How do i get my puppy to stop messing his crate?

Question

I have a 7 mo old Great Dane who is perfect in the house while we are home, and a nightmare while we are gone. We come home from work and he has rolled in his poo, peed all over, etc. We always make sure he goes before we leave. His crate is tall enough for him to stand in, but not to move around much. It seems as though he doesn't care about being dirty, which is odd. Anybody got any ideas? My husband and I are really frustrated, because we know he can hold it.

DUH! he doesnt like his crate! I wouldnt either, but he didnt have a problem with the first one, and we built him a bigger one because we couldnt buy a bigger one. Giving him up is not an option, OR is leaving him outside. If four of the six people that attempted to answer this question were paying attention to the details you would understand this - #1 Danes cant stay outside #2 they dont make crates big enough #3 we obviously cant remove his bowels, genius. All of your answer suck. Try again.

Answer 1

He thinks he is being punished and he is in a panic mode until you get home.

Like all dog owners before you who have discovered that a puppy and poo seem to be inseparable, you have to be patient. Make his cage a little bigger.

I have tried the kitchen which has a place for my puppys water bowl and food bowl and lots of newspapers.
The newspaper trick ahs worked with every single dog I owned.

Try it.

Answer 2

It is odd that he is messing in his crate. As dogs do not usually mess where they sleep. Does he sleep in there at night? Or do you just use the crate for only when you are not home? If you don't use the crate at nighttime, you may want to start doing that. And put the crate in your room, so that he knows you are still there. Making him understand that this is also his sleeping area may break him from messing in the crate. If that doesn't work, I would suggest to try gating him in a small room or in the kitchen. That way if he does mess, he can't get it all over him.
Also from the sound of it, it sounds like you have the correct size crate. As I see some people have said to get a bigger crate. But the crate should only be able to allow him to stand up and turn himself around. So the size of the crate isn't the problem.

Answer 3

This is somewhat common in shelter dogs and usually caused by stress & boredom since it sounds like his kennel isnt too big. I would think your Dane is showing signs of serious seperation anxiety. You might talk to your vet about meds or natural alternatives that will help calm him while your away until he gets comfortable with the idea. Some mind challenging toys and treats that will help keep him preoccupied. You could also try a good walk to tire him out. Good luck!

For house training I believe the kennel sounds right. They should be able to stand and turn around.If it is too big THAN they would mess in it. It really sounds like seperation anxioty and absolutely NOT an issue of house training or being dirty. When I have seen shelter dogs do this they are usually the smarter ones, there is some dog psychological reason but I dont remember it. Talk to a vet you should be able to resolve it.

Answer 4

a dog will not use the bathroom where he sleeps so if he dose he really can not hold it. How long are you leaving him in his crate? Medically a dog is able to hold it for the same hours as he is months old not to exceed 9 hours. So if he is 7 months old and you are gone for more than seven hours he can't hold it and I have had a great Dane they really need to be in a outside kennel during the day if you keep them in a small kennel their bones will not form right and you will have a deformed dog and that is not fair so please think about getting him a kennel outside.

Answer 5

Actually, dogs 6 to 9 months have weaker bladders. Can you hold it for 9 hours? You need to leave your dog outside while you are at work. Get a fence or a dog run for him/her to stay in instead of a crate. Can you imagine lying/standing in the same spot for 9 hours a day? How miserable.

Answer 6

How long are you leaving him? He obviously can't hold it all day. Hire a pet sitter to come during the day to walk him. Make sure he has more than one chance to go to the bathroom while out in the morning. The crate should be big enough to stand and lay down stretched out in. It is very unnatural for a dog to mess in the crate, and they won't unless they have no choice.

Answer 7

WOW!! GREAT DANE! well i have a yorkie (yorkshire terrier) and he used to do the same thing! I would say that when yu r gone they get mad and they do that as a "haha" "that's what yu get for leaving" kind of thing. or it's the "im scared and nervous without yu" thing. what i would do is put something that has either ur husband's or ur scent on it like a shirt (obviously not a new thing if he gets it durty) or something and put it in his cage when yu r gone. one thing not to do is give him kisses or affection before yu leave. another thing is when yu come home dnt go to his cage and let him out right away. and when its time to let him out (like 2-3min) dnt give his affection right away. i would say wait 1 min and then yu can. if the shirt thing doesn't work, yu can get a kong and fill it with treats and peanut butter and then put it in the freezer and wait for the peanut butter to freeze. then when it is frozen and yu r going to leave, put it in his cage and that will keep him occupied! Good Luck!! =]]

Answer 8

He is probably having separation anxiety. Try giving him a chew toy. they also have an electrical sound that is supposed to sooth the pup. I haven't tried but a friend did and said it was great. I personally leave a radio on that way they think I'm home. Good luck

Answer 9

What sort of time is he spending created? I had similar trouble with a Pit/Mastiff mix I had some time ago and what worked for me is that prior to feeding her I'd place a few pieces of dry dog food in the create. I read somewhere that dogs tend not to do their business where they eat. Now if a pup that age is left too long it will do what it needs to.

Answer 10

Yeah I have an idea. Stop putting him in a crate he cannot move around in, and expect him to not get in his own poop and pee. So you put him in this crate he can only stand or lay in and not move around in and actually think he is able to keep out of it.