Help!!! I am stumped! This is not our first puppy, but this is our first working puppy. Don't know if that makes a difference in this case...but anyhow, here's the deal. We got Ida when she was 8 weeks old. For the most part, she's had very few accidents in her crate. Well, when she was about 11 weeks old she started pooping and peeing in her crate. She is 13 weeks now. We figured the crate was too big so my husband put a divider in the crate which really shortened it up, but allowed her space to turn around comfortably. That seemed to help deter her form soiling the crate so we decided to move the divider back about 4 or 5 inches (as she was getting bigger and needed more space as well; and really at this time it is still only 15 inches deep and 18 inches wide). Immediatetly she began soiling regularily. I bring her out often, but she does not alway go. I can stand out the for 20 minutes somedays and all she'll do is trot in circles and sniff and eat leaves and grass and everything else.
Thinking she doesn't have to go I'll put her back in the crate. Then later she will have pooped and peed in her crate. She doesn't seem to have a set time of elimination, even though she has a feeding, potty and play/train schedule.

My husband read somewhere in a hunting magazine, a guy who's dog did this for attention. Is this an attention thing? She does howl in the kennel (not as much as she used to), but from what I have noticed it has nothing to do with having to go outside or having a mess in the kennel. This is very frustrating as she does this often. I have to clean her kennel 2-3 times a day, whether it is wet, poop or both.

I would bring treats out to praise her when she goes outside, but if she smells them she will never focus on going. She is so food driven.

Oh, and my husband just reminded me of this...there are many times where she will pee and not fully eliminate everything...you can hear that she just stopped. I never say anything to her while she is going, because it always distracts her. But clearly she is not understaning that outside is where we go. She is not bothered by the soiled crate!

If only we could train them to clean up after themselves

This is NOT an attention thing. Please completely dismiss this idea; the person who said it is wrong.

You will be happy to hear that this is 100% handler error, and so therefore 100% handler-fixable.

This is a baby who is inside when she has to potty. You're allowing a habit to become ingrained; all your attention should be on fixing it.

Treats hidden in a baggy in your pocket are not going to keep her from pottying.

When I have a dog who is new to my house, I take the dog out every hour. There is no opportunity for her to have crate accidents. When out of the crate but inside the house, the dog is tethered to my jeans.

If we spend 20 minutes outside and the dog didn't go, we're back outside 20 minutes later, and the dog has NO opportunity to go indoors, out of my sight, in between.

I'm just starting the responses. You'll get help. You need to heed it right away, because every accident you allow reinforces the habit. Remember, this is a baby. When she has to go, she has to be outside, and she cannot arrange this. Only you can.

This might take some alarm clock work at night for a while, too, but really and truly, this effort expended now will pay off forever.

Don't worry. This can be done, and it is done every day.


PS

"Oh, and my husband just reminded me of this...there are many times where she will pee and not fully eliminate everything...you can hear that she just stopped. "

Have you had her urine cultured? How recently?

Puppys need a set schedule for success this is about you and not the puppy your responsible to take them out. If you do it every 1-2 hrs during the day and every 3-4 hrs at night, a puppy can't hold it all night, like Connie said you won't have an opportunity for accidents.
What worked for me was taking my pup out as soon as they woke up in the morning, after a play session, a few minutes after they eat or drink, not allowing them to drink before evening bed time, positive praise after they do go and then have some play time and enjoy your pup.
And never get upset at the pup if they have an accident poop happens.

OOPs wrong topic getting late

Ms. Sutherland and Mr. Waddington are right on.

You have to spend some time working on a schedule for the dog. Initially, you feed the dog and take it right outside to do its business.

If no joy, wait 45 minutes or so and out again you and the dog go.

You have to get the praise for going outside thing down.

A puppy needs to go out a number of times a day and a couple of times through the night if you intend to condition the dog to want to alert you to its need to go outside. It has to associate your house with its crate and not do its business in the house.

I don't think there is a short cut. It is a function of the frequency of your conditioning.

Establish a schedule. Get up, feed the dog, out for its duty, in for a bit of relaxation, some training on basics, encourage it to do its duty outside again, and so forth through out the day.

You can condition a dog to sleep on a soiled mat by omission. You have to intentionally train the dog to go outside and that takes some time for some dog but start the clock now.

You should see promising results in time if you are consistent, patient and praising of any steps forward. Play poker with mistakes because you probably didn't see the act. Any attitude and the dog is confused, because it doesn't relate the past to your present.

Your demeanor will determine how the dog progresses. Frustration will prolong any training process.

You got a baby. It takes time. Time and a schedule for eating, pooping, napping, training, pooping, exercise, pooping, eating, pooping, sleeping, pooping, sleeping... And so it goes every day.

I find that keeping a schedule on my phone of when they do what:
Pee:6:30 am
Eat:7:00 am
Poop: 7:50 am
etc, can really aid in knowing when she might go. Also, if I'm working with one that has a high distraction level, I keep a leash on so they can only smell in a 6 foot circle. This way, they quickly smell everything they can reach, get bored and go (At least that is my theory) It also keeps them close for the potty party after. Spend lots and lots of outside time just hanging out or playing too because it will give you more opportunity to catch the wanted behavior and allow less time for crate soiling to occur.

Thank you for your replies...like I said before, she seems to have to set time for going potty....She used to keep the crate clean and now I never know what to expect when I go to her crate. As far as the urine culture goes, I never thought of that, but it makes sense to check it out.

Do you think it' even worth it to have the divider in the crate? After all, the whole purpose was to deter her from going potty in it all the time, but it doesn't seem to matter.

She's a very smart girl, and quick in her responses to commands (still with treats). She's just totally distracted at everything while it's business time outside.

 Quote: Amanda Sypnieski

Thank you for your replies...like I said before, she seems to have to set time for going potty....She used to keep the crate clean and now I never know what to expect when I go to her crate. As far as the urine culture goes, I never thought of that, but it makes sense to check it out.

Do you think it' even worth it to have the divider in the crate? After all, the whole purpose was to deter her from going potty in it all the time, but it doesn't seem to matter.

She's a very smart girl, and quick in her responses to commands (still with treats). She's just totally distracted at everything while it's business time outside.

The only way to "keep crate clean" is to be outside when poop needs to happen. Of course, a pup cannot "not poop" when they need to any more than a toddler (or adult, for that matter) can.

So let's see what's going on, and whether a GI problem started at 11 weeks:

How often is she pooping per day? Is it diarrhea or firm logs? What food is she on, if it's diarrhea and if it';s more than 2 x per day? When did she last have a fecal check (if it's not firm logs and it's frequent daily events)?

If it's not firm logs, is it mushy logs, pudding, or liquid?

Sorry, forgot this part:


Do you think it' even worth it to have the divider in the crate? After all, the whole purpose was to deter her from going potty in it all the time, but it doesn't seem to matter.

IMO, no, I don't. If she has GI issues of any kind and the divider is forcing her to lie in poop, then nothing is being gained.