# Crate trained, but not house trained



## mrnick (Jan 11, 2009)

We have a Chinese Crescent who is about 2 years old, we've had him for about a year now. He spent the first year of his life in a crate so he is very well used to this. We leave him in there while we are at work and then let him out to go potty when we get home. 

He is also free during the night and sleeps in our bedroom.

The problem is, and this is amplified during the winter is when we put him outside to go potty he will pee real quick and just stand by the door to get in. If we wait sometimes he will finally go poo, but even when we do this or bring him to walk around out back for awhile to do his business we will still find poop/pee in the house the next day.

He never tells us when he wants to go, he is a little skittish/shy. 

We've kind of dealt with it up until now, but he has started peeing / pooping on our guest bed in the middle of the day while we are at home. This can happen even right after we bring him out. We are in the midst of winter and having little/no hair he hates the cold so walking him isn't as much of an option right now. 

Any suggestions to get him to tell us when he needs to go or to stop him from going in the house? We reward him and give him praise when he pees/poops outside and do the opposite when he goes inside, but certainly something is amiss.

He also has a chewing problem w/ my son's toys or whatever is lying around, he has plenty of his own toys but apparently doesn't prefer them. I am thinking since he is so shy he might of had a rough 1st year of life and now the issues we are dealing with are psychological problems he has with anxiety or being depressed. He gets a lot of attention and has a cat in the house who he likes to play with, generally he is a happy dog just kind of scared of the world.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this and respond.


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## ambercober (Jan 1, 2009)

Hmm, doesn't sound like fun. You mentioned that it's a bit cold to walk your dog outside and excersize is a good way to get things moving down there so how about running and playing with him for 30 minutes and then taking him outside to do his business. You may have a better chance of getting a poo out him after a workout. As for the guest room, since he does favour that area you should put it off limits to him. Go back to square one with house training, you can find more puppy training posts here for a clear idea of what you can do.


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

If you live in a place with a real winter, having a Chinese crested go outside to potty can be difficult. If you went out WITH him and spent time out there WITH him, he'd probably go full out IF he had a coat AND booties on.

If you want to just open the door and out the dog goes, you'd probably be much better off offering him an inside litter box, pee pads, etc., as Chinese Crested cannot handle very much cold weather.

I have a min pin who LOVES outside but has pee pads for the winter as she cannot stay outside long enough to do everything EVERY day - it's just too cold and I don't WANT to go out with her. So - my choice. She can potty indoors or outdoors. Works for me.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

> =mrnick;452656]
> The problem is, and this is amplified during the winter is when we put him outside to go potty he will pee real quick and just stand by the door to get in. If we wait sometimes he will finally go poo, but even when we do this or bring him to walk around out back for awhile to do his business we will still find poop/pee in the house the next day.
> 
> He never tells us when he wants to go, he is a little skittish/shy.


While outside to potty, I've found it helpful to get the dog moving at a brisk pace to get the bowels moving. You don't have to walk around the block, just out in the back yard. Moving briskly helps to stay warm, too, when it's cold outside! (I would also put a coat on this breed.)

Many dogs do not give a clear and direct signal that they need to go out to potty, or, their signal is so subtle, many owners miss it. Out of my 4 dogs, only 1 goes to the door and twirls, and that's the puppy! LOL Maddy sits or stands in front of me and stares. When we make eye contact, her eyes roll in the direction of the door, her head not moving! This is her signal she needs to go out. Beau simply stares, and if I don't respond quickly enough, he will literally drape himself on me (when I'm sitting down)! Luc paces back and forth in the room. 



> We've kind of dealt with it up until now, but he has started peeing / pooping on our guest bed in the middle of the day while we are at home. This can happen even right after we bring him out. We are in the midst of winter and having little/no hair he hates the cold so walking him isn't as much of an option right now.


In a word: supervision, supervision, supervision! Go back to housetraining 101. Treat him like a puppy who knows nothing. When you cannot supervise him, contain him. He hasn't earned freedom of the house, so don't give it to him. Get him a warm coat and boots for his feet, put on his leash, take him ouside, and move! 



> He also has a chewing problem w/ my son's toys or whatever is lying around, he has plenty of his own toys but apparently doesn't prefer them.


I keep my dogs' toys in the toybox, allowing only one or two to be taken out during designated "toy time," and put away again before they tire of the toy. This keeps the toys high value for the dog. When toys are left out all the time, it's just like with kids who have a roomful of toys, yet complain that "there's nothing to do." There's nothing like a raw bone to keep a dog happily chewing for long periods of time. Stuffed Kongs are also enjoyed, and last even longer when frozen.

Teach your dog "leave it," to stop him from taking your son's toy(s). If your son's toys are out all the time, perhaps rethink this, and have your son put his toys away after he's done playing.


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