Hello, I'm a new member and i'm having a lil problem. I was called last Friday to come pick up my new black lab puppy because of a fire in the breeders kennel. He is only 6 weeks old but I'm having a little trouble with him pooping in the crate. He was just wormed and his stool is a little loose. I'm just curious if this could be because of his age. Also the breeder picked the pup out for me because I am attempting to train him for drug detection, and he told me he was the smartest in the litter. Problem is that he hasn't taken to treats or toys. Could this also be from his young age???

 Quote: dustin brodrick

Hello, I'm a new member and i'm having a lil problem. I was called last Friday to come pick up my new black lab puppy because of a fire in the breeders kennel. He is only 6 weeks old but I'm having a little trouble with him pooping in the crate. He was just wormed and his stool is a little loose. I'm just curious if this could be because of his age. Also the breeder picked the pup out for me because I am attempting to train him for drug detection, and he told me he was the smartest in the litter. Problem is that he hasn't taken to treats or toys. Could this also be from his young age???

Six weeks old? People don't usually have puppies away from the mother at six weeks ... did you think the puppy would be house-trained?

Did the litter have to broken up because of the fire?

"Drug detection" ?

I know, I was expecting to pick him up at 8 weeks. He never stated why he needed them picked up but the kennel was a total loss, so i hust assumed that was the reason. I knew he wouldn't be house trained, I guess I was really asking if i should expect to be able to start the house training at six weeks or if he was to young. And yes attempting the drug detection would be way later, just stated that because I was curious about him not taking to toys or treats. I hear the more the prey drive the better the detection dog.

http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm

I guess I would just be taking him out every hour and marking/praising for every outside potty.... the usual, but even more frequent.

Wow. Six weeks. I do hope the puppy experts will see the thread and help out.

 Quote: Dustin Brodrick

because I was curious about him not taking to toys or treats.

But you have only had him for a couple of days?

I'm pretty sure that a baby like that needs a little time with you before you will know him.... especially after he was separated from his litter at 6 weeks.


The puppy people will log on.

I wouldn't worry about a baby puppy pooping in the crate, he doesn't have much bowel and bladder capacity/control right now and I wouldn't expect too much in that area until 8-9 weeks. The more often you can take him out the better.
Just the fact that he has been moved to a totally different environment is going to cause some relapse in his behavior, no matter the age.
You need to give him at least a week to acclimate.
Make sure that you give him plenty of down time, several times a day in his crate.
He will probably be more receptive to toys and treats after an acclimation period. At this age I think that gentle physical touch and play would be more meaningful for him than toys and treats.
It would help him feel more relaxed if you left a cloth with your scent on it in the crate when you leave.
The loose stool could be caused by diet change, stress, worms, coccidae, or giardia. A vet checked stool sample can help identify parasite problems.
If the loose stool is caused by a sudden change in diet it will take at least a week before the stool will firm up. A little plain canned pumpkin (1 tsp) two times a day will help firm the stools.

Hey Dustin,

With a really young pup like you have, Connie is correct. I would be taking him out every hour unless he is sleeping, then let him sleep. Once he wakes up, take him right outside.
You will have to set your alarm clock to take him out at night as well. If you are diligent you can get him potty trained fairly soon.
Keep the crate nice and clean and if he has an accident, clean it with a diluted bleach spray.

I would really try to keep him from going in his crate.....even though he is really young and would probably stop in a few weeks, it is really not a habit I would want to allow to start even though he is so young. It could be a difficult one to break.

As far as not taking to toys and treats, he is a bit young and will need time to adjust to his new surroundings and you as a caretaker.
I would get him a stuffed toy or a really soft towel to sleep with as well, this may help to comfort him while he is in his crate.
You can keep trying to get him to take toys and treats, just go nice and slow and do not get frustrated with him. It will happen.

Hey thanks guys for the inputs, I'm brand new to the whole dog ownership. But he did very good lastnight, we went out about every hour and have had no mistakes today!!!

 Quote: dustin brodrick

Hey thanks guys for the inputs, I'm brand new to the whole dog ownership. But he did very good lastnight, we went out about every hour and have had no mistakes today!!!

That's because you are setting him up to succeed.

To him, potty will be associated with outdoors, because that's where he does it. It is becoming a habit, one that you reinforce every time you take him out and praise/reward him for good potty.

"Brand new to dogs" ..... here you go: http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm

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