I am having a big problem potty training my 4 1/2 month old puggle puppy. I have went with the crate training method, and she has no problems with being in the crate. I feed her dinner in the evening and then take her outside immediately. She always poops outside after dinner and before bed. And she "seems" to sleep the whole night in her crate, with no whining or barking or anything. But lately I've been noticing brown smears on the crate pan and even some little pieces of poop stuck in her hair.
So obviously she's pooping, laying in it and then eating it at some point through the night. I have never caught her in the act, and I have tried everything I can think of...
I have a male puggle, he is exactly the same age. He has had no problem holding it through the night unless he is in a new place, we took him to my parents for Christmas and he went pee in his crate. I agree his crate may be to big or she doesn't like the crate. A puggle is a pug and a beagle mix, great dogs.
My advice to you is that before you go to bed leave your puggle a snack and a toy in their crate that may solve the problem of your puggle eating its poop also it may be a good idea that even if you let it out before you put it in its crate when your sitting in bed watching tv before your abut to fall asleep let your puggle out once more.the last piece of advice that i have for you is that maybe your puggle gets scared at night if this is the reason then you should let it sleep in the room your in,give it a warm water bottle to sleep with,or let your puggle sleep in the bed with you. Good Luck! -Mel-
My first question is how big is the crate? If she has enough room to mess in one place and still lie down without being in the mess, her crate is too big. A dog considers a crate their den and they do not like to be in a messy den. Also at 4.5 months, she is really too young to "hold it" for extended periods of time. She may be eating the mess out of desperation to get it out of her den because she couldn't avoid making the mess in the first place. A pup her age needs to go out at least once every 4 hours. I know it is a bit of a pain right now, but in a couple of months she will be able to go all night without an accident. As an aside, Pugs and Beagles are notoriously difficult to potty train. Just be patient and this too shall pass.
You will probably have to get up, like with a baby, during the night and take her out until her bowels and brain mature somewhat. She will learn to hold it as she gets older. That is the thing with animals they are just as much work, if cared for properly, as human kids but I find them far more preferable!
Dogs usually won't use the bathroom in an area that they consider their "home". So, something is wrong with her and that crate! Have your vet check her to be sure she doesn't have any bowel problems, and then try letting her sleep in a different area. BTW, what is a "puggle"? Good luck and God bless you!
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