Monday, May 24, 2010

My puppy is 10 weeks old and it has pooped in its crate 3 nights in a row. Why?

We take him out all through the day, and around 11 or 12 at night before we go to bed. We have been waking up to him barking in the middle of the night thinking he wanted to go out but everytime we get to the crate to take him out he has already pooped. Why is this happening? Is this normal behavior for a puppy? What should we do next? He is a West Highland Terrier.
Answers:
First, You need to make sure that the kennel that he is in, is just big enough for him to comfortably move around in. If the kennel is to big it gives him more room to mess, and it may take awhile but he will learn not to mess where he is sleeping. Try setting your alarm for every couple hours and take him out, try to get him out before he messes and starts barking, he's barking because he doesn't want to lay in it. Just like having a baby, up every couple hours-it will get easier. Another thing don't feed him after a certain time. I have a now 7 month old basset puppy, I still take the food and water away at eight o clock, when she was alittle younger I took it away at six until I knew she wouldn't mess, And now she sleeps with my daughter and never messes, she's been doing that for about 3months now.I take her out before I go to bed which is usually between 11 or 12 and my daughter gets up at 7. It is all trial and error, keep trying a different time until you find the time that works for you. Just remember he's just a baby, he's not gonna do it overnight, you need to basically program him. Good Luck!!
Try not to feed him 2 hours before bed . Take him out before bed and right after his last meal of the night.
well it sounds like he can't wait as long as you want him to before he has to go..if he "goes" in his crate once he may always do it...
a good place to start is making sure that when you take him out he pees and poops before you take him back in.then right into the crate and try getting up earlier to let him out and then back to the crate if you want more sleep.hope that this helps.
he is a puppy and a small breed their bladders arent that big yet so try setting a schedule such at taking him out say every three hours or so, and make sure the crate isnt too big puppies dont like to soil their den area other than that visit you vet they are your friends
He does this because he is only 10 weeks old, puppies cannot hold their bladders or bowel for an entire night you should be getting up several times a night to take him out...I'm talking about 3 to 4 times probably, not waiting until he is crying, its obviously too late by then which as you've said you have found out.
General rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month of age..IE: a puppy of 4 months should be able to hold his bladder for 4 hours so being as your puppy is only 2.5 months old he really cant hold his bladder/bowel for more than 2.5 hours at a time.
It is very unusual for a dog to poop in his cage where he sleeps. Maybe he does't like to sleep in his cage and wants to sleep with you. I no you don't want to share your bed with a spoiled dog and that is not what I mean. I'm just thinking of what the dog must think. Change his eating time to adjust to how long after he ate did he poop, and start feeding him earlier and take his food away at a certain time.This should help. Being locked in his cage may be making him so nervous he is pooping from excitement. Some dogs never get over that but he will get over sleeping in his cage in about 2 weeks. Good Luck don't give up on him these dogs are very sharp, smart, and lovable. I raised them. He will learn to like their little cage and feel safe in it.
Has your puppy been wormed? It could be that your puppy cannot hold it because he has worms. You would NOT see any worms in his stools - they can only be seen under a microscope. There are wormers available over the counter from pet stores, or online. Look for a wormer with the ingredient pyrantel pamoate. Worm the puppy according to the directions and then worm it again 10 days later. Or better yet, take puppy to the vet and have them do a fecal check for worms.

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