# Husky Puppy pooping in crate



## FleuryHusky29 (Apr 13, 2011)

I have an 8 month old Siberian Husky puppy who often poops in her cage when she is alone. She is house trained and goes outside to pee/poop and rarely has any accidents. Her cage is perfect size, when she lays in it she can touch each end with her nose and bottom. We put her in her cage when we are not home and when we sleep. She has no problem sleeping all night accident free, this can sometimes be anywhere from 7-10 hours without accidents. Most days when I leave for work in the morning she is in the cage for 6 hours without accidents but then sometimes after 4pm she has accidents after 30 minutes or only a few hours. The main difference between her being caged when she's alone and when she sleeps at night is that at night time she's in her cage with a pillow and cushion for comfort and during the day she is just on the plastic tray. We did this because she used to poop on the cushion and cleaning it was difficult. She's fed on a very rigid schedule and normally poops about the same times every day. Is she just suffering from separation anxiety? Is there a training technique to teach her? Please help because I'm sick of cleaning up after her!!


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## Puddin's Training Tips (Apr 9, 2011)

Could be separation anxiety. I had a foster who pottied in his kennel but never pottied loose in the house. I assumed that he was nervous.
My Puddin' would panic in her crate but was fine when loose in the house so I just stopped crating her. She did get into things but it was better than her being upset for several hours straight.
Some behaviorsts don't recommend crating a dog all day when at work and again at night. They say this is excessive crating.


I don't know your walking situation. But I would take the pup on 2 to 3 very long walks each day. At least an hour walk before going to work to make sure the pups gets all of his poo out. A nice nature trail or park walk is good. Dogs tend to love to potty in new places and in places where other animals are eliminating.

I know that trainers say that the crate should be small with just enough room to stand up and turn around, but since your dog is being crated for 16 hours a day, I suggest giving her much more room. Maybe even an exercise pen if she will stay in it. She might be more comfortable and less anxious.

You can also try setting up a safe room instead of crating the dog most of the day and night. Take anything out of the room that might be dangerous for the dog. Put up sturdy baby gates at the door or put in some type of door that let's the dog see out but not get out so he might be a little more comfortable.

This book by patricia McConnel is a good one on Separation Anxiety. It's only 16 pages: I'll Be HOme Soon

I think the book Puppy Primer has some info on crate acclimation

Here is a really good video on Potty Training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPiFcG7ROI


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## Yvonne (Aug 6, 2010)

Unless I am misunderstanding you. Your dog is in the crate all night then in the morning goes back into the crate for all day and she makes a mess at about 4pm while she is still crated? When is the dog out of the crate and how much exercise is it getting? Perhaps doggy day care or hire a walker for the daytime. IMO the dog needs more time out of the crate.


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## Puddin's Training Tips (Apr 9, 2011)

FleuryHusky29 said:


> she is just on the plastic tray.


6 hours on a plastic tray can not only be just plain uncomforable, but she might develop sores or injuries from that. And her paws could become raw. 

Here are some alternatives.
1. Buy a bunch of cheap blankets or comforters or towels from thrift stores. You can just throw them away when they get messed on then use another one
2. Or you can wash them. Simply take the bedding outside, spray off as much poop as you can with the hose, then toss them in the washer and wash first with Nature's Miracle in cold water. Then wash a 2nd time with detergent and bleach in hot water. then hang out to dry for added freshness. For many years, parents used cloth diapers. Cleaning up poopy cloth isn't really a big deal.
3. Put down the blankets, then put newspaper on top (be sure the dog won't eat the paper though)
4. Put the blankets down and put wee pads on top (once again, be sure the dog won't eat the wee pads)
5. Use fatigue mats - you can buy these at a home supply store
6. Use those thick mats that you see at fitness center - ask the gym how to go about finding some
7. Talk to a carpet store about letting you buy some carpet sample squares. by a bunch. when they get messy, throw them away. 
The little extra money spent will be worth your dog's comfort.
If money is an issue, see things that are less important than your pets
Heck you could even buy a bunch of nice pillows that they like and keep changing them out.
Additionally, most dog beds come with a cover, so when they mess it up. Simply remove the cover, clean the cover at stated in #2. Then put the cover back over the padding and put back in the kennel. You might need to have a couple of dog beds in reserve so you can use one while another is drying.
You can also find cheap doggie beds at thrift stores. Some animal shelters have their thrift store and they will sell a lot of things that get donated to the pets that they can use.


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