Do puppies pee in their crate?

Through our blog, email, and social media channels, we frequently receive puppy-related inquiries, and lately, the same crate-training inquiries have been coming in repeatedly. How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Peeing In Her Crate? is the most frequent query we receive.

We read several books on training puppies before bringing home our first one.

Puppies for Dummies is one of our favorite books, which we recommend to any new puppy owner. In fact, before bringing Linus home from the Carson Animal Shelter, I read Puppies for Dummies for the first time. What can I do to stop my puppy from urinating in her crate?

Before adopting a puppy, we wanted to learn as much as we could about them.

We are still reading books about puppies and dog training more than ten years later. Perhaps now is a good time to compile a list of our favorite books for training puppies.

Linus was saved from the shelter, dozens of puppies and dogs were fostered, 11 guide and service dog pups were raised, and countless puppies and dogs were puppy-sat.

Even if we don’t claim to be experts, we believe we know a little more than the average bear.

Since the beginning of time, we’ve kept the answers in the comment section, but this year we’re going to highlight questions and provide the answers right on the blog!

We intend to create a resource section and respond to some of the most frequently asked questions about training puppies.

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There could be a health-related reason causing your puppy to go potty in the crate.

Some puppies need to go outside at night until they’re about 16-weeks-old.

Feeding and exercising your dog on a schedule can help prevent crate accidents.

Many owners use a crate to help train their puppy to go potty in it. Crates are great for housetraining your dog and providing a secure haven for her to unwind throughout her life. Although you’re trying to avoid this issue by using the crate in the first place, some puppies do have accidents inside of their crates.

The first consideration is how often is this happening. It’s not alarming if your puppy has a few accidents after being in the crate for too long. Additionally, almost all puppies experience occasional stomach upset, which may cause crate soiling.

There’s nothing to worry about unless the dog starts eliminating frequently in the crate. Accidents happen. But if going outside the crate to relieve itself is becoming a habit, there are some steps you can take to gradually stop it.

Consider a health check. Before trying anything else, make sure your puppy doesn’t have a urinary tract infection or any other type of illness that could physically prevent him from holding his bladder for an adequate period of time. He might also be taking a medication or receiving a vaccine that is causing this side effect. Keep watch on what your pup eats off the ground when you’re outside with him because that could result in diarrhea or loose stools and cause him to soil his crate. Rich puppy treats or the wrong puppy food might also be the problem.

Listen to your puppy. If the problem is happening at night, it may be that your pup and his bladder haven’t developed enough to hold it all night long. Many young puppies will need to be carried outside quietly once during the night until they are several months old.

Be sure the pup has been properly introduced to the crate. The crate should be a quiet refuge he sees as a den. When your pup is in the crate during the day, give him his food or a safe chew toy or stuffed Kong. When your dog goes into the crate willingly, give him a treat.

Keep track of time. A general rule of thumb for how long your puppy can “hold it” before needing to go outside is the number of months in age he is plus one equals the number of hours possible. So if your puppy is 3 months old, he should be able to go about four hours before needing to go outside. Be sure to take the puppy outside and watch to see that he does his business every time before you put him in the crate. If he’s still peeing in the crate, he may need more frequent potty breaks – with you or a dog walker.

Set a schedule. Keep your puppy’s meals on a regular schedule, so you have an idea of when she will need to go out. Young puppies eat three times a day. What goes in on a regular schedule will come out on a regular schedule. For example, if you feed your puppy at 8 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m., her elimination schedule should become pretty predictable.

Limit space in the crate. Your puppy’s crate should be just big enough for her to turn around and lie down. Many crates now come with a divider to keep the space small until your pup starts to grow – and then you can remove it. Dogs are naturally clean and don’t like to soil where they sleep, so you don’t want the crate so large that the puppy chooses one side as the bathroom area. Use a separate pen to contain your puppy for longer periods of time.

Remove the bedding. If you follow the above steps and your puppy is still soiling his crate, consider removing the bedding. Some pups learn that they can soil the crate and cover the mess with their bedding. And some puppies prefer to soil on something soft and porous like their bed. Removing the bedding for a short time, while not as comfy, teaches your pup that it’s in his best interest not to soil in the crate since he will not want to lie in his mess.

If you do find an accident in the crate, don’t punish the puppy because he won’t understand what he did wrong. Carry him outside to his potty spot, clean up the crate with a safe product that will neutralize the odor, and wash the bedding.

For a variety of reasons, many puppies may have the odd accident in the crate, but if the behavior becomes regular, be sure to speak with your veterinarian and seek advice from an animal behaviorist.

In the meantime, stay calm and be patient. A tense or upset person can make the dog more anxious and make it more challenging to find a solution.

Read more about how to resolve this issue under the heading, “How to stop puppy peeing in the crate.”

I would suggest using a playpen like this one here or a small puppy-proofed room to create a puppy-safe space.

This frequently occurs when puppies from puppy mills or other situations where they are housed in a small space without adequate cleaning are involved.

When my last young puppy was under 6 months old, I can recall 3 or 4 accidents in the crate. I simply adjusted how long he went without a break.

A highly recommended method for potty training your puppy is crate training. It’s less likely that your puppy will urinate if they are kept in a small space like a crate. And what about at night? What should you do if your puppy poop in their crate?

The Puppy May Not Be Able To “Hold It” For Too Long

A puppy may simply need to go potty for the reason that he has an accident in his crate.

A puppy can generally only hold his urine for about an hour longer than his age in months. So a puppy that is two months old might be able to hold his urine for three hours.

So don’t expect too much at first. He’ll begin to have better bladder control around the age of four months.

Always make sure he uses the restroom before getting in the crate. And err on the side of caution if you hear him moving around, whining, crying, or barking while he’s in the crate and you’re not sure if he needs to use the restroom.

Use his potty cue (“go potty”) and carry him outside to his designated bathroom. If he potties, praise and reward.

Bring your dog back to his crate if it turns out that he didn’t need to go potty but instead just wanted to play.

You’ll get to know his signals. And he’ll start to understand that he only leaves the house to go potty and not to play.

FAQ

Will my puppy outgrow peeing in crate?

Puppies gradually develop bladder control, reaching full capacity by the time they are about six months old. Due to their inability to physically hold it for that long, your puppy may stop peeing in their crate as they get older.

Will dogs go to the bathroom in their crate?

Your dog may be defecating in his crate due to behavioral problems, physical restrictions, or medical conditions that make it impossible for him to hold it until he is let out of the crate. Crate soiling is frequently the result of illnesses that cause diarrhoea or a loss of bowel control.

How often should I take my puppy out of the crate to pee?

Take your puppy outside frequently—at least once every two hours—as well as when they first wake up, play, and consume food or liquids. Pick a spot outside where you can relieve yourself, and bring your dog there every time (on a leash).