[rmzbm]

OK all...here's what's happening. Dakota is now about 3 months old, and for that age - WOW! He's doing GREAT house/crate training wise. But his problem is the OPPOSITE of what I'm hearing others report so I'm not finding much in the way of a solution. He does not pee in the house (or poop) EVER. Never. I'm amazed. Everyone says "they won't go in the crate...blah blah blah..." Well...he DOES pee in his crate! Never during the day, just overnight...never poop either, just pee. I'd say in a typical week his crate has a puddle maybe 3 mornings. Is all night just too long to hold it? Should I get up in the night & take him out? I have a baby gate & what I was thinking was, instead of crating him overnight, maybe gate him in the back hallway that has hard floors. Would that be better OR should I concentrate on making him crate train? And, no, his crate's not too big. I'm afraid this will irritate his skin, being in there with pee. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> Also, as I stated in another thread, I bathe him alot. I no longer shampooo every other day but I am giving a weekly bath. If he's soaked in pee though I don't have a choice. I refuse to smell it & it's nasty - though in those instances I give him water only baths, it does the trick.<br>
WWYD? TIA! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[daekini]

I've been told that my new pup will need to go out in the middle of the night (or at least very late) til he's around 4 months. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[rmzbm]

OH! So you think that would be better than the hallway deal?

 

[christyb]

I would keep him in the crate because if you put him in the hallway area he will learn that it's okay to pee in the house and as he ages he won't have to learn to hold it.<br><br>
Right now he's a little guy with a little bladder so if you can get up and take him out I would do that otherwise I would guess he will continue to pee in there - he just can't help it. Start taking him during the day and telling him "potty" and then when he does go crazy happy and tell him "good potty". Do this a lot and soon at night you can tell him potty and he will go and then you can all go back to bed quickly. Is the crate near you, if he whines can you hear him? If he is whining respond to that - don't let him out while he is whining, but respond to his communication. Put him out to potty before going in the crate and take him outside first thing upon waking.<br><br>
Keep an eye on him during the day and try to figure out a pattern. How long a time span is there between going pee? How many times per day? How long after he eats? Is he drinking a lot? if he's still on raw (if I remember correctly) then he should not be drinking very much. Find the pattern and try to adjust it to overnight. For example: he eats at 8am and goes potty 2x before 10am. His next potty is at 6pm and then he eats again at 7pm. Well then I would try to change his feeding schedule so that 10am-6pm was closer to your bedtime. Obviously, this example isn't realistic for a puppy, he's probably eating 3x per day but you will still find a pattern that you can then manipulate to help him be more successful.<br><br>
Are you giving him water and/or treats in the crate? If so, I would stop doing that. Instead of a comfy bed in there, use towels for now so that it's easier to clean and the bedding won't have the familiar smell of pee which encourages some dogs to go where they smell it! I use vinegar and peroxide on my wash and that seems to remove the odors really effectively.<br><br>
Good Luck!

 

[Danemom]

I would bet that it is only because he is still so little and can't hold it all night. But I would keep an eye on how frequently he is pottying during the day and if it is really frequent I would keep an eye on him for UTI. I don't think that is the case here but it never hurts to be aware.<br><br>
Last week it was avengingophelia agreeing with me, this week it's me following christyb around agreeing with what she has to say! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> Completely agree with her post above!

 

[Scribe]

Heh. I'm still gonna follow you are around and agree, this time with both you and Christyb--sounds to me like he's too young to hold it all night, so you're going to either have to get up mid-night and give him a potty break (best option) or deal with the wet crate. I also agree that moving him out of the crate at this point is a bad idea--if anything, that could un-train him re: going in the house. It is not at all unusual for a small, three month-old dog to not be able to hold it all night.

 

[k9rider]

The other thing that worked for us with Miles when he was a wee sprout was to pull up his water by 8pm at the latest (we usually put him in his crate by 10ish). He went out to pee/poop right before bed and typically held it through the night....even when he was 10-12 weeks old.<br><br>
If that doesn't work, you may need to get up and take him out. Just be sure that if you do that, only get him and take him out to use the potty. After he does that he goes right back in the crate...no treats, no playing, nothing. Otherwise he'll train you to take him out in the middle of the night to play <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[Danemom]

k9rider - SO true!!! Definitely no playing if there are midnight trips to potty! They do *train* you quickly!

 

[rpe]

Be sure his crate isn't too big either.<br><br>
Its very unusual for a 3 month old to be able to hold it consistently all night. With one that young I get up 3 or 4 hours after I go to bed. How long depends on the individual puppy.

 

[rmzbm]

Ok...thanks all! I'll keep him in the crate...I go to bed USUALLY about 11ish. And I get up & take him out at 6AM sharp...so I figure I'll set a 3AM alarm & see how that works out. He doesn't pee an awful lot...well, I dunno what an awful lot is...lol - I'd say, during the day, he pees about 5-7 times. (Rough guess!) And he poops almost every time he pees. He does potty on command pretty much & definatly knows the word - "POTTY!" sends him running to the back door. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> So I think nights can be a quick potty & back inside deal. Yeah, I NEVER give him food in the crate, just toys. I guess time is the answer. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> Thanks!