Hello BW! Little Jersey 4 3/4 months old does great in his crate at night (I know night time is different then day time hours) While we are around he has not had an accident in the house for weeks now.... While we are at work he is left for about 3-4 hours as I come home at lunch for an hour to let him go potty, play, eat, and drink. Problem is if he is in his crate when we are not home he will pee or poo within an hour.....tried giving him kongs and treats but that does not seem to help... Is it possible he just can't hold it yet? Due to our house setup (open concept) it is not really possible to confine him to a room other then the basement which he doesn't spend any time in and I'm sure he would hate. Is it okay to keep him in a big 4x3 wire kennel and put a pillow and blanket at the entrance and paper in the back? Or will that just encourage him to defecate where he sleeps? Thanks for your help !
Bad idea for housebreaking ?
- Thread starter nelly29
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tesster
Boxer Insane
It's possible that he's just not comfortable in his crate, especially since he's proven he can hold it for that long out of the crate when you're gone. He should be capable of holding it for 2-3 hours at 4 months.
You could try remedial crate training. Feed him in the crate. Give him treats for going in. Search crate training here and you'll find step by step instructions.
It sounds like he's panicking a bit in the crate when you leave. Are there any other signs (excessive drooling, vocalizing) of panic?
You could try remedial crate training. Feed him in the crate. Give him treats for going in. Search crate training here and you'll find step by step instructions.
It sounds like he's panicking a bit in the crate when you leave. Are there any other signs (excessive drooling, vocalizing) of panic?
nelly29 said:
Kona was like this when she was younger as she got older she stopped whining as we were walking out the door. The fact that she is sleeping and sits and waits to get out without fussing is a real god sign. Most dogs go thru some degree of separaton anxiety in the first hour of you leaving, especially when they are younger. When they never settle down and nap is when it becomes a real issue. [Cassius used to sit on the stairs facing the door we walked out of for awhile after we left. sometimes if i returned shortly after leaving there he was just sitting on the stairs.
]KonaKoffe said:
I give him 1 cup of CS at 6:45 , 12:00, and 5:15 for a total of 3 cups a day....Het gets water at 6:45, 12:00 and free water in the evening between 5 and 8 pm..... he goes for walks at 6:30, 7:30, 11:30, 12:30, 5:00 and we are home the rest of the evening so he goes out often with his last outting at about 11pm...
The leaving him in the big kennel didn't work he went for a pee on the paper and his pillow????
I guess Im going to try the leaving him in the mud room with a radio a few toys and some paper in the far corner.... I just don't want him to lay in his pee or poop as I can't imagine that is good for his long term house breaking!
lilyzeigler
Boxer Booster
sometimes if you have the dog is a very large crate they will go inside of it.
The idea of using the large crate ( with newspaper) IS to give them room to poo and/or pee if they have to and not have to sit in it, if you have to leave them for extended periods of time ( like confining them to a small bathroom or mud room). For some, the crate is easier and quicker to clean than a room. With the crate I am also able to place it by a window (so she can look out) rather than having her confined in a space without a window. Some dogs work well with this approach, some do not.
At 4-1/2 months I would not be surprised that they have to pee or poop in the 3-4 hr period that they are confined. I would not expect them to be able to physically hold it that long yet.
3 cups of food for a dog that young seems like an awful lot of food. Check the dog food bag guidelines, for the brand you are using, and see what they recommend, based on age and weight. Keep in mind that the recommended amount is for the whole day.
At 4-1/2 months I would not be surprised that they have to pee or poop in the 3-4 hr period that they are confined. I would not expect them to be able to physically hold it that long yet.
3 cups of food for a dog that young seems like an awful lot of food. Check the dog food bag guidelines, for the brand you are using, and see what they recommend, based on age and weight. Keep in mind that the recommended amount is for the whole day.
Thanks for the replies ! I took him out of the kennel because for some reason he would just pee anywhere and lie in it sometimes...In the mud room he seems to go on the pads and sllep on his pillow in the opposite side of the room...Im hoping he just cant quite make it the 4 hours he is left alone and will when he gets older...I started leaving him a little water in his bowl when I leave ......
According to the CS puppy food 4 month old dog up to 20 lbs gets 3 cups a day? He is almost 5 months and just hit the 20lbs mark (he is a small guy)
According to the CS puppy food 4 month old dog up to 20 lbs gets 3 cups a day? He is almost 5 months and just hit the 20lbs mark (he is a small guy)
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