Ok so I thought I had this all figured out. I have a 6 month old APBT and I thought she was done with the accidents in the crate. However the last week she has went poop in it twice. The crate is fairly large so I am thinking that it's too big and she can poop and avoid it by lying at the other end. The crate is an extra large and she is still a puppy.
My question is this. Because I started feeding her once a day could that be why she is pooping in the crate? Or is it because the crate is too large?
We had been very successful at the crate before this week hit. So any suggestions you have would be wonderful.
Thanks!
Answers:
The crate is definitly too large if she is elimiating in it.
Also, one large meal is not recommended. It can lead to bloat and is not a good idea. Two equal meals is much safer and easier on the dog's stomach which can help you avoid vet bills. I don't think that would be responsible for going in the crate unless the extra food is just making it too hard for the dog to hold it.
Get a smaller crate and go to two meals a day and you should be fine. There are always good days and bad days with training and it isn't uncommon to have setbacks. Just move on and keep up the training.
I dont think it's either one of those reasons. Try keeoing her on a routine. Sometimes dogs just have acciedents. good luck!
A twice a day feeding schedule is much better because it prevents bloat in big deep chested dogs and yes, the change in feeding schedule might have caused this problem. Switch back to twice a day and if that doesn't work, make the crate smaller with a divider or get a smaller crate.
The crate is too big. Get a divider. To properly crate train the crate should be just big enough for the dog to sit, lay, and spin in a circle. Also, once you change a dogs eatting schedule you change when he/she will have to go to the bathroom so take them out often until you get the new schedule down.
The crate is too large. My suggestion would be to place a pillow or another pet bed at the other end of the crate so that she doesn't have any room to have accidents. Also if she is still a puppy I would recommend feeding her twice a day. Once in the morning (take her out a few mins after she is done so she can use the bathroom) and then feed her again in the evening (maybe around 5pm or ) and then take her outside again. She will get into a routine and this will reduce the # of accidents she has. Also by making her crate smaller she will be forced to "hold it" and that will teach her to eliminate outside. If the crate is too large you can always put like a piece of cardboard or something in between so she just has enough room to lay down, get up and turn around.
When do you feed her? If you feed her in the am before you leave and she is in the crate all day and if it is as big as you say, then maybe try feeding her at night when you are a home to check on her and put her out to go to the bathroom. In my experience if a dogs kennel is too big they will have accidents in them. If the dog has enough room to comfortably lay down and turn around that kennel is perfect. If they have any more room then they will potty in the kennel if they can do it and be away from it. Try a smaller kennel or if it is one of those HUGE kennels, get a cooler or a big box of some kind and put that in there to take up space. My dad did this with his new puppy when she was tiny and now she is big enough that we took the cooler out and she can lay comforatbly. Hope this helps
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