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My dog won't stop peeing in his crate!!

606K views 81 replies 54 participants last post by  LittleFr0g 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Why won't my dog stop peeing in his/her crate? Our members help tackle this common problem...

My 11 week old pup was doing great in in his crate for awhile, but a couple weeks ago he started regularly peeing in his crate. He usually wont poo in it, but I can EXPECT there to be pee in his crate every morning, when I come home for lunch, and when I get back from work! I take him out regularly, restrict his water, his crate is the right size, I feed him in his crate sometimes, I have tried EVERYTHING! What else can I do?? This morning I decided to leave his soiled towel in with him in hopes that he will learn why he shouldn't potty in his crate. I feel bad for doing it though, I mean who really wants to lay in their own urine? But I think he has learned that he can pee in it all he wants and then he'll get a brand new fresh towel. So any ideas? It is really starting to make me mad! I have to do a load of puppy laundry every other day and all my towels are now unusuable! I only have 1 people towel now!!
 
#3 ·
Leaving the soiled towel in there may only cause him to soil more just from smelling it. >^^;< How long is your pup left in the crate when this happens? An 11-week-old pup can technically only hold it for about 3-4 hours. The general rule for holding it is the pup's age in months plus 1.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I have a question for you blackgavotte -- i have my 9wk old pup set up in my bathroom that isnt carpeted, his crate is in there lined with a blanket, but i took the door of it and i have a pad set on the floor for him to use while i am at work and cannot come home for lunch. I use a baby gate so that I can leave the bathroom door open and he can have a view.... i will be moving to a new carpeted house soon and i think the kitchen more than likely will be the new set up (maybe an ex-pen)..... do you think its possible for him when he is older to be able to do botht he pads while i am at work and go outside when we go for walks and exercise?
 
#5 ·
The crate is huge but I have sectioned off a part of it just big enough for him to lie down and turn around. He stays in it for 4 hours at a time while I am at work. At night, he used to sleep through the night, I would put him in about 1 A.m. and get him out at about 7:30-8 and he would never have potty in there, but now there is potty in there all the time! I know he is capable of holding it at night, cause he did it for awhile before. He gets plenty of excercise while out of his crate. I have two other dogs and a very large yard, so they all run around and play like crazy! I just don't know what to do anymore. I feel like he is getting used to sitting in his own pee and I don't want this to become a permanent thing.
Also I was wondering, the crate I am using for him is one of those metal ones so he can see out in any direction. Do you think it would be better to use one of the plastic ones so he doesn't feel so out in the open. I just think the plastic one, since its more enclosed might actually make it feel like more of a den for him right now.
 
#6 ·
BlackGavotte - Waiting to train your pup until it is 4 months old just confuses them! I would never leave paper or puppy pads down for my pup cause it tells him its ok to go in the house. That, to me, is wrong! So I will continue my crate training and suffer through the frustrations cause its only temporary this way. Teaching him that it is ok to go in the house can have permanent effects on the dog and he may never grasp the concept that going outside is where he has to go after he is 4 months old. I'm glad that your technique has worked for you, but for a lot of dogs it doesn't and crating is the best way to housebreak them. I just don't want to risk the headache of having a dog that pees on every piece of paper I happen to leave on the ground years from now.
 
#79 ·
I've got the same issues, my puppy is 12 weeks old and I have been crating her for 5 weeks now. I work very close by so I gradually started her off, with nights only and had taken up all my rugs, closed all my bedroom, closets and completely puppy proofed my house. I finally got her up to all nights in the crate, bedtime around 11 and waking up around 4am, lately it has been 6am. I use to put her in the crate at 8:15am after feeding her around 6ish and taking her out for a walk, and then again out to pee around 8am. I use to come home around 11am for a half an hour to let her out...no accidents in her kennel, leave her out of her kennel from 11-2 with the puppy proofed house and then kennel from 2:30 to 5. As she is getting older, her teeth are coming in and she is playing a little rougher, so I also can no longer leave her out unattended because I have cats...and I can't trap them in a room all day as they are very hard to catch and get into that one room in the morning. I was awarding her good crating behaviour with making her crate larger...then after a few days she started being more mischievousness around the house while I was home and I noticed she also soiled in her kennel. I made the kennel smaller, then I tried again, going at 2.5 hour intervals....and worked her up to 4 hours. She was doing great until the other day. I honestly think its either stress or spite. Anxiety of being left alone again...she's been really bad lately when I leave, whether someone is home or not, she cries for a while. Or the spite...she is very smart and knows she can get my attention if she does something naughty and I think this is her trick. The question is...how to nip this stress or spite in the butt because we can't simply leave her out to roam...that's a huge mess to clean up when you get home, or worse...injured cats or puppy from unsupervised roughplay. The only other option is puppy day care...but you really shouldn't have to depend on this all the time if they are on the path of obedient behaviour. So were not all alone, but does anyone have any other tips besides dog training and obedience classes...she's not old enough yet because she has to have her 3rd set of puppy shots ...which is in another 4 or 5 weeks.
 
