I have a miniature Chihuahua that was found abandoned in a neighbor's apartment. When I first got her, I got her a large dog carrier for her to use as her "house". At night I would lock her in it so that she would not mess on my floors or furniture. If she used the bathroom in the carrier she would wait for it to harden then push it out of the carrier.
Now for the past few weeks she is using it in her bed, on her blankets, and everywhere. She used to whine when she needed to go out and that has stopped as well. What can I do?
By angelia2010 from Atlanta, GA
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Part of the problem may well be that the crate is far too big. A dog should be able to lay comfortably and turn around, no more. Generally, a dog will not go in its bed; but if the crate is big enough that the bed doesn't take all the space, it leaves room for a potty place. You can always block off a portion of the crate with a plastic milk crate, or the like.
If it continues to go, and go in its bed, a trip to the vet may be warranted to rule out a medical problem.
It is said that dogs won't go potty where they eat. You can test that theory if you haven't already. Also, dogs have sharp noses and if they smell any trace of poop or pee, they will go there again. I would wash everything in his cage, take the cage outside and wash out the bottom with vinegar water, then let dry. If the cage is on a floor that can be mopped, mop under the cage with vinegar water. If it is on a carpet, put some vinegar water in a spray bottle and spray the carpet. Don't put the cage back until the floor and cage are both dry, or a metal cage can leave rust marks.
I don't know whether these things will work, but maybe worth a try.
We raised our lil chihuahua in a large dog crate too. We put a kitty litter pan. She caught on pretty quickly. Now, she prefers to go outside during the summer and hates the winter. Might want to consider it, just watch the litter if you do. You don't want it to be dusty. We used a clay litter that clumped so it wasn't as dusty.
Cut a cardboard box low to share some space in the crate. Put a pee pad in there. Try feeding her in there and leave her for about 10 min. If she uses the pad reward her with lots of loving.
I agree with "Jilson," the crate is probably too big. Dogs that are crated and or kenneled for sleep, resting places only (in other words, not subjected to hours and hours of isolation) will normally look at a crate or kennel as his/her "safe place" - like a wolf's den in the wild. They need room to sit, stand, turn around or turn over, but not much more. Contrary to us humans that like big bedrooms and big homes, dogs just really want a cozy, protected place to sleep.
We've been raising English Mastiffs for over a decade and have at least three different sizes of crates (they grow so quickly) before they are finally allowed to use the homemade 4' x 4' x 4' kennels open to all the big dogs. - Indoor, always open, kennels, in case you are wondering, our utility room looks like a professional kennel facility. :-)
A rescued dog, bless you for rescuing the pup, has his or her own set of fears and issues, even under the best circumstances of a new home. The peeing and pooping might be merely nervous reactions, again, using the large crate to pee or poop in areas which can be separate from his/her favorite cuddle spot in a too large kennel.
Think of a kennel/crate as a bed, not a bedroom. If your precious dog continues to have pee and poop problems while resting in a smaller kennel, by all means make an appointment with the vet. Good Luck!
I have a chihuahua that I raised from a pup 6 weeks old. He is now thee. I bought a a small crate and put him in at night.He pooped in his crate too. I washed our ever day and the problem continued. I started taking him for a walk the very last thing before going to bed. the problem continued, I still swalkhim before bed, don't put him in the crate.
I leave my house at 5:30am and return at 3:30pm Monday through Friday. I have 3 dogs. My house is 2 floors and I block off the stairs with a gate(during the day). I have trained them to do their business in certain areas (2)on the 1st floor (no carpeting, all tile) where I have placed thick plastic and cover them with old towels or paper towels. It's almost as if the are using a litter box. When I return home, (if there is anything) I just have to gather it up and dispose of it.
I also tried a doggie door, but it did not work very well. We also had an instance where pets (mainly dogs) were being stolen when left alone outside.
Not only is the crate too big. If you can't get a smaller cage, take some kind of box or divider. Put it at the back of the crate so you've their area smaller. Dogs really don't like to potty in little "home". I don't know what your feeding schedule is but don't leave their food on the floor all day. Have a scheduled time, maybe once or twice a day, and pull up their water dish no later than 7pm. Good luck!
I currently wake up my yorkie and chi at 11:30pm and take them all outside. I then take them out at 6-6:30. they say, for each month in age is an hour they can hold themselves. Also, when they were that age, prior to going in the crate no matter the time, I had outside time for 5-10 min. I would "chase" to get them to run, whereby they would eliminate, or I would do a brisk 10 minute walk to move their bowels. Then in the crate. The exercise makes them go. Small sip of water, then into the crate. I love How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days by Shirlee Kalstone. It even has schedules. Exercise is the key. Good luck.
I own a 9-year-old Shiba, and she did the same thing when she was a puppy. She would poop and howl like I was beating the living daylights out of her! She was so loud for a little fur ball that fit in the palm of your hand. I thought for sure the neighbors were hearing everything. I found the uproar was over her being separated from me. Remember now, your dog has previously been abandoned, so she is scared. I moved my pup in her crate next to my bed but that did not work out either. In the end (smart dog), I put her in bed with me and that was the end of the nightmare scenario. Also at this stage you have to get her in a "poopin and pp" schedule and do this routinely.
My Shiba is not vocal. She won't tell me when she needs to go, so I got in the habit of taking her out every hour when she was a pup and even today definitely first thing in the morning upon rising and the last thing at night before hitting the hay. You must do this or you will continue to have problems and you must go outside with them even at 2 am, 3 am, for 6 weeks. Which is the amount of time it takes them to learn the routine. Once they are on that schedule and maturing, you will take them out less frequently. Best wishes!
1st how much are you feeding her and how late in the day. Also you may have to experiment with different foods more digestible so she does not sleep on a bloated belly. As with any puppy.....its hit or miss when it comes to their digestion. Over all for peace of mind I would bring her in to the vet for a check up. Good Luck and what ever it is, it will pass.
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