How to Train Your Dog to Not Poop in His Crate
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Introduction
You’ve brought the cutest little puppy into your home, he fits snugly in your hands and he forces even the grumpiest of individuals into a smile. While he is adorable and everything you imagined he would be, you don’t enjoy coming downstairs in the morning to the smell of excrement. It just isn’t the way you want to start your day! It might be manageable if it was just once in the morning, but when you’re regularly greeted by the sight of a stool when you open his crate, then well, something needs to be done.
Apart from the obvious offense to your eyes and your nose, having all that bacteria sit next to your puppy isn’t good for his health. Puppies immune systems are vulnerable and having excrement in the place where he sleeps only increases the chance of him contracting an illness.
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Defining Tasks
Every puppy goes through a transitional stage when they move into a new home and get used to their crate, so going about his business in there isn’t uncommon. Thankfully, training him not to defecate in his crate is relatively straightforward. While you will need to use some straightforward obedience commands, training centers more around adjusting his environment and creating a routine.
Puppies are so receptive when they’re young that they quickly get the hang of training and many dogs stop going about their business in their crate in just a few days. Even if he does prove slightly stubborn, you can expect results in a matter of weeks.
Getting this training right is essential for the health of your dog. You don’t want him picking up early illnesses and you definitely don’t want the hefty vet bills that come with medical problems.
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Getting Started
Before your toilet campaign kicks off, there are several things you will need to get hold of. A leash will be essential as you introduce your dog to his new outdoor toilet. You will also need treats or his favorite food to incentivize and reward him.
A quiet place, free from distractions where he feels relatively comfortable will also be required. You may also need to invest in a new, better-sized crate for one of the methods below and some new bedding.
Once you have collected the above, set aside some time each day and just come with a can-do attitude and you’ll be ready to get to work!
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The Crate Alterations Method
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Most Recommended
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The right size
Head over to your crate and make sure it is the right size. If his crate is too big then your dog may feel there is enough space to defecate in the corner rather than going outside. The crate should be big enough for him to stand up and turn around in, but it shouldn’t be much bigger.
A new crate
If your crate is too big, order a smaller one online or head to a local pet store to buy a new one. Measure the crate before you go and have an idea of what sized crate you need before you head out to make a purchase. Often a simple crate change can stop the habit on its tracks.
Feed him his meals in the crate
This may seem odd at first, but dogs don’t want to go to the toilet in the same place they eat. So place his bowl in the crate and leave the door open. It usually takes just a day or two before he will associate his crate with an eating area and will look elsewhere to defecate.
Change the crate bedding
Introduce some new blankets and bedding into the crate. Dogs don’t usually like going to the toilet in an area they enjoy sleeping in. If he currently poops and hides it under the bedding, remove the bedding altogether. Not having somewhere to hide it may well deter him from defecating there in future.
Deal with accidents promptly
If he can smell previous stools, he will feel more comfortable going to the toilet there again. So quickly remove him and clean the area thoroughly with antibacterial spray. You don’t want him associating his crate with a suitable toilet area.
The Consistent Schedule Method
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Effective
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Meal routine
Feed him meals at the same time each day. By creating a regular schedule, you will be able to predict when he will need to go to the toilet, enabling you to remove him from the crate before he gets a chance to go.
Take him out regularly
This is particularly necessary for puppies who need to be let out every hour if they are under 12 weeks old. It is always worth taking him out within 20 minutes of him eating a meal as this is the time the bowels are stimulated.
Head back home
If they do not go to the toilet as expected, take him in for 15 minutes and then head back out. If you know a number 2 is likely to be imminent, don’t be put off if he doesn’t go straight away, simply head back out again promptly. It is crucial you always have your dog outside when he needs to go, this will get him into a habit of only going outside.
Timing
As your puppy gets older, increase the time between taking him out. When he is about 6 months old he will only need to go outside every 3-4 hours. Ensure this still ties in with taking him out after meals. This will slowly train his body clock to tie in with your toilet schedule and soon he won’t ever need a number 2 when he is in his crate anyway.
Never punish
Don’t punish him when he does defecate in his crate. Dogs do not respond well when they are terrified. He may even start defecating in his crate out of fear, so simply take him out of the crate when he does have an accident, clean the mess up thoroughly and return him.