#7 ·
There's nothing wrong with crate training a dog at 11 weeks. My corgi started his crate training at around 8 weeks old - before I even got him. The trick is letting the pup out to potty frequently enough for that individual puppy.

Also, if he was doing great but then suddenly started having frequent accidents, he could possibly have a UTI, and you might want to take him in for a checkup.
 
#8 ·
Well, all I can say is, if you think your method is working, how come this poor kid is dirty in his crate? And getting worse... Keeping an open mind about this is important, ignorance is not bliss when it comes to having to clean up a dirty dog. Making a smaller space within a small space is not the way to treat this puppy...And at the risk of sounding self righteous, I have had not just a few dogs over manymany years and have never raised a dirty dog, either in a crate or in the house, and my dogs never, ever, squirted on pieces of paper in the house just because they were there. Your puppy is already totally confused now, and frustrated and is now desensitizing himself to using the crate.... Good Luck !!!
 
#9 ·
Another few thoughts...You say this puppy is now 11 weeks old, and having issues now. When puppies or people for that matter are forced to hold urine inside their bladder, which your little guy apparently did from - what - 8 weeks on? , they can get a form of cystitis called retention cystitis. Its because the urine is supposed to be gotten out of the bladder but when it is not released, the bladder and urethra can become inflamed. Nature did not, ever, intend, that baby dogs be kept in plastic boxes and forced to hold in urine and bowel material until their human owners got around to letting them out of these plastic boxes. Some manage to be able to do it, in spite of our ignorance...Urine and feces are waste products and are not meant to be held inside the body for too long...Your puppy may have simply decided after weeks of being uncomfortable day after day that he can not, or will not, hold anymore. Certainly having him checked by a vet is always a good thing, but not every puppy can or should hold as long as the current " wisdom " says they should. Its one more WRONG thing that people want to believe, because it fits in better with our human schedules...This is the sort of ignorance that riles me no end... and I will continue to speak out about this forever. Yes, of course, some puppies do manage to get through this cruel stage in their lives better than some others, that still does not make it right....
 
#10 ·
And I did suggest taking the puppy out for potty more often, and to take it to the vet. Crate training is not "cruel" if it's done correctly, and this means preventing accidents in the crate by letting the pup out a lot more often. It also means not letting the pup sit in there if it's had an accident. This particular puppy cannot hold it for the time the "general rule" states, and that is fine. He'll just need out to potty a lot more often. A ton of people have successfully crate-trained puppies the proper way, without a single accident inside, and without any discomfort to the puppy.

Anyway, something that might make the crate more den-like is covering it with a thin, breathable blanket.

Do you take him potty after everything before putting him in the crate? After drinking, after eating, after playing, after sleeping, even after he's been out for a while without pottying. Do you stop giving food and water late at night?
 
#11 ·
One last thought, then I will butt out of this thread. Cheetah, I agree that crate training is not cruel when done properly. However, most people do not do it properly. They use the crate for potty training very young puppies, which is not the reason crates originally were used at all. People are keeping puppies in them far too much and too long. Corgankidd, you and I seem to be at odds in this regard, but why not at least file away what I have said, and try a different method before you really lose your patience, all your towels, and your joy in your puppy? No one method works for all puppies, there are other ways of thining at least. Enough said by this person, on this thread...
 
