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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on May 5, 2011 at 8:20am

I have to ask. Why do u want him to pee in his crate? Dogs are den animals so where they sleep is the last spot they want to potty. U r actually confusing him because u r going against his natural instinct to keep his "den" clean

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on May 5, 2011 at 8:28am

I am also confused by this.  Having him pee inside his crate is like asking you to pee inside your bedroom.  It's natural for an animal to pee/poo in places other than where they sleep. 

 

Is there a specific reason why you aren't housebreaking him? 

 

If you need him to go indoors for some reason, then a pee pad or other such item would be a better choice.

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Permalink Reply by NMT on May 5, 2011 at 9:37am

Thanks for the reply. Please let me clarify a few things:

1. We have setup 2 crates for him, one for sleeping and one for peeing indoor. He's picked it up right away when we brought him home.
2. The crate for peeeing isn't really a crate, it's more like a elevated grate with a tray beneath to catch the urine.
3. We do take him out twice a day, he always potty outside. It is usually during the day in between the two runs or late at night around midnight that we can't bring him outside.
4. There's a rule in our neighborhood that no dogs are allowed within the community after 10pm. So bringing him out isn't an option, therefore he must learn to go inside the house at the designated area.

We knew the limitation of our schedule and has been working to try and get Toffee to pee in this special crate when he isn't allowed to go out. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Best,
N.

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on May 5, 2011 at 10:04am

That makes much more sense.  Thanks for the clarification.

 

An important step is to make sure you clean up his accidents thoroughly.  Use a cleaner specifically designed for urine or pets.  You don't want any trace of that scent left behind or he'll think that it's ok to pee there again.  I use this and sometimes another enzyme spray (when I can't get what I usually use) that I can't remember the name of...  Really, any urine spray will do.

 

Other than that, I can only recommend patience and consistency.  If you suspect he has to go, be sure to get him where he needs to be.  If you think he isn't done, try to wait it out and see if he goes more.  Praise the behavior you want and don't punish him for accidents unless you catch him in the act (and use a sharp "No!" and move him to his potty spot).

 

He's still just a pup so he won't get it right all of the time.  He probably won't be completely accident free until around 8-12 months of age.  My own dog was finally consistent at around 10 months old.

 

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Beth Walker on May 5, 2011 at 12:04pm

You might try placing a potty pad in the tray of the crate. The potty pads are scented to encourage them to use them and maybe the urine is splashing up on him if it is a hard tray and he does not want peepee splashing on his legs which the potty pad would also help eliminate the splashing and make cleaning the tray easier. Good Luck!!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on May 5, 2011 at 12:15pm

Cute pup! He might not like the feel of the grate, and/or he might be getting splash-back when he pees in there (I'm assuming the tray is hard with no filler).



If I had a dog who sometimes had to go inside due to circumstances like you describe, I would probably opt for a large litterbox of some sort. You could use shredded papers or wood chips if you don't want the pup to drag cat litter all over the place.


The box would then need to be positioned in a part of the house the dog doesn't normally use, or he might resist; they don't like to soil where they play or eat or sleep.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on May 5, 2011 at 12:22pm

I would not keep him locked in a crate that is meant to be used for a potty area. He should be able to come and go freely. As others have said a dog will not want to potty in an area they are confined to, even if you have a separate crate for sleeping purposes. In his mind he is still soiling the area he has to stand/lay in.

If he is sneaking off to potty in the house he should have less freedom IMO. Use a babygate to keep him confined in the room you are in so you can watch him 100% of the time, or even leash him to your belt loop so he can't run off.

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