# Puppy peeing in crate only during the day, not at night



## rileygirl (Jul 14, 2014)

Hi! So we have our first puppy ever, a sweet black lab named Riley who is now almost 11 weeks old. She has been such a good puppy, very well behaved and doing very well over all. 

The only thing my husband and I are at a loss with so far is one issue we've come across with crate training. We started crate training the day we brought her home at 9 weeks old, and surprisingly, the first week went really great. This past week has been a bit more challenging however. Let me start off by saying she does WONDERFUL overnight. Most nights she makes it through the night without even needing to go out (usually making it 5-7 hours holding her bladder no problem), with the occasional whine to let us know around 3-4 hours that she needs to go out. There are NEVER any accidents in her crate at night though. She either lets us know she needs to go out, or she holds it. 

During the day however, it's a whole different story. And this is where we need help. It doesn't seem to matter how long we are gone for, she almost always urinates in her crate when we are gone. (never poops) I could be gone for only an hour and a half, and I'll come back to her laying right in the middle of the towel where she peed, even if I let her out right before I left!

What could be causing her to need to pee again so soon? Do you think I need to remove the towel all together? Could it be attracting her to it? I'm afraid she will continue to pee even without it and then just soak it up in her fur though. Do you think it is anxiety related? She cries a little when we leave, but is sleeping calmly when we come back. Or do you think it is simply age related, and she'll outgrow it once she understands she shouldn't pee where she sleeps? I tried asking one of the vets we go to, and he wasn't very helpful. He said if she can hold it through the night, she should be able to hold it through the day. If this continues without answer, I might call back and ask to talk to someone else though. :-/ Any help will be good since this is my first puppy and I don't want to have unrealistic expectations of her! Thank you!


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

when you and your husband are gone have someone come in and let her out (few times if need be).
at 11 weeks old our pup was going out several times overnight.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

When you are going out during the day - does she know you are leaving? Are you saying goodbye and making a fuss? Or is it straight into the crate and out the door?

My thoughts are going in the direction of separation anxiety. At night she's in the crate but you're home too so she's safe. During the day, she's in the crate but you've now left and she doesn't know for certain that you're coming back at all. 

How much is she drinking before you leave? I would watch (not limit, just watch) her water intake during the day and see just how much she's drinking - if it seems to be a lot, take her out more frequently during the day, especially if you plan on going out. If she's not drinking much and still having accidents, then I would again - chop it up to anxiety.

At 11 weeks, my guy was having accidents every night. There would be diarrhea EVERYWHERE (disgusting!) and the vet didn't have an answer. We had him tested for parasites, dewormed just in case, and so on and so forth but the only thing that resolved the issue was time, and that may be what happens with your gal too.

I do suspect this is anxiety related though, and there are a few exercises you can do to help curb her anxiety a bit.


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## rileygirl (Jul 14, 2014)

Well, anytime we are gone for more than 3 hours, we do have someone come over to let her out if possible. And if we aren't able to and an accident occurs during the time frame over 3 hours, I totally get that due to her age and bladder capacity. The part that is confusing me is when she is having accidents after I am only gone an hour to an hour and a half. I have been told that puppies can typically hold their bladder in hours for how many months old they are. So with her being 2 1/2 months old, I would think she could hold it for almost 3 hours, if that makes sense. Any thoughts on why she would be having accidents after only being gone for an hour and a half?


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## rileygirl (Jul 14, 2014)

BostonBullMama, she does tend to drink a lot of water in spurts. But she always goes potty right before we leave. I guess it might still be built up in her system enough to make her half to pee again shortly after. I have been wondering about anxiety. We try to not make a fuss about leaving. And the crying does seem to be getting better and better. I think we might need to try a little harder to make her like her crate better. 

I did read on one website that we might want to consider taking out the puppy divider in our crate and put a puppy pad in the back half of the crate so she has a designated "toilet" to use until she is older and has more control of her bladder. Does anyone have any thoughts on that idea?


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

This sounds like separation anxiety. It may not be because she has to pee *right now*, but because she doesn't know how to express her anxiety when you leave. Some dogs chew, some dogs destroy, some dogs cry, and some dogs pee. With a puppy that already has limited bladder control, peeing seems like a pretty reasonable anxiety response. Riley does better at night because she's sleeping.

Doing a google search on "separation anxiety" with dogs will bring up a wealth of information on the topic. If this is separation anxiety, it could be linked with her age, and she could outgrow it. Until then, though, you may want to try to minimize the response.

