Crate trained puppy wetting his crate

talkerannie

Hello!
We have a new puppy. He is 5mths old (King Charles/Poodle). We continued crate training him after we got him as this was what he knew from birth. We used divider in crate and as he got older we moved divider back before eventually removing it late August. He NEVER wet his crate from the minute we got him.
Since mid August (after he had all his vacs & boosters) we have been leaving him to our nearby neighbour’s kennel during the day as we both work long hours (I work shift). Initially kennel owner was putting him in the kennels but after a few days and as she has 5 small dogs of her own (incl puppies) she was taking him into her home to mind him.
In the past week she has been putting him in the kennels again as he is peeing on her floor (we have no issue with him being in the kennel). Her own dogs are totally housebound and use pee pee mats to relieve themselves. It’s possible that our pup who gets taken out by us all the time when we are home and is not getting taken out as much in her house has got used to this.
When we leave him down to kennels we take him down in his crate – and this is his space in her house or in the kennels.
So our dilemma! This week having put him in the kennels our kennel owner brought him in for a while to play with her dogs on Monday afternoon and he peed on her dog’s bed.
Yesterday when we arrived home with him he peed & pooped many times outside before we brought him in (my boyfriend joked that he mustn’t have relieved himself at all during the day). I then noticed that his bedding in his crate had three wet patched where he had peed. As I said he has NEVER wet or soiled his crate bedding in all the time we have him.
Throughout the evening we continued to bring him outside. After one trip outside where he peed I brought him back inside and left him in the kitchen for a few moments. When I returned I found he had peed in one area & 4 poops in another area. He has only pooped once inside when he was very young.
We put him to bed after he peed later and I let him out to go to the toilet 2 hours earlier this morning only to discover that he had wet his crate bedding during the night.
Today we have left him to kennel without his crate (hoping to re-establish this as his sanctuary at home?) and instead brought down his cushion from our kitchen that he lies on during the days when we are at home etc. We are planning to put the divider back into his crate to limit his space.
He hasn’t been neutered yet (not sure if that’s relevant).
I would be grateful for any suggestions or advice any of you may have. Is his crate training destroyed now? How do we correct this?
A very subdued talker annie!

andreac

I imagine when he goes down to the kennels his routine is totally upset and he obv isnt getting the training hes getting at home so hes all over the place.

Does the person at the kennels bring him out regularly for pee/poo breaks?

With a young pup you have to continue with the basics if hes still struggling with what hes supposed to do. So if the person there isnt bringing him out every so often to relieve himself he just has to go.

I think hes whole routine is just all over the place. Is there no way you could get a dog walker./minder to come to your home to let him out during the day for a while?
Sounds like the kennels arent doing him any good really and training will take much longer if this is whats happening while hes there.

talkerannie

Hi Andreac! Many thanks for your note. Unfortunately we live out in the sticks and I'm 90mins drive from work to home. We were lucky that our neighbour who breeds dogs started up her own kennels business, she's half a mile away. No - he isn't taken out as often for toilet breaks when he is there. When he first started going there and was left in the kennels with his own open door into back yard he was going outside to go. But indoors he's probably not getting taken out as often as we would take him out...every 45mins. I'm worried that crate training is gone out the window now and not fixable? How would you salvage the situation?

andreac

Is there anyway she can help you with the crate training or leave him back out in the kennel?
Can you explain whats happening and maybe ask her to try and facilitate you with more crat training?

Why are her own dogs house bound? Do they not get out at all? I would chat to her and see what she says but i cant see if shes running a kennels and you are paying her why she couldnt do a bit more for you.

dollydishmop

I get this overwhelming feeling that your neighbour may just be leaving him in his crate all day, because its easier...I truly hope that's not what she's doing....but at 5 months to suddenly start having crate problems, assuming any health problems are ruled out, its a strong possibility.

