Puppy peeing in crate - help!

[Heavenly]

Okay, I am officially losing it. All this time, despite all the problems, there was one constant - that he would NOT pee in his crate. So we were using stardogs method of putting him in his crate when he wouldn't pee outside and it was working well. This afternoon I went to have a short nap. I set my alarm for an hour so he wouldn't be in his crate too long. Well I must have hit off instead of snooze when it went off and I ended up leaving him in there for 3 hours! I wasn't surprised to find that he peed because he probably couldn't help it. But since then when I did the method and he didn't pee outside and I put him back in his crate he just pees in his crate!!! What am I supposed to do now??? The crate was the one place we had to put him that he wouldn't pee and now he thinks it's fair game. I do not know what to do and I am seriously wishing I never got this dog.

[stardogs]

Eek that would be frustrating! Having someone come to you in person might be especially useful at this point - is that an option? I usually start with the APDT Trainer Search. The APDT also has a good article on finding a trainer.

In the meantime, a few questions:

- does he have any blankets in the crate?
- does the crate have extra space that would allow him to potty in one corner and sleep in the other?
- how many in-crate accidents has he had?

[Heavenly]

He had a towel in his bed, now he has nothing but the floor. He has no extra space, I partitioned it off. He has had two accidents so far. I am just so tired. I understood that training takes time but I don't know how to even make progress. Add to that that my DH (and it doesn't mean dear right now) isn't helping me at all and has been working overtime all week which is leaving me all the kids alone too and I am about ready to crack.

[greenmagick]

I try to keep in mind that in training, progress isn t necessarily linear. There are lots of starts and stops, backwards and forwards.

It can take weeks or months to potty train, especially small dogs who have really small bladders. Up the amount of times you are taking him out ( or shorten the time in between) and up the party when he correctly goes outside, extra special treats, lots of attention and play, etc.

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

I try to keep in mind that in training, progress is t necessarily linear. There are lots of starts and stops, backwards and forwards.

It can take weeks or months to potty train, especially small dogs who have really small bladders. Up the amount of times you are taking him up ( or shorten th time in between) and up the path when he correctly goes outside, extra special treats, lots of attention and play, etc.

This... you have not had the dog that long. Potty training takes a LONG time. Just the 'dog' training in general takes time. I look at things like year one of having the dog is like having a baby and toddler, year 2 is like have a child/teenager, then from year 3 on is like an adult. So after two full years of having the dog things should be 'safe' on all accounts.

Have you googled the breed you have and some training tips? (if you posted the breed I dont remember). How much research into the breed have you done? Im not trying to be snarky, the more info and research you have the easier things are. Can you get to the library and get some books about dogs and puppies?

Something else that works for my dog is not just letting her outside but taking her for a walk. She potties better when on a walk (esp #2)

[SubliminalDarkness]

Good luck! Our puppy was a crate pee-er. And a floor pee-er, and so on. Oy vey, the peeing. It did take a long time. And he DID pee in his crate. And he DID lay in it. And I DID have to bathe him a million times. He also got into licking it for a while. That was..... unpleasant.

He's now a little over a year and quite reliably housetrained, thank goodness. It just took time.

[AAK]

Clearly, I am NOT an expert. Anyone can tell that from my previous posts. But, I am wondering, how did you clean out his crate after the accidents. Since I started using the special stuff for the carpet spots and a vinegar intensive mopping of the floor (a lot more vinegar than my normal vinegar to water ratio) our floor accidents have greatly reduced. I would like to say they were eliminated, but unfortunately I can't. However, both accidents were clearly MY fault this time. (I was in my room putting laundry away and they woke without me noticing) I am guessing they were unattended about 5 min. but our girl pees within 1-2 min of waking.

So, if you haven't cleaned with vinegar or something special for dog pee, clean the crate again.

Good luck!

Amy

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by AAK

So, if you haven't cleaned with vinegar or something special for dog pee, clean the crate again.

Good luck!

Amy

This. Obviously, I am no expert, but I would make very sure the crate is throughly cleaned and deodorized. I used Nature's Miracle and vinegar to clean up Oscar's accidents. He hasn't peed in his crete though, only pooped and I washed his pad immediately.

[stardogs]

Totally agree with extra cleansing if you haven't done that yet.

A thought for you since you're so overwhelmed: do you have a little used bathroom or similar small, easy to clean, relatively puppy proofed room, that you could turn into a puppy pen for now? If not, do you have access to a wire "exercise pen" (I actually use a plastic PlayYard XT designed for kids)? With either option, you would layer the floor with papers or puppy pads (use a plastic drop cloth or old shower curtain under the papers in the pen if you don't have a room without carpeting), put puppy's crate inside, some toys, water bowl, etc. Set up the pen so that food/water and bed are all in one area and there's a large open space for moving about.

You can use this room/pen instead of the crate to keep him safe from household dangers - it will not keep him from pottying since he'll have more room, but it will mean that you don't have to worry about peeing in the crate or anywhere unprotected, nipping the kids, etc. for a little while to give yourself a break.

In the long run it should not impede your housetraining if you're consistent about keeping the floor covered with paper/pads to keep him from learning it's ok to pee on carpet, etc. and are careful about supervising when he's in the rest of the house (as you would if he were using the crate, too). It may also pull him out of the peeing in the crate issue since he'll have options available other than that.

eta: (((hugs))) I thought I'd let you know that we all have our moments of uber frustration - I've been training dogs for years but my last puppy (now almost 2yo!) drove me batty quite frequently.

After that experience, I now tell my students that sometimes timeouts are more for the people to regain their composure vs. really teaching the dog something at that moment. There is no shame in needing a break from your puppy, especially given all that you're dealing with right now - it WILL get better, though, I swear!

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

I try to keep in mind that in training, progress isn t necessarily linear. There are lots of starts and stops, backwards and forwards.

It can take weeks or months to potty train, especially small dogs who have really small bladders. Up the amount of times you are taking him out ( or shorten the time in between) and up the party when he correctly goes outside, extra special treats, lots of attention and play, etc.

That. After we got our puppy I read somewhere that most dogs aren't housetrained until around 6 months and I nearly cried. But really, it is early and it does get better.

If there's anything in the crate, take it out. Keep him with you all the time so you can catch him if he does start to go. Take him out after he eats, before and after he's in the crate, every hour at least. And take him to the same area everytime to have him go potty. Make a huge deal out of it if he does go. And for sure clean it with something to remove the smell.

Good luck!