Do you punish a dog that eliminates in its crate?

Question

I have a 9 week old German Shepherd that I just got yesterday, I take her outside to eliminate regularly, almost every 30 minutes or so and she produces.

Today I took her outside, let her roam around for about five minutes and when she did not produce I put her in her crate and went to the bank. Not more than an hour later I returned to find that she had eliminated (feces) in her crate. I did not punish her due to the fact that I have read that you do not punish the dog if you do not catch it in the act or shortly there-after. I took her outside, she did not eliminate, I gave her a bath and put her in the clean half of the crate (a large crate with a divider.)

My question is primarily: if she does do this again, do I allow her to wallow in it and suffer? Does this teach her a lesson? Or do I proceed as I previously had?

This was not an intention of cruelty, for those of you who have rebuked me with snide remarks.

I did not allow the dog to suffer in it the first time and was merely wondering if that was the correct thing to do.

I will also never hit her, for those of you who inquired what I thought "punishment" to be. I neatly grab her by the scruff of her neck and give a firm and authoratitive "NO." She has never whimpered in this proccess and I know I am not hurting her.

I am also aware of how young nine weeks is. I am not expecting this to be easy or an overnight success. My patience is eternal and I am merely seeking advice.

"Scruffing," as it has been referred to, is the method Ruhe's vet recommended. I am inclined to listen to a man who is alledgedly educated on the subject, and with his given example of behavior correction while I was there and the experience I have had with her, I believe it to be effective.

Answer 1

you definitely do not punish a 9 week old puppy. you have to set up a routine, so she knows that she is going to be taken out for a pee. after she eats, you should take her out 30 minutes later for a walk to poop. puppies eat more so they poop more. as she gets older it will be probably eating no more than twice a day, so the poop control will be less. but you still have to have at least 2 or 3 times a day where they know they are going to go out to poop. sometimes they have a surprise poop, which you can't blame any one for. having 4 dogs of my own the best advise i can give you is to set up a routine and stick to it. punishing them does not help and only serves to depress them...altho smart, they don't correlate the poop in the dining room with you getting angry. once she has a routine, and understand the crate is her home, she will stop. dogs tend not to poop where they sleep. good luck, and give it some time. 9 weeks is very young. but perfect to start setting up a routine your dog can depend on.

Answer 2

There is no reason to punish a puppy who eliminates in a crate. Puppies have very small bladders and pee all the time. Punishment would be completely lost on your dog. The proper thing to do with a puppy that young would be to take her out often and praise her when she does her business outside. Ignore all indoor accidents and clean them up right away. Dogs learn more from positive reinforcement and recognition than negative methods, just like children do.
Just ask yourself, would you punish a baby for not being able to hold it?
Your crate is too large, but that is beside the point. Your dog is at an age when she is pretty much incapable of holding it for very long anyway. I would suggest a smaller crate and a much longer patience level-maybe about four more months til the dog gets it right every time.

Answer 3

sounds like most of the posters have right thing in mind, but i wonder if the crate you have right now isn't too big? she should only be able to turn around and lay down in it. try moving the divider so that this is all she can do. when she in the crate it's time to relax and be quiet.

as for the German Shepard part, get a collar on that girl asap! make sure you spend more time outside with her. take her at least a 15 min walk every two hours. do not go back in the house until she's done her job.
also, keep her on a feeding schedule as much as possible. that way you'll learn when it's time to poopy. remember three meals equals three poopys.

Good Luck

Answer 4

From what you said you should reduce the size of the crate space. The divider is a great idea! I have used pillows to fill the back of the crate. To make sure the space is small enough, your dog should only be able to sit up and lay down - no place to walk to and then back to where they sleep.

As for punishment. The dog should never be left in it's own mess. It doesn't teach them a thing. They have very short attention spans and may think that you are punishing them for some that is actually good.

Try to remember negative scares them were as postitive keeps them coming. Try praise when they are doing business outside. Inside when they make a mistake; starting by saying a sharpe "NO", then come (or what ever your retrival is word - say it as if your are happy and want them to be with you) and continue positivie reinforcement - take them staight out side and do not go back inside until they have finished. When they do postive reinforcement again.

The NO is to distract and get there attention - which usually stops the mistake right then and there.
I just got a second dog and this worked with her in two days. Everytime I come home - out we go to do her business same place; same walk until she goes outside and get used to doing it in the same/similar place. Even when we take them for a long walk - when we get back we taken them on that same walk. The only mistakes she had so far is when I forget to take her to her place and that was on day two. They learn quickly as long as you keep repeating it!

I hope this is helpfull. Both my dogs are rescure dogs and I have read and found that with them negative just scares them and did not fix the problem. Postive when they do it right keeps them happy and always wanting more.

Answer 5

If a dog eliminates in its crate there's one of three problems:

1- The crate is too large for the dog. They should have room to sit, stand and turn around comfortably. Dogs won't go on their own private area, by instinct, unless they have too much room.

2- The dog was left too long. As a general rule puppies can hold themselves as long as they are old. Eg: 2 months=2 hours, 3 months=3 hours. ect.

3- The dog is sick. If it was diarhea-like then your dog is obviously not feeling well and had no choice.

In all of these cases there is no reason to punish your dog. If you don't supply a proper crate its your fault, if the dog was left to long its your fault, and if the dog is ill... that may or may not be your fault. See my drift?

House-training can be tough, and if you are having problems then look up a reputable trainer.

Answer 6

If she's going to the bathroom in her crate then her crate may be too big. Where did you get her from? Did you get her from a breeder or a pet shop? If she came from a pet shop then you might have a harder time because they tend to just go when they have to. Dogs by nature like to keep their dens (crates) clean so she should not be going to the bathroom in hers unless it's too big for her. You can try moving the divider closer to create a smaller space. Basically she needs to be able to stand up and turn around anything more than that could be big enough that they'll start going to the bathroom in one area.
If you're taking her out regularly (which it sounds like) then don't punish her for going in her crate. Take her out to see if she needs to go more. Then clean up the crate. Be sure to use an enzyme based cleaner, not just soap and water.

Answer 7

Your dog is trying to adjust to a new place to live, a new owner, and probably new food. Maybe she couldn't hold it because you gave her a different type of food which is running through her quickly, and obviously, unexpectedly.

Don't punish the dog. They don't like pooping in their crate. It's punishment enough. Besides, she probably lived in a puppy mill where they weren't let out often enough and she got used to pooping in her crate.

If you want to avoid this scene again, you take her outside, run her around a bit, and see if that doesn't empty the tank. Then you go to the bank.

Remember, she's just a baby. You have to teach her what you want her to do. She needs lots of training, and lots to do. GSs are "working" dogs who need to be kept working or entertained. They love to be trained.

Debbie

Answer 8

Puppies need to be crated, so don't listen to the guy up there. No, don't punish her. Take her outside and wait until she does potty and praise her. This may take a while of waiting for her to go. Give her treats and praise. When you go out and put her in the crate and she goes in the crate, it probably means she can't hold it, she hasn't yet learned where she's supposed to go. She's only 9 weeks old. She doesn't know anyone and she's probably confused. Never strike your dog. Be kind.

Answer 9

No, you take her outside and do not punish her-- only an animal with no choice uses their crate. Dogs rarely go where they sleep. Letting her sit in it teaches her nothing. Just clean it up and put her outside, keep up until she's used to going outside.

An hour is a long time for a new puppy.

Answer 10

You are right not to reprimand a dog that you do not catch in the act of eliminating. Crate training success can be linked to the size of the crate. She should be able to stand up and turn around but the crate should be small enough so she can't have a den AND a place to eliminate. Good luck in your training.