Puppy poo problem

[shonajoy]

Hi everyone, nice to see this site back. We got our orange roan boy back home 7 days ago, and he had been great until 2 days ago. When I put him in his crate at night, he's pooing then rolling in it, and yipping till I come and get him. He's so soiled I have to bath him, and then settle him down again.

Today, he decided he'd do this when I put him in his crate to go food shopping - he was there for half an hour, and when I came back, brown upset dog.

Again, at 3pm, left him for 15 mins, back in, *code brown* as the kids are calling it. I'm worried this is becoming a habit, he's 8 and a half weeks old, so I don't expect him to be toilet trained, it's just he seems to be regressing.

It's not runny, he's in good health, eating well, and I have never raised my voice to him, or scolded him for having accidents. He's been doing brilliantly, hitting his puppy pads about 50% of the time, but I'm worried at this new habit. One thing I thought may be something to do with it, we left him over night (our house, but with my mother in law) but she's dog mad - could he have been upset by this? I feel awfully upset if I've contributed to this.

Shona                    

[Colin]

Hi Shona

Congratulations on getting your new pup home !

Do you think he is deliberately stepping in the brown stuff or doing it accidentally when bouncing about the crate in your absence ?

If it's the latter you could maybe get a puppy pen, keep the crate inside it but with the crate door open. If you put the pads/newspaper outside the crate but inside the pen it will give him more room to move about and decrease the chances of him stepping in his mess. Puppies usually soon learn the benefits of not soiling the area they sleep in.

The first few weeks of owning a puppy can be really difficult re toilet training , even though I'd gone through it with Jimmy only 18 months earlier I still found it a shock when I got Misty. I was told to try and feed her at the same times each day and write down the times she pooed and wee'd, eventually I spotted a pattern and knew when to take her outside rather than have to clean up after the event ! It took time, but we got there in the end !

"Code Brown".......... I like it !                    

[Anita]

Phoebe used to do this when we first got her. WE moved her into the kitchen and had the crate with the door open and paper down for her to go one.

That stopped the problem. I think at first it was having little control (as puppies do) and not wanting to be left. Is he still crying in the night. A lot has been said in the forums before about perservance with this.

With the toilet training - be careful about using paper. Phoebe ended up paper trained first and it took longer for her to move outside properly. She ok now though. It just felt like a lifetime when we were going through it. :roll:

Anita & Phoebe                    

[shonajoy]

Thanks Colin. I think he was deliberately doing it, as it was everywhere! Am delighted to report last night was a resounding success, with no repeat. I left him in his crate again today, just to try him, and was very matter of fact with him, and he was fine when I came back half an hour later.

I've also been encouraging him to nap in his crate with the doors open, and cross fingers, hopefully my beige dog will stay beige tonight,lol!                    

[shonajoy]

Thanks Anita, he was good last night and today, so hopefully it's not a pattern starting, I just got a big fright yesterday.

I'd much rather be putting him outside in the garden to poo/pee, but my vet advised against it, as we have foxes and squirrels running rife here, even in suburbia. I've been taking him for a walk being held every day, so he's fine with being outside, but after he gets his 2nd jab we will be able to stop the paper training, not that he's great at that yet,

Shona