# puppy wont stop pooping in her Crate



## zachobbs (Feb 14, 2009)

Hi, we have a puppy thats a little bit over two months old. She's an Austrailian Cattle Dog Mix. Anyway, we've been having a problem where she poops in her crate every time we leave her in there. It isnt like she is in there long when she does it. Last night was a perfect example of frustraition

She ate her last meal around 7:00pm. She wouldnt poop outside. At 9:45 we put her in her crate and went out for a couple hours. We got home just after 12:15 and she had pooped in her crate. We left her out till about 1:30 when we went to bed. At 7:00am this morning she starts barking, and I go to let her out...but she had pooped in her crate again. This time I put her in a smaller crate that is more adiquate for her size. At 10:40 this morning, my girlfriend woke up and little Holly had pooped all over her smaller crate. She hadnt eaten anything since 7:00pm last night, but pooped three times, all of which are in her crate. 

We take her out all the time, and go on at least 2 walks a day and regulate her food intake. I was a pet sitter for 2 years and took care of lots of puppy and never encountered one that is such a pooping machine!

Could it be her food? I currently have her on Wellness Just for Puppy with a little Nutro Wet puppy food mixed in. Is she treating her crate as the place where she is suppose to do this? I know she is very young, and an accident every once in a while is expected, but every time?!

Any tips or help would be great! Its becoming quite the chore to clean up poop every time she goes in her crate!

- Zac


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

First, at 8 weeks old, she cannot control her bodily functions very well. When she has to go, she has to go within SECONDS.

I keep puppies this age in a larger crate with newspapers down for a potty area, and I don't stress about it if they soil the crate.

I make sure to observe as much outdoor potty time as possible, and reward all outdoor elimination with very high value food rewards.

The other thing, you must STOP being frustrated with your puppy behaving in a normal fashion. SHe will feel this, and it will be counterproductive. A puppy is just a puppy, and if you are patient, and reasonable, and if you reward all outdoor potty work, she will learn.


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## poopy (Feb 25, 2010)

You've got to wait until she poops outside first


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## Stockers (Mar 2, 2010)

Certainly the key is for the pup to think it is appropriate to go outside. My girl is 85% trained but still does go in her crate from time to time. Allowing her bodily functions to mature at the same time as rewarding her with treats whenever she goes outside is my principle. She will eventually get the gist that going outside gets treats but going indoors is dull...no treats there then!


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

If you don't want her to go to the bathroom in the crate, then don't put her in the crate when she needs to go to the bathroom. 

For example, you fed her dinner at 7pm (too late, in my opinion). When she hadn't gone to the bathroom by 9:45, you left her for two hours. Of course she went to the bathroom while you were gone...most living creatures need to go to relieve themselves within a few hours of eating.

Keep a log over a period of a few days which chronicals exactly when you feed the pup and when she pees/poos. Pretty soon you will know to have her relieve herself before she goes into the crate if you are nearing one of those times.


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## k-9 (Mar 10, 2010)

You have to let her out every hour, she is very young and does not have full control or capacity to that matter. A dog will only relieve itself in its sleeping spot if it HAS to. 10-20 minutes after it eat you take the dog out. If she doesnt go, put her in the crate and let her out in the next 20-30 minutes to go BACK outside, repeat until she gos. When ever she DOES go make sure your praise her like no tomorrow and even treat if you wish.
Repititiona and familirization is how dogs learn, this in turn means patience as a trainer.


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## slickooz (Mar 9, 2010)

+1 very good information.


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## Chewperz (Mar 13, 2010)

She should be taken out every half hour. Even if she doesn't go right after eating she's still going to need to void her bowels soon after eating. Unlike adults, where pooping may only happen once a day, after dinner. 

I don't believe in crate training and have never had a dog that has had a crate. My Shih tzu is trained for his airplane soft sided crate and that's it. I made the mistake of feeding him then falling asleep with him on my bed one afternoon soon after getting him and woke up to a little pile on the corner of my bed.  Obviously my fault but snapped me into 'potty training' action. 

Every half an hour until at least 12-14 weeks! where she'll begin to learn that inside isn't the way to go. She'll also start to see her kennel as a den where feces and urine shouldn't reside. Right now she's just pooping, she's not thinking about what she's doing ('I'm pooping in my kennel for attention'), she's just doing what her body is telling her to. 

Every half an hour! I can't stress enough!


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Lots of good advice, but I have some questions:
Are you feeding her at the same time every day? How much? Are you feeding her two or three times a day? How are her bowel movements? Soft, hard, formed, etc.

Do you keep a chart? Keeping a chart of how much food, when, how much free time, when she pees, when she poos compared to when she eats etc can go a long way towards figuring out her "body schedule" which sets you both up to succeed. 

Is she crated during the times you are home at all (aside from at night)? Do you feed her in her crate? How long do you wait when you do take her outside and do you take her out on lead and just hang out? I usually recommend just standing there to wait for pee but with poo you may have to take her for a short walk, or play with her a bit to get things "moving". If you take her out and are out for ten minutes and nothing happens, take her back in and crate her for ten more, then take her out again. 

It could be too much food, the wrong food, stress about being kennelled etc.


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