Generally a crate trained dog won't go in their crate unless theya re really, really, really, really, REALLY desperate...the fact that you found 3 wet patches is incredibly sad to me for a little dog who sounds like he was doing really well with his crate/housetraining.

At best he's just copying his new daytime pals,who *are* allowed to pee indoors (???!!!), albeit on their pee-pads...its just he hasn't worked out that they are only doing it in designated areas.

Personally, I wouldn't send him back to the neighbour if she's not giving him the care and attention he needs. It certainly sounds like a strange set-up for her own dogs...housebound???

One wet patch is an accident...three wet patches is verging on negligence in my book...:eek:

andreac

dollydishmop wrote: »

I get this overwhelming feeling that your neighbour may just be leaving him in his crate all day, because its easier...I truly hope that's not what she's doing....but at 5 months to suddenly start having crate problems, assuming any health problems are ruled out, its a strong possibility.

Generally a crate trained dog won't go in their crate unless theya re really, really, really, really, REALLY desperate...the fact that you found 3 wet patches is incredibly sad to me for a little dog who sounds like he was doing really well with his crate/housetraining.

At best he's just copying his new daytime pals,who *are* allowed to pee indoors (???!!!), albeit on their pee-pads...its just he hasn't worked out that they are only doing it in designated areas.

Personally, I wouldn't send him back to the neighbour if she's not giving him the care and attention he needs. It certainly sounds like a strange set-up for her own dogs...housebound???

One wet patch is an accident...three wet patches is verging on negligence in my book...:eek:

Great post:)

lorebringer

It really sounds like he is not being let out at all during the day and has no other option than to pee in his crate. IMO, if you continue the cycle of bringing him to the kennel and then trying to train him at home you will be banging your head off a wall - he's not going to get it and everyone involved will end up frustrated.

I wouldn't bring him back to the kennel. It is only reversing all the good work that has been done up to this point and all he needs a some consistency with being let out to pee/poo and he should revert back to his old self in no time. The situation can be salvaged but you need to nip it in the bud because if you don't he'll just get into the habit of peeing/pooing inside and this can be quite hard to break. Start from the beginning again - act as though he is not house trained in any way and bring him out very regularly (so that he knows he will be let out, and not left in his crate all day). Make the crate a good place again - lots of toys and fun stuff to make him want to be in there and see it as a safe place. The divider might be a good idea but just make sure he has enough space to stand, lie flat and turn around a bit - you don't want him to be squashed!

I really don't think it is coincidence that he was doing so well and has suddenly had such a set back the minute he started going to the kennel. If you could find an alternative place for him to go during the day (friend, neighbour, family member...) that could facilitate his house training it would do him the world of good. Good luck!

mymo

I have to agree, I would be suspicious of the situation, sounds like he's not being let out. And 3 wet patches means 3 pee's(also what you said about him going outside and emptying himself), sounds like he could have been left in it all day.
I wouldn't leave him in that situation, is there any other option for you? Friend, neighbour?

Sigma Force

I think the change in routine can be confusing for the dog although it sounds ideal to be able to leave him somewhere he has company long term it might not be practical and will make leaving him at home alone when you have to (eg due to an emergency of some sort) that he might pine.
So at 5 months he should be able to be left alone perhaps the next time you have some time off start by leaving him each day for longer periods just leave the house for an hour and come back then the next day 2 hours etc.
I know it's horrible to leave your dog for long times but he will have to get used to it at some point and he's probably, by the sounds of it, better off in his own home.

A good walk in the morning and a long walk in the evening would keep him in a routine and eventually he would get used to it, you might have the odd accident when you aren't there during the day but as he gets older he'll be able to hold it for longer, just pop him in a kitchen or somewhere with tiles. Provide him with toys like kongs and mabey the radio on.

Weekends then you can bring him out for extra long walks and as long as you keep it to a routine he'll get used to it.

There might also be a more ideal day care solution for him depending what county you are in perhaps something more personal with someone who has more time to keep up his toilet training.