# Pooping/peeing in crate??



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It could be that the crate is too big, or that she picked the habit up before she came to you. Either way, I think I would swap to an x-pen or a puppy proofed room, where she is less likely to get herself into a mess, and perhaps work on desensitising her to being left, as well.


----------



## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

A few things come to mind, any or none of them could be contributing.

1. Crate is too big. It should be just big enough for her to stand up, lie down and turn around. Any bigger than that defeats the purpose of a "den."

2. Feeding too much. What goes in must come out.

3. Not pooping on a schedule. Do you feed at the same times every day? Do you take her for a little walk right after meals so she can poop?

4. Upset tummy. If she has diarrhea, she won't be able to hold it.


----------



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Calculate the correct amount of food for her. 

{[30(weight in lbs/2.2)] + 70} * 3 = calories (kcal) per day puppy needs until 4 months old

{[30(weight in lbs/2.2)] + 70} * 2 = calories (kcal) per day puppy needs from 4 months old to full grown

Her food has 436 kcal/cup.

The calculation for water is difficult, but a very close approximation is 1 ml of water per kcal of kibble.

If she is 10 pounds, she should be eating 1.4 cups of food and drinking 2.5 cups of water per day. Feed it together, soak the kibble in water for 20 minutes before feeding. 0.7 cup of food with 1.5 cup of water, twice daily.

Weigh her weekly and recalulate how much food and water she needs to make sure her needs are being met during this time of restricting her access to food and water.

Take away all other water sources (don't forget puddles and toilets) and all food sources (no treats, no table scraps) until the crate problem is solved. 

Walk her 10 minutes after eating. She will poop - it's like magic. Walk her again 1 hour later. 

Continue taking her out every 2 hours, after she eats (twice), after she plays, and after she sleeps.

Reward pottying outside - every time.

Put a camera (webcam) on her to see if she is throwing fits in the crate and stressing herself out. You can also see how long she can hold it. Does she pee right away from stress? Or maybe she can only hold it 90 minutes now.

TAKE HER TO THE VET and have her checked for a urinary tract infection. You can't train away an infection!

Make her crate smaller.


----------



## Sealy (Jul 16, 2012)

*Ruby's Status*

Thank you all for the tips. She's no longer pooping in her crate, but still urinates. Not every time, however. She was negative for a UTI, but she licks a lot. The vet said her vulva is slightly recessed.


----------



## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

She may still urinate in her crate if there is a lot of soft absorbent bedding/fabrics. Try one of those mats for the crate that don't absorb water. There is a green inexpensive one at petsmart. If the pee has no where to soak into the pup will probably only try it once...

It looks like you're already getting to the bottom of it, but I just thought I would share my experience. I had a friend who's dog would pee in her crate nervously when being separated. I couldn't really help her with the separation anxiety, but we did figure out that she wouldn't pee in the crate anymore if the pee had no-where to go.


----------

