Pooping in crate-anyone want a dog?
 

Help! I'm on my last straw here. Lucy just turned 1. She has been fairly housebroken for the most part since age 3 or 4 months. She has begun this week to poop in her crate at least once a day. We've been taking her more frequently outside as a result. She always urinates outside, and has pooped outside once in awhile this week. She is crated for night time and while we are away during the day-either for work or running out for errands. I am so tired of cleaning up poop and the dog, it is unreal. I don't know what to do. We usually come home to the poop (after it's too late) and in the mornings, she barks AFTER she has pooped. I think she has somehow gotten it in her head that it's ok to do this. She shares a divided crate with Tucker, and we have moved the divider to give her a very small portion, which I have heard might help, but she still manages to do it. I thought maybe we weren't giving her enough time outside to do the poo poo dance and go, but we have intentionally stood there longer than normal to wait and hope, and she looks right up with that "I'm done" look.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Teresa

How much time does she spend in her crate?

It varies. Errands could be 2 hours. Work days are 6-7.5 hours, which is the max. And they have both been doing fine at the 6-7.5 hour maximum for many months.

I used to have the same problem with my cocker and I realized that she was not getting enough time outside. Sure, they will look at you like they are done and want to come back in, but I got to the point where if I knew she had eaten recently, I wouldn't let her come in until she pooped. After a few times of standing outside for 45 min +, she realized that if she poops, we can go back in. And then, I realized that after being crated all day, she needed to poop twice before coming back in. You have to understand, when they are crated for long periods of time, she is sitting there still for a long time. Once she starts moving around, her body kicks into gear and she will have to poop. So if she is in her crate all night, then you take her outside and she doesn't poop, then you put her back in her crate for the day while you are at work....she needs to poop before you put her in there all day. She got to moving around and got the body functions all worked up, then goes in her crate. she can't help it at that point, it is going to come out.

I say she needs extra time to poo before going in her crate...morning or night.

it really helped with my cocker...making sure she poo'd before going in her crate. and then we started training her to not have to stay in her crate...and that is when all of her housebreaking problems stopped. once she had full roam of the house, she was not as hyper, and stopped having accidents in the house. Maybe that part was coincidence but I really think you need to give your girl more time outside to let nature take it's course. she will catch on after a couple of times of having to wait to come back inside.

Along with that same idea, do you say "let's go potty" or "lets go poop?" We started doing that initially, and when we know she needs to go poop, we will say it, and she usually begins that "poop dance" more quickly.

Do you feed her later in the evening? If so, try picking her food up after she eats and don't let her eat again until morning. I put the girls on their pee pads before they go to bed at night. However, (Lillie is the only one crated at night) if Lillie hasn't gone poop before she goes to bed she will wake me up by whining, I will bring her to her pad and she will poop. I don't leave the girls crated all day. For the most part they do really good using the pads. If the pads need washing (I use the cloth pads) they will tend to not want to use them. They little ones can be real stinkers when it comes to housebreaking.

When she goes outside, are you out there with her, and do you make sure she has gone poop for sure before letting her back in?

Chloe potties on demand. We go outside on a leash. I say, "go pee pee," and she squats and pees usually within 1 minute or less of my saying that (she just has to find the 'right' spot.) After she pees, I say "go poop." That takes her longer to find the 'right' spot, but she poops within abou 3 minutes of my saying that. When she's done, she gets a "good girl" and we go inside.

Make sure you're with her and that she has done her business for sure.

I had a cocker that was like this. It sisn't matter what we did. She only stayed in the crate at night and then if I had to run any errands during the day. I was a SAHM and I was at home most all of the time. It drove me insane. I was so tired of cleaning up poop. I don't know if it was the breed or just her breeding that caused her top be like this.She would even poop in the house when she was mad. I do know that I will never own another cocker. Once was enough for me. I wish I could offer some help but I had the same problem with our cocker and had no clue how to stop it.

Yes yes and yes to all these great suggestions. We always accompany the dogs when they go outside, no matter if to potty or play. We have birds of prey in the area, and a friend of a friend lost a Yorkie to one- no joke. I also fear humans of prey. We take them out to a patch of bricks and say "go potty." Tucker pees and poops instantly, Lucy takes forever to just pee. If the stars are properly aligned and the gods are smiling, she will eventually poop. If they both only pee, we run around in the yard for 5-10 minutes. In fact, this is habit when sig. other gets home from work. They will usually poop after that. We don't have different words for poop and pee tho, maybe we should have. Their food is timed so that potty breaks will be available for at least 2 hours after eating. As I sit here and write, you will never believe what happened. She poo poo danced around the kitchen, I glanced down to see why she was pacing around and I caught her about to squat! We met eyes and she stopped immediately. I waited to see if she'd ring her bell. She laid down in her bed then. I took them outside. Tucker did the usual instant poop and pee and I let him run around and play and gave him the squirt of NutriCal as a treat. Lucy peed at the same time as he did and then looked like she was done. I knew better. I sat down on the ground. And waited and waited and waited. She insisted she was done. I continued to wait. Then Tucker started whining and running in the grass like "I want my Lucy to play with!" and she circled 3x and pooped. Of course, I was so thrilled I practically had a marching band come through town!

Male and female dogs are so different. Tucker does whatever it takes to make his mama happy. He's not as smart as Lucy, and he's a lover boy lap dog. Lucy is very very smart, with a stubborn streak, constantly challenging- "who is alpha?" I have said before she is too smart for her own good. In her lil brain there is something going on, but I must be too dumb to figure it out!

