dog pees in crate during the day, not at night. help!?

Question

I have a 4 month old dachshund. She wakes me up at 8am to go outside to potty, then at 10am after breakfast, then at 6 or 7pm as soon as I get home from work, then again after dinner, then at 11pm right before bed. She sleeps in a pet carrier at night with a bed and blanket and has never peed in there. She stays in a crate during the day. It is a good size, but I don’t use a divider because a bed in it takes up the whole floor space. She has had this routine since 7 weeks old. She has never peed in her crate until about 3 weeks ago. I have thought about putting in the divider, but she pees in the middle of her bed, not a corner or side. Why is she not holding it during the day for 6-8 hours if she can easily hold her bladder for atleast 8 hours overnight??

Could it have anything to do with her eating an hour before I leave for work (even though I take her to the bathroom after) while at night she doesn’t eat for 4 hours before going to bed? Do I not feed her before work? help!

Answer 1

Yes you should definatly feed her before you go to work but only a small amout to tide her over. She might have anxiety when your gone. This is very common in animals. They actually get mad when their master leaves and they misbehave. In your dogs case, she pee's in her pen. It sounds more like an anxiety problem to me. I leave the radio on for my dog and he's 3 years old now. Its comforting to them. Also, put a piece of your clothing in the pen with her. She will be able to smell your scent. Try that. Eventually she will get used to the fact that you can't be there with her all the time. Good Luck!!

Answer 2

i think the rule of thumb is that a puppy can hold its bladder during "awake" times for the number of hours equal to its age, up to about 6 or 7 months. so if she's 4 months old, she'll need to go out about every 4 hours. for some reason, it IS different when they're asleep. i also agree with the folks who said maybe the crate is a little too large ... but not sure why this problem just started 3 weeks ago if nothing else has changed in the meantime. if you can't get someone to come let her out after 4 hrs, i would restrict her water intake a bit in the 2 or 3 hours before you leave for work and just make sure she has plenty of water when you come home.

Answer 3

Because she's not sleeping. There's a big difference there. At 4 months I wouldn't be greatly concerned. And I think that meal is more important than the inconvenince of cleaning up. If its not real cold put a disposable wee wee pad in there instead of her blankie. Is there a strong odor to the urine which might indicate infection? I know most people crate them and with hold water when they are gone for the day but I'm a firm believer in fresh water at all times. The stainless buckets or bowls chained or attached with brackets to the inside of the kennel is good for no spills. Lack of fresh water leads to urinary infections. If thats not the case I wouldn't worry, she'll outgrow it.

Answer 4

i don't think there is anything wrong with your puppy other than he is bored and has a tiny immature bladder. would it be at all possible for you to come home on your lunch break to love and potty your puppy? if not is there a neighbor or friend who could help you out? i feel like you are doing the best you can but i think it is so cruel to leave them in a cage more than four hours at a time. your puppy is just that...a puppy and i cannot image a puppy laying quietly in a kennel or small cage and being able to hold an immature bladder for such a long time. it is my experience that puppies play most of the time and have to tinkle often. i hope you can come up with a better idea for your sweet puppy. good luck to you and keep loving that baby.

Answer 5

Being left in a crate all day without potty breaks is tooooo long! You might think he can hold it, but can YOU hold yours all day? If you hold your urine too long, you can develop an infection - so can your dog. You have probably given him a UTI. Take him to the vet and have it checked out.

Answer 6

Im guessing her crate is just too big. Dogs dont like to pee where they sleep....so she holds it at night because if she didnt she would have to sit in it. But it sounds like her crate during the day is large enough that she can pee in one place and still have plenty of space to move around without stepping/sitting in it. Also she is still quite young, you shouldnt expect full control until at least 6 months of age....possibly longer.

Answer 7

Could be a urinary tract infection. Also, the crate may be too big. For proper crate training, the crate should be only big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around, and lay back down.

Answer 8

I have had dachshunds in the past and they love their masters endlessly. When I was with her she never tore anything up or would pee in the house. I found when I did leave she went crazy,,,anxioty.. What I did was start leaving a piece of clothing with her,,,and several chew toys with her and never had a problem afterwards. They ONLY time she did mess up was when I forgot the chew toys before I left. Hope this helps you also.

Answer 9

I used to have a dog that peed when he got nervous or excited. This may be the reason that your dog is or it could be because she feels neglected. You might try having someone checking on her during the day while you're at work. Good luck!

Answer 10

I personally think that leaving a puppy (because that's all she is) for 7 - 8 hours unattended is cruel. At her age, I wouldn't expect her to be fully housetrained anyway. I have my dogs let out during the day if I am going to be gone more than 2 or 3 hours. What about the human interaction that your dog is being deprived of for unreasonably long periods of time? If people cant/won't make arrangements for a pup to be cared for properly, I won't even consider letting them go to homes where the owners are out all day long. She must be so very, very lonely.