crate training and housebreaking problems

Get an exercise pen. Put down a tarp, cover with thick layers of newspaper, and put the crate inside the pen.

This will allow your pup to eliminate if she needs to without fouling her personal space.

One week is a very short time for a pup to have been with you. She may be having mild stomach upsets from the transition. Be patient. It will pass.

The puppy can't hold it for four hours and it's unrealistic to expect them to do so. I don't like the idea of letting the dog eliminate anywhere in the house because that teaches them that eliminating in the house is ok. You need to make arrangements to let the dog out during the day.

I thought keeping her in the crate say 3 hours a day would help her hold it and teach her faster. I was under the impression by having her sleep in her crate with a blanket and like her "den" that she will not want to mess up her own personal space.
So I'm wondering if I made a mistake from not making her sleep in the crate from day one instead of a pillow on the floor or second I'm wondering if the smell from the cushion that might still have a smell to it even after cleaning it, is tell her that the crate is for her to relieve herself.

hulkamaniac said:

The puppy can't hold it for four hours and it's unrealistic to expect them to do so. I don't like the idea of letting the dog eliminate anywhere in the house because that teaches them that eliminating in the house is ok. You need to make arrangements to let the dog out during the day.

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You think having a 13 week puppy in a crate for 3-4 hours is too long?

A 13 week old puppy actually should be able to hold it for 4 hours. The age in months (3) plus one is the formula.

It sounds to me like your puppy was never taught to keep her bed area clean. If this puppy came from a pet store or a bad breeder or a situation where her bed area wasn't kept clean, then she probably never learned and will be very hard to potty train using a crate. The crate is not doing any good if she's continually soiling it.

Follow RedyreRottweiler's advice and get an x-pen or a HUGE crate and put papers on the floor (or potty pads) to give her a little room. Every time she soils her crate, she's learning that it's okay to eliminate in close proximity to her bed. She needs some space so she can start to separate her sleeping area from her bathroom area. That's your starting point.

But don't expect her to stop soiling her crate on her own. She was never taught that, so you have to teach her.

Good luck!

She came from a breeder that was first time breeding and maybe the breeder wasn't that clean, because you could tell she didn't know what she was doing.
She's actually getting better each day with using outside instead of inside the house, but the crate I'll have to see next week when I'll have to leave for a few hours.