Pooing in crate - please help!

[cmoonx]

Hello - was wondering if I could get some help from some experienced cocker owners as I have gotten some great advice on this forum in the past.

Our puppy Bailey is now almost 6 months old and my OH and I are doing everything we can to get him house-trained.

We decided to go back to basics and put him in his crate for short amounts of time to prevent him from pooing in the house. However, tonight, after trying 2 or 3 times to get him to poo in the garden, we put him in his crate for a few minutes, but he pooed in it, and then he ate his poo (yuck)!! Unfortunately, my OH is finding it very frustrating and has lost his temper a few times which I know doesn't help things, but I can understand how he feels (I just try not to show it).

We dont' know what else we can do now, as it seems we can't put him in his crate to help with the house-training tool. Does anyone have any words of advice or a next step for us to take?? We are nearing the end of our patience and have no idea what to do!

[Cob-Web]

He probably ate it instinctively; dog don't like soil in their bed area unless they really have to (a lot of rescued brood bitches do this) 

How freqeuently do you let Bailey out to the toilet? At 6 months old, he's still young and may not be able to hold it for very long yet

Have you tried going back to basics - letting him out hourly, and after food, play, sleep - giving him lots of reward for going outdoors, and maybe introducing a cue word?

[cmoonx]

IWLass:
Thanks for the quick reply. I realise that Bailey probably ate the poo out of instinct, in fact he eats poo quite a bit , especially cat poo! But I thought he wouldn't poo in his crate because it is his bed. Are we doing something wrong?
We take Bailey out every 2 hours or so, but perhaps we should take him out even more often than that? We use a cue word, but I think that my husband and I say it differently (I'm American, he's British) - do you think that confuses Bailey?
Thanks again - do you think we should get a behaviourist?
We want to get him sorted soon because I start a new job and we will be getting a dog-walker to come in during the days...he will have to hold it longer. I know this is cruel, but my schedule changed unexpectedly and we have no choice. 

[debbie321]

I know a few people won't agree with 'treating' toileting in the garden (or what ever spot you chose) but it worked for Ben.  Housetraining was fairly simple compared to the rest of the problems!  As soon as he wee'd or poo'd in the garden I'd click and treat.  If he did it in the house or crate I'd move him outside if I cought him in the act, or ignore it if it was too late.

If you don't clicker train then a huge amount of praise and a treat every time Bailey does it in the right place will work eventually.  Timing is essential - the spit second his motion is finished is your cue for heaping on the praise.

The only  problem was that he'd do a really short pee and come looking for the treat ................ this could go on for a while  but he got the hang of it.  As for eating his own poo, he only did it when he was on chicken and rice for a few days   Other than that he'll only eat cat/fox/horse poo!

[Cob-Web]

IWLass:
Thanks for the quick reply. I realise that Bailey probably ate the poo out of instinct, in fact he eats poo quite a bit , especially cat poo! But I thought he wouldn't poo in his crate because it is his bed. Are we doing something wrong?
We take Bailey out every 2 hours or so, but perhaps we should take him out even more often than that?

If he's pooing in his crate, then yes, I would suggest you take him out more frequently - theres only so much poo in a pup  What are you feeding him? Some foods contain a lot of bulking agents, which don't actually get absorbed by the body, and so a puppy will poop more on some foods than others 

I'm not sure what a behaviorist could do - but have you had him checked by a vet? He may have a problem that means he can't hold on 

Could you consider doggy day-care for him for a few months, rather than leaving him alone for long periods with a dog-walker popping in? A sitter will be able to reinforce his toilet training 

[cmoonx]

We are feedng him Hills Science Plan.  My OH and I are just so upset because we thought that dogs don't go poo in their crates. And now we just don't know what to do next.

 I would LOVE to take him to doggy day-care, but unfortunately, I have not found any in Ipswich; if I could find one, that would be ideal. I like that idea much better than just having a dog-walker come in for an hour a day. But there are none in the area, at least as far as I can tell. Oh well. 

We went to the vet today and everything is fine with him.

Thanks for all your help!

[PennyB]

I would suggest if you're going back to basics then this would mean taking him out more frequently rather than putting him in a crate.


Re getting some dogs to poo where you want some will only go away from the garden --- how is he on his walks

[CraftySam]

As Debbie suggested try a reward for going outside. With all of mine I used a tube of Primula cheese and they got a squirt of it when they toileted outside. If its just poo you're having a problem with then maybe just use it as a reward for pooing rather than weeing aswell, it may be more effective that way.

Is he only pooing when you are not there?  I was just wondering if it was an anxiety problem? My neighbour had a JRT who poo'd when left on his own, even if he'd just had a poo and even if she only left for 5 minutes. 

If he's doing it when you are there too, then I would just think its a toilet training issue. Its funny, because with all of mine the pooing inside stopped almost straight and it was weeing that went on longer.  I think all pups are different and I don't think you can set a time limit on how long it takes, some do it quickly some don't.

I find the eating of poo disgusting too. I kind of accept that fox poo, horse poo etc is very exciting to them, but I can't get my head round dog poo.  I have to be quick pick up poo here, particularly Sapphi's, as both the boys think its yummy.   

[Pammy]

See our FAQ on toilet training

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=2014.0

I think it's the only thing to do here. You and your hubby must both be totally consisten as well as patient or Bailey won't have a clue what to do.

Crating will not help toilet train him if he is having some difficulties.

[Sue67]

Bear in mind that accidents do happen occasionally.

Indy had about of diaorreah recently, and unfortunately, it started when she was in her crate in the middle of the night.

I won't go into details, but believe me, unpleasant doesn't begin to describe it. 

I always thought they don't mess where they sleep, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

[waisis]

One other thing is how big is your crate?  If the crate is big and there is a lot of room in there, Bailey might feel fine to poo at one end of the crate and treat the other end as his bed.  When we were using the crate to help with our Bailey's toileting, we gave him just enough room to stand up and turn around by using a divider.  Getting a trainer to help you might be a good idea too as they might have some suggestions to try that you guys haven't thought of.