Help!!! Switched to xpen & crate, trouble pottying & barking

[kristy47]

So, last night we bought Sophie a new xpen & crate so she can stay in the living room or bedroom and hear & see us when we're home. Also so she can see the cats and won't feel so lonely when we're not at home. Last night she barked for a LONG time but finally went to sleep and this morning she started again about 5:30 and quit once someone was in the room with her. I put her potty pad in there but she hasn't gone on it. When we let her out she found a spot on the carpet and went pee pee there instead. Apparently she hadn't gone pee or poop all night. She still hasn't pooped either. We had the pad on the side where she has been sitting and watching us so I moved it to the other side where she won't have a tendency to sit or lie down. I also bought some of the Simple Solution Spray at petsmart to put on the pad, too. At first she sniffed and rolled around in it, but didn't go potty. She's had 2 or 3 accidents today and each time I tell her no, I pick her up, and I place her in the xpen on the pad and say "potty". She still hasn't gotten it. She used pads great when we had her in the upstairs bathroom (we had 2 side by side and now I have 1 in the xpen), but she was experiencing terrible separation anxiety, thus prompting the thought-out purchase of the xpen and crate. She loved the crate and is sleeping in there now.

I assume the barking will eventually stop at night and during the day when we're not in the room, but what about the not going potty on the pads in the pen???? I don't want her to get sick because she won't potty in the pen! Are there any suggestions? Or should I just be patient and keep trying the way we have it now and wait it out? Again, I just don't want her to get sick because she's not going potty!

Also, if we take the pen & crate set up to a different room or when we are traveling, should I keep the same set up as far as where everything is placed?



To give everyone a better idea, here are some pictures of the set up.

[kristy47]

Bumping thread and adding that she finally pooped twice after her bath today but she still hasn't gone on the pad in the pen. I took a piece of poop and put some of her pee on the pad. Will that help?

[kristy47]

She finally peed on the pad last night, but whenever we get her out of the pen, she still has accidents!!! Is this normal?

[DanielleK]

What you need to do is not take her out of the pen *until* she's gone on the pad. That way you know she's "empty" when you have her out for playtime.

The way we did that is, we had Brody's pen small so that all that fit was his crate and his potty pads. We would close his crate door for a few hours, then open the door and he'd come out onto his potty pads and I'd wait for him to go. If he went on the pads I would give him a treat and lots of praise and let him out to play. If he didn't go in a few minutes I'd put him back into the crate and try again in a few minutes. He was not allowed to come out of the pen until he pottied on the pads. Then he'd have some free time in the house with us (being watched like crazy anyway) and then back to the crate for a nap or his food.

It took him two days of plenty of times going back into the crate for another ten minutes for him to get the idea that potty meant playtime.

Then as he got older and got the hang of it, I made his xpen bigger so that he had some free floor and his Rascal potty (replaced the pads). At first he had some accidents on the floor so I went back to just enough room for the Rascal and his crate. Then a week later tried again.

Now his pen is big enough for his crate, his Rascal, and some free space (like your setup). I don't often close him in anymore because now he knows that when I come in to get him and say "Go potty" he hops onto his Rascal and goes. Then he gets some playtime.

That's what worked for us.

[kristy47]

Originally Posted by DanielleK

What you need to do is not take her out of the pen *until* she's gone on the pad. That way you know she's "empty" when you have her out for playtime.

The way we did that is, we had Brody's pen small so that all that fit was his crate and his potty pads. We would close his crate door for a few hours, then open the door and he'd come out onto his potty pads and I'd wait for him to go. If he went on the pads I would give him a treat and lots of praise and let him out to play. If he didn't go in a few minutes I'd put him back into the crate and try again in a few minutes. He was not allowed to come out of the pen until he pottied on the pads. Then he'd have some free time in the house with us (being watched like crazy anyway) and then back to the crate for a nap or his food.

It took him two days of plenty of times going back into the crate for another ten minutes for him to get the idea that potty meant playtime.

Then as he got older and got the hang of it, I made his xpen bigger so that he had some free floor and his Rascal potty (replaced the pads). At first he had some accidents on the floor so I went back to just enough room for the Rascal and his crate. Then a week later tried again.

Now his pen is big enough for his crate, his Rascal, and some free space (like your setup). I don't often close him in anymore because now he knows that when I come in to get him and say "Go potty" he hops onto his Rascal and goes. Then he gets some playtime.

That's what worked for us.

Thanks for the advice. That is what I've been trying to do and it is working better. DH and I both work all day. I teach so I get home anywhere from 3:30 to 5:00 and I usually let her out and that 's when accidents occur. I can tell she's gone on the pad, but can't tell how long ago since I'm not home with her during the day. But she's doing much better!