#12 ·
I do agree, the puppy is most likely being left in the crate for too long, and I also agree that many people do it wrong. >-.-<
 
#13 ·
Yes I take him out after everything! He is trained to us the bell on the door so he lets me know when he needs to go out as well. I cut off his water after 8 p.m. He is doing a little better now. He still is having accidents in his crate, but its not everytime now. I have a question about his brother that my friend has though....He is also peeing in his crate every once in awhile but he licks it up as soon as he pees. Its really gross. He licks up his pee outside too, its not just in the crate. How do you stop a dog from doing that? I know they have something you can put in their food to make them not eat their poo, but what about pee?
 
#14 ·
He is not being left too long in his crate. I leave him in for 4 hours at a time. He is in his crate for 8 hours a day then once I get home for work he is out of his crate the entire day until around 1 a.m. when I go to bed. So no, I am not misusing the crate, I am not confining him in there to no end, and I am NOT abusing my damn puppy!
I would try your technique blackgavotte but I have carpeting in every inch of my house and I have absolutely nowehere I can set up a x pen without ruining my carpet.
 
#16 ·
I know, I said I would butt out of this thread, but when you say, he is 11 weeks old, in his crate for 8 hours while you work, then from 1a.m. approx. to when you get up, in my opinion that's too much crate time for an 11 week old.... And he is obviously stressed out and confused, too. Could you put a tarp, say, over the carpet, then newspapers on that, then the ex. pen? Is the kitchen area carpet too, or could you have the ex. pen in the kitchen? No one thinks you are deliberately abusing your puppy... these forums are for getting other views or solutions out there, we really do try to help one another. I don't think anyone here is out to make things harder. If we all did not love dogs, and have their best interests at heart, we would not bother with these forums, especially since there can be misunderstandings and hurt feelings that go along with this, and none of us wants that in our lives.
 
#15 ·
To some people, leaving a dog in a crate for 4 hours is abusive. So, relax! You have to understand who you're asking questions from, and we don't have all the information...we only know what you tell us, so, some assumptions have to be made to fill in the picture. Getting upset over what people say here is futile and counter productive.
 
#17 ·
Okay, reread your threads. You had said 8 hours while you are at work, but also said 4 hours is the longest since you come home from work. That's sure better than 8 hours at a time but it still may be too long, right now, for this particular puppy. Just think about protecting the carpet and trying the exercise pen or enclosure...We all know you are trying really hard, and housetraining can be difficult. By the way, what kind of puppy is he/she?
 
#29 ·
Re: Peeing in crate

Where did you get the dog from? A breeder or a pet shop?? Dogs bought from a pet shop are used to going to the bathroom in the crate and laying in it.
I have to say this was not my experience. I bought my dog at a pet store 7.5 yrs ago (before I knew better) and she hardly ever had an accident in her crate at all, but when she did............. she would be cuddled up in the farthest distance from where she had the accident.
 
#23 ·
Through the years I have cratebroke many puppies starting at 7 weeks of age. Due to the way we are setup during the hours we are awake pups are out of crate every 1 hr to 1.5 hrs and stay in crate all night 8 hrs. Do puppies have accident in crates you betcha. If done properly accidents get less and less until done. We do spread newspaper on crate bottoms and also use the fiber-glass/plastic crates. Dogs would prefer to sleep in clean areas so you have mother nature as your partner in this. It is a lot of work, but nobody ever promised me a rose garden whenever I cratebroke a pup. It just comes with the territory.(the work)
 
#25 ·
I know that this thread is pretty old, but it looks like there has been some recent activity, so I'll post here rather than start a new thread for now. It had particular relevance to me since I'm experiencing a similar issue. First, some details (and I apologize in advance for the length).

We picked up our little guy Dakota last week from the pound. He's an 8 week old Lab mix that has been fixed. We believe that he was at the pound for several weeks and do no know where he was before that. We brought him home and adjusted a large cage/crate to give him some space to move around that wasn't too tight nor too large (we think...we have about the same distance as shown for the puppy on the website).

As far as what we keep in the cage, we leave a Kong chew toy and a nylabone in there for him to gnaw on during the day. We also have a towel for him to lay on in there. Sometimes he pees on the towel, sometimes on the plastic tray. It varies.

Re: our schedule for him. Wake up @ 5, give him water and walk/play for 30-45 minutes. He always pees & does @ least one #2 in this period. Then food and more water if he wants it. At that time I get ready for work and he goes back to his crate for another hour until my g/f takes him for another walk before she leaves for work (7 am), which is typically 30 minutes.