- Don't make a big deal about going out. A simple, "Bye Riley!" is good enough.

- You can try playing music while you're gone. There's actually music for dogs now ("Through a Dog's Ear" has a series of CDs). This music is just piano and is timed to the average resting heart rate of dogs. There's some research that this timing assists in relieving anxiety and can even put the dog to sleep. You can try your own music, but it's better if the music is slower and has no words.

- Try to change up your routine before leaving. Dogs can sense you will be leaving by observing your routine. If you do the same thing every day, they'll start getting anxious even before you leave, knowing that you're about to leave. So if you normally grab your keys, place her in her crate and walk out the front door, try placing her in her crate, sitting down for a few moments or doing something in the kitchen, and then grab your keys after 15 minutes or so and leave.

- Get her used to you leaving. Place her in her crate, leave for a few seconds, then come right back in. Continue doing that, waiting a little longer each time. Show her that you are going to be back.

- Because she's a puppy, I wouldn't leave her with anything to chew on in the crate. Perhaps you can give her a frozen Kong filled with banana or peanut butter to distract her while you leave. Kongs are tough and puppies generally can't tear them apart. No rawhide, no bully sticks, no soft toys, etc. because puppies can break off pieces and get them lodged in their throat or digestive system.


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## rileygirl (Jul 14, 2014)

Thank you so much! I am thinking more and more that you might be right. We will work on minimizing the separation anxiety and see how that goes! Thanks for the input!


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

if you put a Kong in the crate when you leave isn't that leaving the pup with something to chew on?
if you're going to feed p-nut butter i suggest usuing the kind with no sugar and additives.



lisahi said:


> This sounds like separation anxiety. It may not be because she has to pee *right now*, but because she doesn't know how to express her anxiety when you leave. Some dogs chew, some dogs destroy, some dogs cry, and some dogs pee. With a puppy that already has limited bladder control, peeing seems like a pretty reasonable anxiety response. Riley does better at night because she's sleeping.
> 
> Doing a google search on "separation anxiety" with dogs will bring up a wealth of information on the topic. If this is separation anxiety, it could be linked with her age, and she could outgrow it. Until then, though, you may want to try to minimize the response.
> 
> ...


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

maybe your pup can't hold it that long. use the charts as a guideline, with caution.



rileygirl said:


> Well, anytime we are gone for more than 3 hours, we do have someone come over to let her out if possible. And if we aren't able to and an accident occurs during the time frame over 3 hours, I totally get that due to her age and bladder capacity.
> 
> >>>>> The part that is confusing me is when she is having accidents after I am only gone an hour to an hour and a half. I have been told that puppies can typically hold their bladder in hours for how many months old they are. So with her being 2 1/2 months old, I would think she could hold it for almost 3 hours, if that makes sense.
> 
> Any thoughts on why she would be having accidents after only being gone for an hour and a half?


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

doggiepop said:


> if you put a Kong in the crate when you leave isn't that leaving the pup with something to chew on?
> if you're going to feed p-nut butter i suggest usuing the kind with no sugar and additives.


As I mentioned, "Kongs are tough and puppies generally can't tear them apart." Which they are. Obviously, you need to know your puppy, but Kongs are made to stand up to heavy chewing. The black Kongs are even stronger. Is your puppy a super heavy chewer with incredibly strong jaws that will work at the Kong for over an hour trying to tear it apart? Then obviously don't leave it in the crate. Is your puppy the standard puppy with sharp little puppy teeth and puppy jaw strength that sleeps every other hour during the day? It's probably fine. Especially if the puppy is more concentrated on the stuff inside the Kong than the Kong itself. The point is trying to alleviate possible separation anxiety. If the puppy has no signs of separation anxiety then no distraction is needed in the crate at all.

What I was talking about was more easily rippable, tearable objects and toys. Soft toys, rawhides (very dangerous), bully sticks, cheaper rubber toys, tennis balls, etc. I figured I made that clear when I qualified the strength of Kongs.

And yes, the peanut butter shouldn't have sugar or additives. You can buy made-for-dog peanut butter, or just buy the natural, no additives kind at the super market.


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## rileygirl (Jul 14, 2014)

thank you all for your input. I think BostonBullMama and lisahi were right with the separation anxiety thing. We have been working on that a little, and though she still isn't 100% sold on the crate when we leave, it is getting better and better, and about 2 days after I posted this thread, she seems to have turned over a new leaf and has only had 1 accident in her crate since Tuesday. Woohoo! That even includes trips being gone up to 4 hours during the day.  very happy with the progress. Thanks again!


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