Accidents in the crate

[shyntoimpress]

Normally, a crate is extremely helpful in housebreaking a puppy or dog, but what do you do if they don't care about keeping their "den" clean? I have a puppy here (about seven months old) for about a week while her owner is on vacation, and she thinks nothing of peeing in her crate. I guess I'm adding her to my grooming schedule tomorrow...

Even if I can't "fix" this problem with this puppy in the few days until her owner returns, I'm sure it's not the last time I will encounter the issue. Any suggestions?

Rebekah

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

I generally troubleshoot with the self help "triangle" first, starting down at the bottom - which means you would need a good history on the pup to start.

Look at health - urinary tract infection? incontenance?, etc.

was the pup housebroken properly? - does the pup rely on asking to go outside rather than on a schedule (get history from owner)

So much troubleshooting to do here since all kinds of things can cause the pup not to be used to holding it - like a dog door to the outside, pee pee pads, etc.

Could it be anxiety related? Is this dog prone to peeing because of anxiety?

Does the pup hold its urine supervised outside the crate? Does the pup pee in the crate when you are in the same room?

A big possibility is that the pup came from a pet store and learned early that peeing in the crate was ok and the only choice early on.

I can help with a plan with a bit history.

[shyntoimpress]

From what I understand, Cricket and her littermates were kept in a filthy horse trailer until they went to homes. They are tenacious, ranch-bred, cattle-working Australian Shepherds... and Cricket went to an in-town pet home with a super nice owner who should be proud of Cricket's exceptional people-training techniques. At around 4 1/2 months, Cricket came to live with me for a month of training. She was a housebreaking nightmare, but with constant supervision and a good schedule, she was doing much better when she left. Her owner has an office job, so Cricket is in a crate during the day. I believe she lets her out on her lunch break. I don't know if she pees in her crate regularly at home or not, but when her owner dropped her off before leaving for vacation, she did say she needed a bath because she'd peed in her crate that morning. I have not noticed a problem overnight or in the morning. During the day, I take her out almost as much as I would a pup half her age. Whether I'm in the room or not does not make a difference when it comes to peeing in the crate. I don't know what brand of food she's on, but I can assure you it is nothing good. She is healthy, no UTI or incontinence. She drinks more water than most dogs, but other than that, I've seen nothing unusual.

She's also the worst I've had live with me when it comes to being quiet in the crate. Her owner let her out at the slightest whimper, but I believe it is anxiety in addition to being spoiled. She doesn't bark or whine - it's more like screeching and screaming. She was horrible, horrible, horrible about it when she first came to live with me, but by the time she left, she loved the crate and was super relaxed in there. I could pretty much leave and she'd be fine. This week, she has been pretty good for the most part, but if I leave (or step into the shower!) she starts screaming her head off. She will no longer run into her crate anytime I ask, either - it's obvious she is never asked to go to her kennel unless she's being left alone.

She really IS a good dog, she is just bred for a completely different lifestyle than the one she's living. Again, I only have her for another day or two until her owner returns from vacation, but the issue of not keeping the crate clean due to being raised in filth is one I'm bound to run into again.

Rebekah

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

My first thought of troubleshooting would definitely be anxiety related here more than anything else. If she is screaching - that can definitely be at a level of anxiety that can cause her to have trouble keeping the urine in.

She will require patience without a doubt. I would find out if she spends her time present with the owner on her lap or with a hand attached to her - this can cause bad addictions that might cause anxiety at this level.

I have also encountered the rare case of dogs that will pee in a crate, to get out of it. Since, when the owner notices the pee the dog will come out so it can be cleaned.

If she is not having accidents out of the crate supervised with a person present - i would go with an anxiety plan first- and make sure all the underlying levels have been practiced.