How do I train my puppy not to pee in his crate when we're not home?

Question

We just got a Ridgeback puppy who is 5mo's old from a shelter. During the day when we are not home he is in his crate & when I come home for lunch to let him out, he has already peed in it. Is there a way to get him not to do this or will he grow out of it? I'm not sure if I should scold him -- and haven't so far b/c he is a puppy.

Answer 1

ok, i know a lot of people have already answered your question, but please just take some time to read mine. DOG IS NOT SUPPOSED TO PEE IN THEIR CRATE!! it's their natural instinct not to pee in their own space; get any training book off the shelves and they will tell you the same thing. If your dog pees in the crate, chances are1. he doesn't see it as home. 2. he isn't properly trained by his mom. i am guessing 2. is the reason for your dog. a lot of shelter dog lose their basic instinct of "not to pee in their space/close to food" due to bad sanitary in the shelter. sadly, most of them are forced to get use to peeing next to their food because they are locked in a small crate.
ok, here is how you fix the problem.
1. either get him a new crate or clean the crate throughoutly. is the crate from the shelter? if it is, i suggest you just throw it away. if it was a new crate that you bought him, clean it really really really really well. if your dog smells just a little bit of pee smell in it, he will go back to his old habit.
2. here is the hard part. puppy need to go potty all the time because they have weaker muscles. they definitely need to go after approx 15 min after meal. and i would puppies need to go every 2 hours. (you need to figure out how many times your dog need to go yourself though, every dog is different). is it possible that you can have your neighbor come over and let him go when you can't do it yourself?
puppies muscles will strengthen as they grow up, but the habit of peeing in crate will not go away if you don't fix it. dogs don't like being dirty and sleeping next to their pee. i think your puppy might not be used to the idea of "someone will let me out of the crate and potty". again, it's not uncommon for shelter dog to get such behavoral problem like this. i am really glad that someone adopt a dog and give him love instead of getting a pure bred dog to show off. good luck with your puppy!

Answer 2

You got a ridgeback! They are a great breed. I have a half pitbull half rigdeback mix. Did you get a red or brindle? The Ridgebacks are also known as the African Lion dog. They are wonderful dogs. Dogs will not pee where they sleep unless they can no longer hold it. However, if the crate is larger than just a sleeping area, they will define one area to use for defecating and another for sleeping. If the crate is too large, the puppy will continue to do this. If it is too large, purchase another smaller crate for now. He will not go in the crate if it is only large enough for him to sleep. This may also sound strange, but crates should not have food and water in them if you are coming home on lunch to take him out. Set up a regular feeding schedule; take him out as soon as you come home for lunch and then feed him. If there is food and water in the crate, he will eat this and then has no option but to relieve his bowels in the crate.

As for scolding a dog...even if he has an accident in the house, do not scold him unless you catch him in the act. Dogs are a spur of the moment kind of creature. Taking him back to the spot where he had an accident will not bring back the memory of his actions. He will not understand why you are yelling at him. If he does have accidents, buy a good odor neutralizer so the spot will not smell familiar to him. Best of luck to you with your new puppy!

Answer 3

It's gonna be hard since he's from a shelter, and they train them to do this...but it can be done.

First of all, remember, crate training isn't mean...it gives your dog a place that's his, and dogs naturally look for a den. There are a few things to do with the crate though. Make sure that his crate isn't too big. The pup should only have enough room to stand up and turn around. You should aim for a small bedroom, not a condo. The dog will get bigger, so rather than getting him a crate to "grow into", get one with a divider. A dog won't naturally go where they sleep/eat, and if the crate is large enough for him to go in a corner away from that, he will.

Secondly, feed and water him in the crate...this goes along with the "going where he eats" program I mentioned.

Third, restrict his water about an hour before you have to leave. If he can eat/drink all day long, he'll pee and poop all day long too. Get him outside one last time as close to the time you leave as possible.

When you're home with the pup, take him outside on a schedule...I ran every 90 mins with my dog at that age. Keep it consistent, and praise the dog lots when he does go outside. If you catch him getting ready to go inside, take him out immediately. Puppy pads are a bad idea, because even though their convenient, they teach a dog its ok to go inside...

I hope this helps you out.

