can try is the thundershirt. But, I would honestly recommend that CD. It was amazing how that made such a big difference. It is also great for dogs who bark all day. It has saved friends from being kicked out of their apartments because their dogs wouldn't be quiet.

 

[DreamDelta]

before you go out for a few hours, make sure you're taking her for a walk.

Already doing that.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Since the 4th of July just passed I can't help but wonder if the Fireworks didn't scare her so much she's afraid to go outside now and instead prefers to be vulnerable in her home. My 9 year old dog is traumatized for days after the 4th but he doesn't go inside, he just holds it all day and wakes us up in the middle of the night (2am or 4am) to go. I would think some significant time outside with her and treat rewards when she goes outside might be able to help, maybe a few days of your company outside showing her she's safe might help too. At least that's my best guess considering the sudden change and the timing of it.

 

[LindaR]

She is technically still a puppy! Just because she is a large breed and "looks" full grown does not mean that mentally she is mature.

Large breeds are not close to mature until 2 years of age.

Her crate should be a place of sanctuary. Not a place of punishment. Make sure you have taught her that.

When you leave, NEVER make a big deal. Do not say goodbye. Do not make a big deal when you return. Take her out of the crate immediately and take her outside to potty. Praise, praise, praise when she goes.

 

[DreamDelta]

The crate should ONLY be big enough for her to turn around in and lie down. And perhaps it wasn't cleaned enough (gotta kill the enzymes in order to kill the slightest hint of smell or they will go where they have gone before! White vinegar works really well for this).

Sounds like you need to go thru a period of "re-training" and take the dog outside to potty every time you take her out of the the crate. She also needs to not have free run of the house. Attach her to a leash and the leash to you.

I guess that I need to put the divider back in her crate. And I am using the store bought stuff to kill the enzymes, but maybe I'll do a once over with white vinegar too.

Nala doesn't have free reign of he house, she's only allowed in the kitchen, den and bathroom and the hall that connects those rooms. And we do take her outside each time she's taken out of her crate. I guess I'm going to have to re-train her.... Yuck!

 

[LindaR]

And make sure that when there are things like fireworks or thunderstorms that the door of her crate is open so that she can go in if she wants. NEVER, NEVER pet her to "calm her" during these things.....that only re-inforces her fear. You THINK you are comforting her but you are actually creating an issue.

When there is something "stressful" going on, instead of comforting her, take the time to have a training session. This teaches her that no matter what is going on outside, life is normal. You are acting normal therefore she should act normal too. This also diverts her attention and makes her focus on pleasing you!

 

[DreamDelta]

Is she on a consistent schedule? The crate should be very snug for your dog too - having too much space is never a good thing. It sounds like she may have started having anxiety issues. We had a foster dog that had accidents all the time and when we set up our webcam, we saw that he was pacing and making a lot of noise so we started to feed him in his crate to start seeing it as a more positive place and then downloaded "Through a Dogs Ear" - a CD that calms down dogs (I was skeptical but it works) and just kept playing it on the computer all day. Accidents stopped immediately.

Today the divider goes back in her crate. I thought I was just making her more comfortable by giving her more room. I'm going try feeding her in her crate and see if that works and will try the "Through a Dogs Ear" CD as well. I'm willing to try just about anything at this point! Thanks for the advice!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Today the divider goes back in her crate. I thought I was just making her more comfortable by giving her more room. I'm going try feeding her in her crate and see if that works and will try the "Through a Dogs Ear" CD as well. I'm willing to try just about anything at this point! Thanks for the advice!

whoa Angela I can hardly read your posts..did you change the color of the print or is it me??

Anyway, we've crossed paths before (re_ Dyson vaccuum remember) For Nala I totally agree...the divider going back in the crate MUST, we have a doxie that will do this if he has too much room (like when I stupidly put him in a pointer size crate) and feeding in the crate good too....best of luck with your baby, she'll get it..just patience Ruthie

 

[DreamDelta]

Since the 4th of July just passed I can't help but wonder if the Fireworks didn't scare her so much she's afraid to go outside now and instead prefers to be vulnerable in her home. My 9 year old dog is traumatized for days after the 4th but he doesn't go inside, he just holds it all day and wakes us up in the middle of the night (2am or 4am) to go. I would think some significant time outside with her and treat rewards when she goes outside might be able to help, maybe a few days of your company outside showing her she's safe might help too. At least that's my best guess considering the sudden change and the timing of it.

The fireworks didn't seem to bother her at all! I think our air conditioners were too loud for her to hear them.

As far as walking her and spending time with her, well my DS walks her for 30 minutes before he goes to camp and I walk for at least an hour a day during the day. I've been on vacation for the past 3 weeks and will be for the next three weeks, so Nala hasn't been spending nearly as much time in her crate. We spend almost the whole day together.

 

[jen0610]

before you go out for a few hours, make sure you're taking her for a walk.

Already doing that.

Even with walking, you need to make sure that Nala is doing her business while on her walk. If by the end of the walk, she hasn't gone and you know it's been awhile since she last did go, you need to stay out there, if you are going to be putting her into the kennel/cage and leaving for several hours.

Also, when we are going to be leaving the house not long after getting up for the day, we don't let the dogs have that much to eat before they are put into the kennel/cage. Just enough so that they aren't sitting for hours having not eaten.

With our older dog, she has seperation anxiety, which would cause her to go pee in the kennel, if we were gone too long. Between the going, the slobber and drool, and chewing on herself, she was a mess. For us, it was a matter of not using a kennel when we were gone. She is confined to our bedroom, she is gated in so that she can see out into the rest of the house, and she is perfectly content. She can smell our scents and we leave a radio on for company. Since switching over, she has not had a single accident, nor does she look a mess from the chewing and slobbering.