Dogs in General: Crates
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Dogs in General: Crates
Well... Ripley has been a wonderful addition to our family! He is so much fun...
One problem we are having, though, is that he keeps pooping in his crate!
Greyhounds must be crate trained as if they were puppies because they are not house broken. We are sure to take him out immediately before going in the crate and he will often poop outside and then poop in his crate, too! We've only left him alone for an hour at the most (my boyfriend is a teacher and has the summer off... so between the two of us the dogs are not left unattended most of the summer!) but it has happened two times!
Could it be stress? I know these dogs have seperation anxiety issues, generally and they can be worked out, but do older dogs (he is three) in general have a tough time in crates?
Any suggesstions???
One problem we are having, though, is that he keeps pooping in his crate!
Greyhounds must be crate trained as if they were puppies because they are not house broken. We are sure to take him out immediately before going in the crate and he will often poop outside and then poop in his crate, too! We've only left him alone for an hour at the most (my boyfriend is a teacher and has the summer off... so between the two of us the dogs are not left unattended most of the summer!) but it has happened two times!
Could it be stress? I know these dogs have seperation anxiety issues, generally and they can be worked out, but do older dogs (he is three) in general have a tough time in crates?
Any suggesstions???
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vicster605
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Maybe he's trying to tell ya he doesn't like the crate??? 
The rescue that we got him from highly recommends crate training so that they can feel safe and have their own little "den". We haven't tried leaving him alone without the crate yet for two reasons:
1) He sometimes shows his teeth to Angel (around food mostly) which is understandable, but we don't want anyone to get hurt, especially if we are not home.
2) What if it is separation anxiety and he freaks out and eats something/chews something/falls off something that can hurt him????
1) He sometimes shows his teeth to Angel (around food mostly) which is understandable, but we don't want anyone to get hurt, especially if we are not home.
2) What if it is separation anxiety and he freaks out and eats something/chews something/falls off something that can hurt him????
I don't really have any experience with this, but if he isn't house broken, then it wouldn't be much different from a puppy. I was told to crate my pug as a puppy, I tried it - he pooped and peed constantly. Then I was told on a pug forum that pugs are not easily crate trained and that they are better off going on puppy pads. Well 2 years later he is still on pads, even with Nikita going outside he still uses his pads.
Maybe you have to be a little more patient - or wait for someone with experience in crate training.
Do you have an area where you can gate him? I do this with Nikita when we are gone long, I have 2 extra wide & tall gates and I gate her in the hall way.
Is he pooping on his bedding?
My neighbors have 2 greyhounds, if I see them out I'll ask for some advice. Good Luck.
Maybe you have to be a little more patient - or wait for someone with experience in crate training.
Do you have an area where you can gate him? I do this with Nikita when we are gone long, I have 2 extra wide & tall gates and I gate her in the hall way.
Is he pooping on his bedding?
My neighbors have 2 greyhounds, if I see them out I'll ask for some advice. Good Luck.
It's so sweet of you to take this little guy. I'm sorry the crate training isn't going more smoothly, but you haven't had him all that long. He's still figuring things out.
Question, is this a new crate, or one that has been previously used by another pet? Sometimes, they do their business to cover over previous scents. Or, after he has pooped in his crate, were you able to remove every bit of scent in his crate and surrounding area?
First, give your furkid an opportunity to find a second location to poop while he's outside. Some dogs have a little habit of pooping in one spot, then looking for another spot to drop off another "deposit". After his outside poop, bring him back inside to his crate.
Here's an idea for crate set up, that I have used with success...
Attach a canine playpen area to his crate. You can find these at a pet supply store. Shape it into a long rectangle. At the opposite end of the crate, place his pee pad(s) inside the playpen. Start the pads with a few drops of his urine on or a very very small wipe of poop for him to know this is where he is to go. I use two pads, one for urine and one for poop. Many dogs will not use a pad for both jobs, they need them separated.
I hope this helps.
Question, is this a new crate, or one that has been previously used by another pet? Sometimes, they do their business to cover over previous scents. Or, after he has pooped in his crate, were you able to remove every bit of scent in his crate and surrounding area?
First, give your furkid an opportunity to find a second location to poop while he's outside. Some dogs have a little habit of pooping in one spot, then looking for another spot to drop off another "deposit". After his outside poop, bring him back inside to his crate.
Here's an idea for crate set up, that I have used with success...
Attach a canine playpen area to his crate. You can find these at a pet supply store. Shape it into a long rectangle. At the opposite end of the crate, place his pee pad(s) inside the playpen. Start the pads with a few drops of his urine on or a very very small wipe of poop for him to know this is where he is to go. I use two pads, one for urine and one for poop. Many dogs will not use a pad for both jobs, they need them separated.
I hope this helps.
**Photo by Sweet Pea.
She has a photogenic memory...really!
This is a new crate, no other animal has used it before. After the first time, I sprayed it down with a hose but didn't use any chemicals... I just figured he wouldn't want to poop where he sleeps (as they say). What should we use to clean it? It is a big plastic crate.
bama wrote:It's so sweet of you to take this little guy. I'm sorry the crate training isn't going more smoothly, but you haven't had him all that long. He's still figuring things out.
Question, is this a new crate, or one that has been previously used by another pet? Sometimes, they do their business to cover over previous scents. Or, after he has pooped in his crate, were you able to remove every bit of scent in his crate and surrounding area?
First, give your furkid an opportunity to find a second location to poop while he's outside. Some dogs have a little habit of pooping in one spot, then looking for another spot to drop off another "deposit". After his outside poop, bring him back inside to his crate.
Here's an idea for crate set up, that I have used with success...
Attach a canine playpen area to his crate. You can find these at a pet supply store. Shape it into a long rectangle. At the opposite end of the crate, place his pee pad(s) inside the playpen. Start the pads with a few drops of his urine on or a very very small wipe of poop for him to know this is where he is to go. I use two pads, one for urine and one for poop. Many dogs will not use a pad for both jobs, they need them separated.
I hope this helps.