Unfortunately I'm not able to come home for lunch until 12 (at which time he's soiled his cage). I then walk/play with him for 30-35 minutes and water if he wants it. Back to his crate.

I get home by 4:30, and it's immediately walk/play time again for at least another 30-40 min, then food and water again. When I head off to school, the g/f will let him hang on the couch/around the house with him until she walks him again @ around 7-7:30 for another 30 min.

He gets a walk/play again when I get home from school, for up to an hour which takes us to 9:30-10:00 pm. I take him outside before I rack @ 11 and wake up again @ 2am to take him for a quick outside trip.

*Phew* Sorry about the verbosity there, just wanted to give all the details for anyone who cares to respond. As you can see, he doesn't have a problem with #2 in the house, he always crunches outside. It's just the intermittent peeing in his cage. So I'm wondering, given that he was a pound puppy and caged all the time combined w/ the fact that he's still so young, am I just needing to exhibit more patience? We've discussed getting an outside kennel to house him during the day. But I'm worried that this will have an adverse affect on trying to house-train him. Because right now, there really aren't any visual cues that he's trying to go pee (even his poo one is really quick), he just squats and lets it fly.

Again, sorry for the length and appreciate any input anyone is willing to provide. Looking forward to hearing from you guys!
 
#26 ·
I think patience will help, but I also think setting him up in some way that he can get away from his mess- a crate opening into an exercise pen or a dog door into an outdoor run- would REALLY help him learn to LIKE being able to get away from his mess. It just sounds like that one long gap from 7 to 12 is just too long for him right now. (A more vigorous walk before he's left at 7 MIGHT help. The problem is, he's only JUST woken up from a 3 hour nap, so getting him right back to sleep is going to be tough.)
 
#27 ·
Unfortunately, due to the way our house is setup, the option to get him outside is not available. The only exterior door to the back yard is setup such that we would able to get his cage there.

Re: moving is crate to an area where he could exit to EP. We could probably find room for that (our house is relatively small, 1100 sq ft and most of that space is used) but wouldn't that just reinforce him to take care of biz in the house?
 
#28 ·
Reinforcing him to potty outside of the crate on newspapers is FAR preferable to reinforcing him for pottying in the crate. And while he's having to then lay in it, that's not going to bother him if he has lost the instinct to be clean (that's recoverable, but MUCH slower to fix than if it distresses him) and the feeling of relief he gets from eliminating *is* a (mild) reinforcer in itself.

Either he has lost the instinct to be clean (and honestly, this wouldn't be my bet) or he just plain CAN'T hold it any longer when he's awake.
 
#30 ·
Dogstar, I guess I'll have to talk to the g/f and see about getting something else setup if we can. Like I said we're limited in area in our house, so we'd have to find someplace to get a setup like that done. I suppose that doing this is better than just putting him outside in a kennel during the day, since that won't be teaching him to be house broken or prevent him from going in his crate.

My question if we go with this setup though is how does it relate to trying to house-break him? If he gets accustomed to going inside the ex pen, won't that be trouble later down the line for him to always want to go in that area? Additionally, he'll be big enough to just bull through an ex pen I would think and get into the house. Or am I way off here?
 
#31 ·
Well, putting a top on the exercise pen really helps, and putting it on something (a shower curttain, plastic sheeding) with paper over it (newspaper or potty pads- I actually prefer newspaper- initially covering the entire floor so that urine can't accidentally soak into the floor.

I've got detailed steps on my blog here http://dogstaracademy.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/crate-soilin/
This topic comes up a lot on this board. :p
 
#32 ·
I agree that more frequent outings never hurt and I am very curious about the breed. I have a Papillon and I probably let out every 1and1/2 to 2 hours when she was a puppy- and I would have to wake up in the middle of the night to let her out to potty too. Best of luck with your bundle of joy!
 
#33 ·
Actually now, at almost 6 months, he doesn't go in his cage anymore. He gives us a whine if he's in crate to let us know if he needs to go out and handle business. The only problem that we have now is that he occasionally has an accident (pee) in the house if we're not paying close enough attention to his wanderings. Last night was the first time in about 3 weeks that we've had an accident. Every since we got the outside kennel for him, we haven't really had an issue w/ him. He actually doesn't even go in his kennel during the day. Just waits til we get home!
 
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