[KLP1190]

We recently brought home a small mixed breed pup to our home. She is now roughly 6 months old. We got her when she was 8 weeks. She has done well with the potty training and only had accidents, for the most part, when me and my girlfriend were slacking on bringing her outside. Just recently she has started peeing in her crate right when we get home. She does fine in the crate for around 4-5 hours straight. She is in there in the morning when my girlfriend and I are at work. She comes home on lunch and lets her out. Then she is back in the crate for the rest of the work day. When we come home at the end of the day or from a trip out on the weekend she waits until we are about to let her out of the crate and then she pees. She hasn't been doing this very long, but it has quickly gotten old. Do any of you have any tips for breaking this behavior? Like I said, she is fine for long stretches in the crate and she is fine all through the night when she sleeps in our bed with us. It feels like a defiant behavior that she recently developed concerning the crate. Also, important to note, when ever she is going to be put in the crate she is taken out side and given time to do her business before she is crated.

So far we have tried: Waiting to let her out when we get home. Immediately giving her attention and letting her out. Giving her a treat before we open the door to let her out. Nothing has worked. She is not peeing out of excitement, at least it doesn't look like that. I have never had a small dog and I have never had a female dog. I am at the end of my rope with this behavior. She begins obedience training next weekend but I need to keep trying to solve this problem in the mean time.

Thanks.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

It sounds like submissive pee-ing. It shows up around this age. Being in a crate you bend over to let her out and that may be enough to make her submissive pee. Try standing along side the crate and letting her out. When you first get home BEFORE you do ANYTHING else, get her out. Do not talk to her and get her right outside. Stand along side the crate and not in front of the crate door and let her out. It may not work. It may work some of the time. Keep at it.

The main thing is to make your coming home to be a non-event and to simply and quietly get the dog outside.

She may expand the behavior to pee when being petted or when new people come over to her. IGNORE IT. Do not scold. Carry paper towels and simply clean it up after you get her out of the area. Most dogs out grow this.