Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Judy

First of all, thanks to all of you for the valuable information. We brought our puppy, Hallie, home 2 weeks ago today..we were never going to be a pet family, but fell in love with a relatives puppy and just had to have one for our family. Hallie is 11 weeks old and goes in her crate every night for bedtime and sometimes during the day for naptime (during a hectic time with lots of people and new dogs, she went in by herself as a safe place). We think she's secure in the crate. The problem we're having lately is that she is going potty in her crate during the night even though we take her outside right before bedtime. I heard that puppies don't usually relieve themselves were they sleep. We have been giving her "free choice" feeding. Should we change that? Thanks for any info. When summer is over and the school year begins, Hallie will be spending hours in her crate...any experience with that? I love this website!!

DISCUSSION:

If you are using a towel or padding in the crate, try using nothing on the bottom of the crate. If you have nothing on the bottom of the crate try putting a towel or padding in the crate. We had to go back and forth doing this until our pup decided not to go potty in the crate. It worked pretty quick. Good Luck
-Patrick Geddes

Try feeding her on a schedule so that you can gauge how long it takes for her to go potty afterward. Also try feeding her in her crate. Dogs don't like to deficate where they eat either. Good luck.
-JP

Judy, I didn't actually use a crate when potty training Lucy, but I was told to block off an area in the crate so there was only enough room for her to lie down..not enough to wander. The few times I did crate her (when I was out) I put a square tupperwear juice container in the back of the crate to wall it off from the front. This is supposed to keep them from using the additional space for a potty since they "can't get away from the do-do." Also, I had Luce on a schedule of mealtimes/walktimes. I didn't leave food down for her to eat at will until she was 100% trained. I fed her, waited 15 min and took her out for awhile (she nearly always had to pee) and if that didn't produce anything more than pee, brought her in and took her out again in about 10 min. Once you get it nailed (the time from into the body to out) you can get the baby out at the near exact time to do her thing. I would not let your kiddo free feed until the potty training is licked. Hope this helps. Lucy was trained in about 3 weeks, but my attention to her was constant during that time (I was working at home full time) and I watched her like a hawk until she got it.
-cathy brown

It is possible that Hallie has not matured enough to "hold it" all night and has no choice but to eliminate in her den.
-Sharon

I agree with Sharon at 11 weeks of age all night is a long time for a little one to go. They will usually last about 5 to 6 hours before needing to go out at that age. With mine I take them out just before bedtime and set my clock for six hours later or put the vari kennel with the puppy in it in my bedroom and the pup will usually get me up by crying if they need to go out.
-Cherie Eno

I agree with Sharon, too. Remember your dog is a baby. Mine continued to go in the crate for several weeks. I did not say a word to him. I kept a stack of old towels nearby and had to change the bedding several times a day, not to mention washing those towels. One day, he simply began to hold it all night. Be sure to take him to the bathroom first thing in the morning and right before bed in the evening. Your pup will stay dry, eventually.
-April B.

When we brought Munchkin home at 10 weeks, he had a problem with him soiling in the the crate only at night. He would then get very upset, because he didn't like having a dirty crate. It turned out that the crate was too big for him. We partitioned it to make it smaller & haven't had a problem since. He sleeps thruogh the night with no problem. Hope this helps.
-Carole W.