Crate or Xpen
 

We went away for about 2 weeks and my parents had Dharma. They have another dog so Dharma had a blast. She was the little queen of the house. Well now we have her home and she is thrown off sync. Before we left, she slept through the night. Now she wakes up at 2am, 5am.....very annoying! She also is still pooping in her crate when we leave. We don't leave her for more then an hour and she poops.

We are wondering if she would be better in an xpen. The crate can not be any smaller or she will be smushed!!! I'm worried that she will poop in the x crate also but I'm not sure. I don't know if giving her more room would make her more comfortable or make t worse. I would just like some opinions.

Thanks!

Anyone? :-)

Sorry I can't help you as I never had that problem with Sophie but if you post this in the training forum you may get more results :)

This is the training forum, isn't it? :)

X-pen all the way. Then she has place to play around, plus if you place the potty pads in there too, she might get the idea. I have never crated mine and always used x-pens, and used the washable potty pads with them in the pen. Maybe her using her crate as a bathroom is a commentary! :rolleyes::D They are unique little creatures!

I would try the x pen with a pee pad. I'm thinking that being in the crate might be stressing her and causing the pooping.

I would divide the xpen into 3 parts. Down the center making one 2x4 pen for play, then divide one side into a 2x3 area with the pee pad and a 1x2 area for sleeping.

This setup works well for my puppies starting at 3 weeks of age.

She goes in and out of her crate by herself. She goes in there and sleeps by herself. She sleeps in her crate all night no problem....but when we leave that's when we have a problem. We are not using pee pads and do not want to. She is doing great with going outside and don't want to use the pee pads. That's why I don't know if the x pen is a good idea. She is in her crate curled up sleeping with her squirrel as we speak!

Then perhaps the stress of you leaving is causing her to poop. My thought is, if she is going to poop I'd rather she use a pee pad than to go in her crate.

I do not believe that dogs poop to be vendictive. That would indicate that they have the ability to reason and to know that pooping is going to make you mad, and to reason that even thgough they are going to get scolded, it is worth it just to make you clean it up.

So It has to be stress that is causing it.

So you think an X pen would be a better idea? Either way I don't want to use a pee pad. I will clean up if she messes but i don't want to teach her that is where she needs to go, because she is doing so well outside.

Hi Angela

give the xpen a shot and see if it makes a difference with her pooping. Start with a small space and go from there

If you are training to go outside, a crate is better. If she's pooping in her crate, many experts believe the crate is too big, and/or you don't take her outside often enough. The crate should be big enough for her to stand up in and turn around in, and that all. This is only for housebreaking, not as a long-term environment. This website has some great advice on training, and helps you choose a crate of x-pen, and indoor or outside training, but the x-pen is usually used if you will be allowing them to use pee pads. Free House Training for Puppies and Adult Dogs - No More Accidents Starting Today!

I remember Angela saying she made the crate as small as possible and Dharma is still pooping inside the crate. It only happens when they leave. I'm wondering if it a form of separation anxiety??

Thank you! I have been doing a lot of research on this and we take her out constantly. She will poop and then we put her in her crate and let her settle down for about 20 minutes and then we leave. We will run to the food store for 40 minutes total and she will poop (even though she just went!) The crate is as small as it can be. She can only lay in it and turn around. We have been leaving in small increments too and increasing the time. That works some times and other times it doesn't. That's why we were thinking about an x-pen.

It could be. Most dogs have to go within a half hour of eating, and if you can encourage them to walk after eating they will go at that time, it might be best to not to allow them in the crate until after their bowels are empty. I just figured in an x-pen there would be no chance of having her hold it.

Well, you've tried everything I can think of, she's stubborn cuss ain't she?

Haha I guess so. She is great with everything else and she is very smart! The only problem we have is her pooping when we leave!! Hopefully she matures out of it!

I would try the x pen to se if it makes a difference.
You have nothing to lose.

Oh my heck!!!! I had the EXACT same problem! Only it got worse as if her crate door was even open she would go in there and pee instead of the pad 5 ft away!!!

I then bought the magical xpen as everyone as told you and I can tell you in about a week I had one new puppy!!! I was so frustrated with the entire situtation and immediately called friends and family for advice... this is what i did... Bought the xpen and set up her food toys bed in one area and on the opposite end I made here potty station...

Her potty station... I did away with puppy pads completly I was sad I will be honest because it is more of a convience thing for me but I think I was being a lazy mommy and confusing her... See, I take her to work with me which is 50 plus hours a week and there we were strictly using the great outdoors with a accident RARELY ... there is another dog at work as well and he was using the outdoors so Im sure that was influencing her more to go outside... Well here is the confusing part at home I was using pee pads which was fine until she began to refuse all together! So I decided to nip the problem in the bud! I researched online, talked to her vet, talked to friends and came up with my crazy idea which has saved my LIFE!!!!!

I decided to make a "potty box" if you will... got rid of the pads entirely.. the more I talked to people the more people said she is confused you want her to do one thing at home and one thing at work... so bye bye pads:( .... Her potty box... I bought a shallow plastic storage container about 3 ft long and 4ft wide drilled some holes in the bottom for water to drain out... dumped some soil in it and a piece of sod!...

I know it sounds like alot but then when she is home she gets it! GRASS potty... I do now also take her out on a regular basis every 2 hours to do her thing but when i am gone i put her potty box in her x pen and TA-DA!! I can tell you I had one accident the VERY first day but after that.... Genious! My sweet girl has had no more accidents and it has SAVED my life!!!!!!... the price you ask ... 10 dollars exactly! I bought it all at home depot! I hope this helps and YES... Xpens.... Ingenious!!!

Hope this helps!

LOL!! Wow That sounds great!! The problem is we don't want to do pee pads or any type of potty inside at all. We want her to always go outside. That's the problem I have with xpens.

Genius! How do you take care of the sod, though?

Just take it outside during the day and water it just like grass! bring it in when i need it ... it does sometimes suck to carry in cause it does get heavy but it sooooooooooo worth the result... Infact its getting so long I need to "mow" it!

Ally had the same separation anxiety. She bounced her little crate across the tile floor and poop was ALL over the kennel and herself every time we returned home. My babies potty outside and we don't use the pads. My family room was puppy proofed for her during the day. I have always left my older pek there because she could not be trusted on my carpet. So in frustration, I put her in the family room with my pek when we left the house. I purchased the pads and taped one to the tile floor...just in case. We came home to what looked like a pillow fight (the pad was shredded) and no potty on the floor. She never had an accident after that and we had a lot of pads that went to waste. I adopted Tia this past Easter and she has worked well with the same routine. They sleep in their kennels in my room at night (they sleep longer and better in my room) and are put in the family room if I leave the house. Good luck.