Teresa

I agree with the poster who said to watch her feeding schedule. Feed them at certain times each day, and leave the food down for 10-15 minutes. Whether they eat or not, pick the food up after 15 minutes. They will soon learn to eat the food when it's down for them, and therefore their pooping pattern will be on a schedule. Don't give too many treats during the day, as this will change their schedule.

Mine eat at 5 am and and 5:30 pm. They poop around 5:30 am and 6 pm-sometimes with an extra somewhere in between those times ;) But, at least I know when to expect it!

Also, you might try a playpen with a pee pad in it for the days while you are gone. It's possible that she just can't hold it that long when she does need to go. At least then she could relieve herself while you were out. This should work-ours both will potty inside on pads and outside. We just trained them to do both.

If it doesn't improve soon, I'd talk with your vet.

Just curious but you said you take them to a patch of bricks to potty? I'm pretty sure my dog wouldn't ever pee or poop on bricks. You need to teach her to pee and poop in the grass. That is where most dogs prefer to go. She probably just doesn't feel comfortable with going on bricks.

Walking a dog around will stimulate the bowels as well. Walk her around on her leash for a while. This will stimulate her insides and she should have an easier time going.

exactly, which is probably why she poo'd when she started running around with the other one. Maybe going for a walk would help stimulate her? instead of just sitting outside? Or maybe, go outside and play a game of fetch...or something that will get her running around.

Sophie had a private backyard with grass, securely fenced and she would take her time in the morning and evening to potty. However, during the day, she was gated either in the kitchen or bathroom with a large tray with newspaper. She did her business on the tray until I came home.

Charlie is just the opposite, he has a secure backyard but loves the morning and evening walk. So, we set out for a 20 minute walk which includes sniffing, peeing and poop. During the day he wears a bellyband, pees a tiny bit and waits until I am back home for the evening walk to poop again.

Each Yorkie is so different and their tummies work on a separate schedules. The only time he will pee/poopy on the cement is when I am in a city without grass; this is very confusing to him also.

If she is in a X-pen, then there seems like there should be enough room for her to eliminate during the day. I don't think most pups are able go longer than a few hours without using the potty (I can't).

Good luck and it sounds like she is deciding when it is the right time to go.

Is she sick? I know that Aubrey pooped in his crate when he was sick. Also, if you are leaving her in there for a long period of time, she may either have to go, or is telling you to "let me out"

Good luck. Potty Training is a pain in the bottom...

i agree with the person who said feed them on a schedule

I feed my Boy once at 8am and then around 4 or 5, I am home all day so but still i noticed that at 7am when i take him out for his first trip during the day, he pees a lot and goes poop. Then he is on the house with me all day. I ask him if he needs to go outside and he never does. around 4-5 he goes towards the back door and them comes back to me and once again I ask him, OUTSIDE and he barks yes and i take him. He only goes poop in the morning because if how i feed him. I take him out once again before i go to sleep and thas that. He can get water when he wants all day, but he cant eat all day. IF i know I am going to go out I make sure i don't feed him before but rather when i get back. If he has already ate i make an extra trip outside for him before i go. He doesn't go on grass because my mean landlord was like he cannot go pee on my grass, and not in the front of my house. He has gone pee pee on my cement patio and has since i got him.

You need to make sure she goes before you leave. I am late for work sometimes because Sammy takes her sweet time finding a spot, but I KNOW she has to go, and she always does, eventually.

I also recommend changing the feeding schedule so that you can predict exactly when she needs to go.

Sometimes it takes my girls 15 min or more to go, i know thats a long time when you have someplace to be, i have even tried putting them out seperate, that dont work either, you mentioned she shares a crate, maybe she should have her own, al mine have there own and they go as soon as they get up in the am, hope things get better for you:)

I would suggest that maybe not getting enough exercise, A walk ever night would help then in the morning. Deiter will go with know problem, but if you take him for walks he will go with in 5 min. Plus he loves to go on walks he would rather do that than just go outside to potty. If he has it his way we go for walks every time we go out. And yes he always has it his way. So try walks and see if that works. Good luck.

They are a year old and have pooped on their bricks ever since. In fact, they won't even poop in grass when we go anywhere else!They are fed on the 4's so to speak- 4 am and 4 pm. Yes, they are crated during the day and overnight, though with work schedules overnight is barely 5 hours. I do not feel bad for crating them- I know this is a controversial subject. I don't see how putting them in a tiny bathroom (and mine are) is better than a crate. And I still don't trust them to be roaming the house or even a gated kitchen for that long of a time. I would like to build up to leaving them in a gated kitchen for the day (we have cats and litter boxes, and so the roaming dogs would not work out). As for the night time, they will always be crated. Otherwise, I don't think I'd get any sleep. They love to bark at the cats walking by!

This morning was interesting. Lucy still has not pooped, and she's been up for 4.5 hours already. We went for a 45 minute walk in there to boot! I find myself dreading the return trip home from work :(

Teresa

I don't blame her for not letting them run. If she can't trust them NOT to poop and pee in the house then she really doesn't have much of a choice.I went down that road years ago and it was no fun. I tried crating my cocker and I also tried gating off the bathroom when we had to leave to go out. Nothing worked! Needless to say she was never allowed to roam free unless we were at home with her. There is nothing more pleasing than coming home and having to clean up poop!