How do I keep my puppy from going to the bathroom in her crate.?

Question

My 8 week old puppy is eliminating in her crate. Due to work, I have to keep her crated for up to 4hrs. I am trying to mat train her, but am having very minimal success. It seems as though she prefers going in her crate than on the mat. Any mat training advice? Especially for those who work during the day. Thanks.

Answer 1

I also work during the day and have to leave my dog inside. When he was smaller I had the same problem. The first thing you must do is elimanate the smell from the create. Resolve pet stain remover is the best comerical product I found or lemon jucie works well too. Remember that just because you can't smell it dosen't mean she can't.

Second rememeber that a puppy can only hold it their age in months plus one hour. So a two month old puppy can hold it for 3 hours, a 4 month old puppy for 5, a 5 month old for 6, ect. Most of your problem will go away when she can hold it long enough for you to get home and let her out of the create.
Also putting a blanket or towel over the create encourages them to rest while you are gone and can by a little time.

As far as mat training goes, Bear (my dog) took about 5 months to understand. It wa like a light came on one day and he hasn't had any problems since then. One trick I thought helped was that during this stage a dirty mat that smell of his unirnation is avalible him encourages them to find that place. When I thought he was getting the idea I would put a clean one over a dirty one so the smell was still there but he got the idea of the mat. Then I moved to just clean ones. It seemed to help.

Good Luck

Answer 2

I am guessing you mean mat training as in pee pad. I would get a good size crate so that one side can contain a bed with toys, food and water available and the other size has a pee pad on it. Dog generally do not like going where they eat and sleep so she will probably learn pretty quick to go over to the pee pad side. The disposable pee pads have a scent on them that tell a dog it is the place to eliminate so if you have cloth ones you may want to invest in the disposable ones so she gets the idea you want her to pee/poop on the pad in the crate. It is not a big deal that she goes in the crate as long as you set it up for her to have the separate sides. It will probably help you with her potty training because you can place another pad in your bathroom (or wherever you intend for her to use it in your home).
By the way it is fine that you are crate training your dog. A crate can be a safe place for your dog when she gets older as well. And having a crate barely big enough to turn around in is not good. 4 hours is a long time to expect an 8 week old puppy to hold it.

Answer 3

Maybe your crate it too large. typically they do not use the bathroom where the sleep or eat. I would say downsize the crate and ad a dog biscut. I have 4 dogs that roam the house when I work 8 hours a day and I had to use that method with my female pit bull. Also let her out right before you leave and as soon as you walk in the door. If you're incistant on mat training, get the ones that are grass scented. They are a few bucks more but super effective. It reinforced the out side message

Answer 4

4 hours is obviously too long to keep her crated. Believe me, she desperately wants to NOT pee in her den. Is there a friend you can have check on her after two hours? For a puppy that small, every two hours wouldn't be unusual. (Is her pen too big? If you got it for a full sized dog then she thinks she has room to do her business in the corner. Block off part of her den with a divider or a box)

Don't give her any water an hour before putting her up and walk her right before you do. That will help.

And seriously, just don't bother with mat training. Skip right to 'outside is the place we do our business'. (Keep the pee pads down though, under the theory that if it must be in the house, on the pad is better than off)

As your pup gets older her bladder will get larger and she will be able to hold it longer.

EDIT
Bambis, there is absolutely nothing wrong with crating when it is done properly. A dog regards her crate as her den and safe place.

Answer 5

It is a shame so many people are misinformed about crate training. Done properly, crate training is no only NOT CRUEL, but it can have very positive effects on your dog in the long-term. Even the humane society recommends crate training for gosh sake!

Our dogs (two boxers) love their crates, which became their own little "fortresses of solitude" when they want a little private time (we no longer confine them to their crates, and removed the doors after they were housebroken). They both love to take naps in their crates (although they prefer sleeping with us when we're in bed), and anytime they are given a new toy, they run straight to their "houses" to play.

Keep in mind that puppies under 4 months of age have little bladder or sphincter control. Puppies under 3 months have even less. Very young puppies under 9 weeks should not be crated, as they need to eliminate very frequently (usually 8-12 times or more daily). As such, your puppy is probably much too young for crate training.

Answer 6

Puppies bowels/bladders are very small & still developing, & therefore cannot hold nearly as much as adults. The key is to keep a very strict schedule with her while she's still learning. Here are a few steps that almost always produce results:

#1: Most importantly, make sure she goes both #1 & #2 BEFORE you crate her. This leaves her system empty, with less chance for accidents.

#2: Make sure she's had her breakfast & drink at least an hour before you have to crate her. DON'T let her drink or eat AFTER she's gone potty- only a small treat & if you'd like, give her a couple of ice cubes to quench her thirst & exercise her teeth. If she chooses not to eat her breakfast in the AM, then she'll have to wait until you get home...if she's hungry enough, she'll figure it out very quickly.

Answer 7

4 hrs is a long time to keep the puppy in the crate. You might want to get someone to dogsit your puppy. Also, how big is the crate. If you could, adjust the size of the crate smaller (enough for her to sleep on and not walking around). Dogs usually will not pee or poo on their bed place. But don't keep him there too long, they can't hold it. Also, instead of mat training (its a big no no from pro dog trainers), take her outside, at one spot, to do it. Choose a specific time to take her out so that she will be trained to go at certain hours. Every time she makes a mess in the house, point your fingers at her and say 'bad dog!', then, take her outside at that spot and be patient. She'll soon get the idea, that she cannot do it inside. Once she's done her business outside, praise her and give her lots of pats on the head, saying 'good girl', and reward her with her fav treat.

Answer 8

Good job on making the choice to crate train and on the length of time you are crating her. Four hours is about the limit of how long you should crate a young puppy. You need to make sure that the crate is only big enough for her to turn around and lay down in. You should not have a potty mat in her crate. If you take her outside and ask her to "potty", or whatever word you chose to use, before you go to work, and take her out as soon as you get home, she should be able to hold it for four hours if she is a large breed dog. By the time she is full grown, she should be able to 'hold it' for a normal eight hour workday. I do not recommend using mats for her potty spot. Whatever you chose, good luck!

Answer 9

I 100% agree with Ibbibud. The pup is too young to be confined to a crate for any longer than about two hours right now. It doesn't matter what size crate you have, she is going to pee in it if she is in there for four hours.

Confine the pup instead to an area with a pee pad in one corner and the open crate in another. She can get used to sleeping in the crate but come out of it to eliminate on the pad. Once she is about four months old you can try keeping her in the crate for four hours.

Answer 10

The crate may be too big. Make sure it's just big enough for her to sit, lay down, and turn around. Also, four hours is too long for an 8 week old puppy to hold it. Can you get someone to let her out while you're at work? If not, you kind of have to expect to have a mess when you get home.