Answer 4

Just work with him and be patient. Scolding him will just make the situation worse. Are u giving him 2 much water before hand in the morning? He will start 2 understand that it is not comfortable sitting in his own mess. Control his water intake in the morning and see if that helps and make sure he goes potty outside right before u put him in the crate with alot of praise! If the urine has a strange odor to it he may have a urinary tract infection which could make him pee more frequent. If all is normal than he will learn-don't give up and Good Luck! Also thumbs up on rescuing him from a shelter!

Answer 5

My mother had a similar problem with a golden lab puppy she had brought home from the shelter. She trained the puppy to use pads, and later to go outside to do her business. If she was caught peeing in her kennel when there was someone to take her out, THEN she got scolded. She learned! These days she stays outside on a cable most of the time and comes in at night, unless a storm comes up. Then she is brought in to her kennel.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Puppys can only hold it for so long. (Rule of thumb is they can hold it for no longer (in hours) than they are months old....so a 5-month old can hold it for no more than 5 hours.)

Please do not make a dog stay in a crate while you are at work (even if you come home during lunch to check on him.) This can be considered a form of abuse.

Dogs need run to run and play. It's essential to building (and maintaining) muscle and confidence. Eventually, you will find that a caged animal will become aggressive.

If you do not like the idea of a dog having full run of your house, consider buying a baby gate and confining it to a particular room. Also, leave him some toys to keep him occupied while you are away.

Answer 7

Your puppy is supposed to urinate in his crate. This is part of his basic training to use only one spot in the house as his potty, rather than the whole house. Use a puppy pad in the crate, both so he won't have to sit or lie in his mess, and to help him associate the pad with single spot elimination.

However, if you'd like to make him more comfortable, try to feed him at least 45 minutes before you leave in the morning and then take him for a walk 15 minutes before you leave.

On the walk, use a word or phrase that you can repeat to train him to "go" when he hears it. After he has urinated, praise him extravagantly!

You're on the right track about not yelling at him. All you do when you scold is make him afraid of you -- after all, he doesn't know you're scolding him for urinating, he thinks you're angry at him for being happy to see you!

Good luck. It may take a while, but compassionate training is SO worthwhile.

Answer 8

Do not scold him and PLEASE do not listen to whoever said they are supposed to urinate in their crates! Dogs are den dwellers, as are wolves. Dogs percieve their crate as their "den", therefore, will not use the bathroom in there as long as they are not sick (and even then they will sometimes be able to hold it, depending on what is wrong) and depending on how old they are.

In my case, puppy pads only taught my two dogs to use the bathroom on the floor. I have to take them outside every four to five hours to ensure that they will not use the bathroom on the floor, and they are way past the ages where they can hold it for longer than 5 hours.

Also, in my experience, a 5 month old puppy cannot hold it for 5 hours, but more like 2-3 hours, however, you have a large breed puppy so he may be able to hold it for that long. Dogs are individuals, just as are humans. You might want to talk to your vet as to how long he/she thinks your dog should be able to go without using the bathroom in the crate and what he/she feels is the best way to go in house-training.

Also, do you have a fenced yard? If so, can you get a doggy door and baby gate the puppy in the room where he can go in and out when he needs to use the bathroom? You'll have to teach him how to use the door and how to go to the bathroom outside, but Ridgebacks are smart dogs.

I hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 9

No, don't scold him. You have to catch them in the act in order to correct a dog for anything.

If the crate is too large, so that he can pee in one place and still lay down and be clean in another, then you have to make the crate smaller. The one I just got for my Husky puppy came with extra pieces so you can do that. My older crates didn't have those pieces, so I had to put 2x4s across the crate to make it smaller. As the dog grows, you allow more room in the crate.

He may just not be able to hold his urine that long yet. In that case, he will just grow out of it.

Answer 10

I just got a puppy too and have been reading a lot on puppies/dogs. If a puppy has to pee, he will do it. Don't scold the puppy because it will lead to social problems later on -- biting/aggressive behavior. The best thing to do is section off an area for him in the house by putting up tall cardboard or getting cheap fencing (if on carpet, lay down some plastic or covering to cover the area) and place either puppy pads or newspaper and start training him to go on that. You don't want him to get used to peeing in his crate, because that is essentially his "domain." And you don't want him to pee in the crate/bag you're transporting him in.

Also, when talking/dealing with him/her, be firm, not angry. You have to remember that dogs are pack animals and relate to us in a different way. If you are angry and scold him, he/she will lose trust in you and that can lead to other problems.