I Need Help...please!!

[Julie1760]

Do they have a doggie day care where you live? Maybe that would work. I sure hope you find a solution. This is a "crappy" thing to come home to all the time.

[SgtPeppersMommy]

Sarge didn't catch on to the "Don't poop in Bed Idea" until he was about 6 months, but in his defense his "bed" was my tiny apartment kitchen that I baby-gate him into when I leave. I don't even keep his pads in there anymore because he refuses to use them. I've heard a trick that If you keep their food in the crate as well it may help, It would probably take you being long time away from the house to make her OK with pooping in her food and water. I understand that free-feeding is sometimes the only option. Sergeant eats like a bird too, picks up like 2 bites and eats them, then he's on to other things. Poor dear would starve if I didn't leave food down, so I started picking the food up when he was done then putting it down about and hour or two later, etc etc... and I hope to increase the gap of time to teach him he has to eat when its there. He's litterally gone all day without eating more than 5 bites because I felt like I was supposed to pick it up when he was done. Hope this helps. I'm also a student, I know its a little work to try and compromise with other people in the house.

[daisysis]

Gee ..you have had a lot of good advice here..and I am lost to what to tell you..just do not give up..could she have a medical issue?..ask a vet..sometimes they can give good suggestions...
just do not give up...

[coroth]

Yea, I asked the vet...and she just laughed and said she would grow out of it. Well I also read that if they are around it for too long (like how she has been doing it for 2 months...) they will get used to it and it will become the norm...well I can tell you one thing...this will never be the norm for my sister or family who are the ones who have to give her a bath and scrape the poop from inbetween her paw pads...

Yesterday my sister came home and Lexie had made her biggest mess yet and my sister left her in her cage for 2 hours while she was upstairs walking around. Lexie was so upset that she was shaking when I came home and let her out...and now she won't even go in the room where her kennel is.

I don't know what to do...I have the weekend to figure it out though. My plan for monday is to lift up her food for an hour before I leave and I'm going to get her a SMALLER kennel because I think it may be too big still...

Do you think it will help if I make her sleep in her kennel at night?

[kat0333]

I really can't offer anymore help then you've been given which has been great advice, but I did notice that you said a few time that you can't get bigger x-pen. When people suggested the x-pen they were not talking about bigger, just taller so she can't jump out of it. Just thought I'd point that out. Good luck, I feel for you expecially will your family giving you a hard time over it.

[Brookef18]

When my son was young...(almost 3) He had just about out grown his diapers. Back then they didn't have all the sizes they have now.

I told him he had to start going on the potty because the diapers were getting to small, and he flat out told me NO! Well I stuck him in training pants (Cloth ones) I told him go in those all you want no more diapers.... I never got mad. I never yelled. I just let him decide he wanted to be potty trained. it didn't tale long before he wanted dry pants.

I know this is way different from a dog. But maybe you need to get those doggie diapers to keep the mess from being to big a mess.... And no more being upset with the dog. Maybe your family shouldn't be cleaning your puppy up if they are being mad and making him fell bad. Yelling and being upset will not help this. If you lived alone, there would be no one to clean up till you got home. Try the diapers and tell your family to not clean him up unless they can be good to your dog in the process... I'm sure this will get better.... Your baby is confused.

The other thing you could do is just potty out side. Potty needs to be potty and that is the only place they go! I read this and it seems to make sense. Sadie holds it in when she is in her expen even though she doesn't have to. She is 18 weeks. I guess once they know to hold it they can! She still goes on my floor if I'm not watching but not in the expen.

[meglaulanmar]

I have one puppy who kept having poop breath. I thought she was eating it. Then I kept seeing poop outside the x pen and wasn't sure how it was getting there. Well, the other day I saw her pick up her poop off the piddle pad and fling it outside the xpen before I could pick it up! It was gross, but really amusing!