Quote:
Originally Posted by Coco's Mom  i should mention that i did start by crating her. she kept making in the crate for 3 months. i started to think that this is cruel being that she keeps doing that and has to sit in there with it for 10 hours. the crate is the right size and is only large enough for her to turn around and sleep. |
When you started the crating, how old was she when you first started leaving her for 10 hours at a time? A new puppy simply CANNOT hold it for that long. You have to wait for them to mature before they can hold it that long.
You have to set yourself up for success with crate training. The rule of thumb is age in months +2, so if she's 3 months old, don't crate her for more than 5 hours at a time. Take her out and let her go potty. If she's been left in there for longer than her body can physically hold it, she has NO CHOICE but to relieve herself. So it sounds like she just got used to it. That is sad.
IMO. 10 hours everyday of being crated sounds like too much to me. I would look into doggy daycare. If that isn't an option, an x-pen might be a better choice, with someone to stop by and check in on her halfway, stimulate her, exercise her, feed her, etc.