Ok my puppy is now 11 weeks old. He came home at 9 weeks old.

He likes his crate. Not yet enough that he will just go there but when we put him in there he's fine. He sleeps in there no problem and we put him in there when we are unable to watch him like when I am cooking.

He has never had an accident at night and will be there for like 6 hours and then wake me up by barking if he needs to go. During the day if he's in there and I'm home I'll just take him out every few hours whether in the kennel or out.

Ok with that said, EVERY single time we leave the house and he knows it or we leave the room the kennel is like if I have to shower...he will poop in there. Even if he just pooped outside he will poop in there.

The kennel is small and even blocked off to make it smaller.
Will he outgrow this one he gets used to that he will have to be alone sometimes? Even when the other dog is in his kennel a few feet away he will still do it!

Is it normal for him to do this because he's scared or mad that we left him?
Will he get used to it and stop or will this become a habit and if so what can i do about it?

thanks!

i wanted to add that I think it's a nervous thing? I'm hoping that once he gets more comfortable at being alone he will stop?

What happens after he poops? Is he sitting in it or laying in it? Do you bathe him afterwards?

Perhaps you could put him on a tie-out for short periods like for showering, instead of in his crate?

I'm at a loss here, I don't have enough experience for something like this.

 Quote: lovella lagdaan

Ok with that said, EVERY single time we leave the house and he knows it or we leave the room the kennel is like if I have to shower...he will poop in there. Even if he just pooped outside he will poop in there.

If he has no poop, he can't poop, no matter what the reason, right?

So, thinking this through, I think my first step would be to give him some extra walking on poop trips. I have a recent rescue who poops in stages, which I learned was best dealt with by always assuming that there would be more after poop number one. Also, he does MUCH better with a longer walk than my other dogs, who just automatically go when they get near their customary spot.

Exercise gets that peristalsis going, so he's less likely to do a "partial."

I understand that there might be another issue here, but solving the physical poop-in-crate problem will be a big step forward, right?

Well I did alot of reading last night.
I think he has seperation anxiety. And really I think his anxiety enables him to poop even if he doesn't have to because I am serious it will go even though he just went.
Example - last night I fed him at 5pm and then took him out to poop at 5:30. Then at 8pm I decided to put him in his kennel in another room so that he can try to get used to the fact that sometimes he will be alone, either with us home or not. This is what I read that will help his anxiety. So I did this and the minute I put him there and I checked on him in 5 min he had pooped!
He kinda stepped on it. You can tell he's trying to poop on the side cuz it's always on the side of his kennel but his space is very small that he doesn't have much room for anywhere else.
Yes I do wash him every time he steps on it.
So last night I left him in a room and he pooped. I cleaned it up and him, then put him back in. I put him there until he stopped barking for at least 5min.
I plan to do this every single day. Leave him in another room while we are home but in a room where no one is and let him bark until he's done. Then let him out once he's been quiet for a while plus been alone for at least 1/2 hour. I hope to extend the times as well.
I am trying to not get him to dependent and anxious. I also told my family not to say bye to him in the morning when they leave and when we come home not to greet him for at least 10min and to just ignore him.

I hope I am doing this right. I just dont want this seperation anxiety issue to get worse before it gets better. Since he's only 11 weeks I"m hoping it's correctable.

My other dog will cry for a short period when my daughter leaves him but no pooping and the crying/whining is very short.

Any suggestions would be great!

Yep, the not greeting the dog when coming home is an excellent plan.


I'd still do what Connie suggested though. Right before you put the pup in the crate, make sure you take him out to play and exercise until he's tired and wanting to lie down on his own.
1) That will stimulate his bowels and get him to poop outside and 2) the more tired he is, the less anxious he will feel when left alone and the more he'll want to just sleep and calm down.

do you think the period of leaving him alone while we are home is a good idea too?

Or do you think being alone during the day is enough to get him used to it? Sicne it is every day?

I just feel like its not enough and he needs some alone time while we are home too. So that way when we are home we can kennel him up too. Cuz if he gets used to being alone when we aren't there doesn't mean he will get used it when we are home right?