Help! Mess in the crate!!

[gljliz]

In February, my husband and I adopted a wonderful girl (1 year old) named Ginger. She was just what we had wanted as a younger sister for our rescued Pug. To give you a short background, Ginger was neglected by her previous owners: left on a short chain in the yard all day and night. Now she's with us. For the first few weeks everything was going good (only the usual puppy problems) and now we have a crate problem: she pees and poops in the crate and doesn't seem to mind. I have tried feeding her in the crate and that didn't deter this at all. I came home today and she was laying in the poop. What can I do? Could her previous "lifestyle" have something to do with it? She is never in for a long period of time (2 1/2 hrs in the morning and 4 hrs in the afternoon) and she always goes outside before being put in the crate. If I leave her free in the house, she will not potty at all, but chews on everything not tied down. I suppose a few damaged books is worth our sanity. I would like to come home one afternoon and not have to clean the crate. Ginger is a great girl and I'd hate to have her shuffled around again, but we are beginning to lose our patience with her. I am new to crate training, so if there is something I should do or shouldn't do, please let me know. If anyone can help us, we would be so grateful.

Liz

 

[myrocky]

First remember patience is key here. This is a rescue baby and she needs more patience than your average baby. There are some great threads reguarding crate training if you do a search. It is the little button at the top right of the page. This link might also help you in your research.

http://www.boxerworld.com/puppy/crate/

I would venture to say that if she was on a very short chain then she is probably used to pottying where she slept or hung out. This can be worked out it just takes some time. Good luck with this and don't give up hope just yet.

 

[trudy]

I totally agree with MyRocky, I know it is very frustrating but it sounds like your lil girl missed out on the lesson "don't potty where you sleep/eat" the crate is a great tool but it is not a guarantee that your dog will not mess their crate. Trudy is 6 months old and occasionally will pee in there from time to time (i still haven't totally figured out why) but she will step in it, roll in it, it does not seem to bother her much either..

When I asked my vet about it she said that most likely when she was a baby her sleeping area was not kept clean either by her owner or her momma dog..so she was never taught.

But don't give up on your girl just yet...I would make sure there is nothing in her crate....I know you want it to be comfy etc, but do not put anything in it, I would however give her a kong full of yummy treats that she has to work at to get out, maybe if she's a bit distracted that might help...Also if worse comes to worse, you could always take the tray out of the crate and put down an oops pad under the crate so that if she did go she would not be standing in it...I know that's not exactly training her not to go in the crate but it will help keep things clean.

 

[gljliz]

Thanks for the support. One more question: I am borrowing a crate from a fellow boxer owner. Should I get Ginger her own crate and start over with the training? Also, my pug runs free in the house: Could this be a source of tension for her? I don't want to isolate her, but my pug would have a stroke if put in any kind of confinement.

Liz

 

[blondey_76]

Well, I am in the same situation as you. I have a 4 month old who does the same thing.....EVERY DAY.......we even come home for lunch and take him out but he still goes in his crate. I have to scrub the crate and give him a bath daily. I can't seem to understAND either. My house is very very clean........he sleeps with us all night long without having to go, so i have no idea what the deal is..........I even stick paper in half the crate and blankets in the other, but he will go right on his blanket.....I'm here with ya girl..........figure it out and let me know! haha

 

[Monica156]

How big is the crate vs. the dog? Maybe a smaller crate would help?

 

[gljliz]

The crate is an extra large one that my friend used to train two boxers. If she isnt going to grow any more, investing in a crate of her own might not be a bad idea. What size do most people use?

 

[myrocky]

Yes getting her her very own crate is an awesome idea That way it will be hers and she will make it hers. Since the one you have now is used she might smell the other dog and it might make her nervous. I know that when I crate Rocks I keep our bedroom door shut because our cat would taunt and tease him. So maybe the pug is bothering her. Or it could be since she doesn't see the pug but knows he is there that is making her nervous. Rocky's crate is a wire crate I got at pet smart. It is 2'2" tall, 3'long, 2'wide. He is small so I have it divided with a baby gate.

 

[Eric J]

Dividing with a baby gate, cool. As I aproach the end of August when I should be a new puppy poppa I have been wondering how the heck to divide a crate, this sounds like a great idea, THANKS.

 

[myrocky]

You are welcome :p It is a small baby gate also purchased at PS and it is set on the smallest it will go. And since I have a wire crate it can extend out the sides.