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Hey Shorty,
We recently have added a new puppy to our
household. We’ve heard that crates are good for house breaking, but our
puppy poops in one end and sleeps at the other. Unfortunately she poops at
the front end and she’s so excited to see us when we get home that she is
covered in poop before we can get her out.
What are we doing wrong?
Signed
Smelly puppy parents
Dear Smelly puppy parents:
This is a common problem your crate is too large for
your puppy. The crate needs to be large enough for your puppy to
comfortably stand, turn around and lie down. Dogs instinctively will not
lie in their own waste, but if you give them too much room you’ll lose the
benefit of using a crate to train your puppy. A good rule of thumb to
determine the minimum length is to measure your dog from head to the base of
the tail and add 3 inches. For the minimum height measure between the floor
and the top of your dogs shoulder then add 3 inches.
| Another issue you may have is the length of time in the
crate. If you leave them for too long, they won’t be able to hold it and
will learn to live in their own waste, at that point you’ll have a serious
house training problem. Puppies shouldn’t be left in the crate for more
than 3 to 4 hours at a time, as they get older their bladders and bowels can
handle a longer period of time. |
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Don’t despair that you’ve wasted money on your existing
crate, you can keep that one for when the dog is older and house trained. A
new smaller crate is probably what you need now and possibly could serve a
dual purpose as a traveling crate.
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