The Postive & Negative Method
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Be treat ready
Arm yourself with treats whenever you take him outside. To start with, you need to be prepared to shower him with praise and treats whenever he doesn’t go to the toilet in his crate.
Reward promptly
When you’re outside, give him a treat within 3 seconds of finishing his business. It is important he gets the treat as quickly as possible otherwise he won’t associate the treat with going to the toilet. Also make sure you don’t stare at him waiting for him to go, puppies in particular will be nervous to start with and need to feel comfortable to go about their business.
Lose the treats
As he starts to poop outside regularly, slowly reduce the frequency of treats. When you are confident he is getting the hang of the toilet training, it’s important you reduce the treats and praise, you don’t want him piling on the pounds!
'NO'
When you see him about to poo in his crate, say ‘NO’ loudly and firmly. Use your body language and voice to convey your disapproval, but be careful not to overdo it, you don’t want to terrify him. Only do this if you catch him about to go to the toilet, if you tell him off hours after the deed he won’t make the connection between the behavior and your angry response.
React swiftly
Take him out until he has have gone about his business. As soon as he has, be sure to praise and reward him as part of the positive reinforcement outlined in the steps above. Using a combination of both positive and negative reinforcements will quickly teach him where it is and isn’t acceptable to go to the toilet. His days of going to the toilet in his crate will soon be over!
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Bandit
Shih Tzu mix
Seven Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pup Bandit was trained to go potty on a puppy pad in his crate when I first got him, but I eventually potty trained him to go outside. He was not pooping in his crate for a while but now almost every night he does. He is also afraid of his crate without a pad in it and he is very small but I can't find a smaller wire crate. Should I ditch this crate and try a different type without a pad?
Nov. 27, 2023
Bandit's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Unfortunately there is still advice out there to place pads into crates to train puppies to go potty in there. What that does is cause the dog to loose their natural desire to keep a confined space clean, making it difficult or impossible to later use a crate for potty training purposes; because of that, I would go ahead and ditch the crate. If he still needs help with potty training during the day, check out the Tethering method from the article linked below. Whenever you are home, use the Tethering method. Also, set up an exercise pen in a room that you can close off access to later on (pup will learn it's okay to potty in this room so choose accordingly). A guest bathroom, laundry room, or master closet with good ventilation are a few options. Don't set the exercise up in a main area of the house like the den or kitchen if you have other options. Tethering method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside For nighttime training, anytime you have to leave the home, or if pup is still working on potty training during the day - whenever you can't use the tethering method, use the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below. Instead of a litter box like the article mentions, use a real grass pad to stay consistent with teaching pup to potty on grass outside. Since your goal is pottying outside only use the Exercise Pen at night and when you are not home. When pup will hold his bladder while in the rest of the house consistently and can hold it for as long as you are gone for during the day and overnight, then remove the exercise pen and grass pad completely, close off access to the room that the pen was in so he won't go into there looking to pee, and take him potty outside only. Since he may still chew longer even after potty training, when you leave him alone, be sure to leave him in a safe area that's been puppy proofed, like a cordoned off area of the kitchen with chew toys - until he is out of the destructive chewing phases too - which typically happens between 1-2 years for most dogs with the right training. Exercise Pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad brands - Also found on Amazon www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com You can also make your own out of a piece of grass sod cut up and a large, shallow plastic storage container. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 30, 2023
Angus
Mix
Five Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My puppy will be outside for hours on end come in the house go in his cage pee or poop in the cage we feed him in there off and on I've never seen a dog that pees and poops in the same place he sleeps and eats
March 28, 2023
Angus's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below. Make sure that the crate doesn't have anything absorbent in it - including a soft bed or towel, otherwise that may be why pup is going potty in there. Check out www.primopads.com if you need a non-absorbent bed for him. Make sure the crate is only big enough for him to turn around, lie down and stand up, and not so big that he can potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean so it needs to be the right size to encourage that natural desire. Use a cleaner that contains enzymes to clean any previous or current accidents - only enzymes will remove the smell and remaining smells encourage the dog to potty in the same location again later. Pay attention to the frequency of potty trips in the method below. If pup is having to hold it too long between potty trips, pup will be forced to go potty in the crate, and the more that happens the less motivated they will be to hold it in there. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If you are still struggling after applying the above suggestions, then unfortunately pup may have already lost his desire to hold it while in a confined space. This commonly happens when someone accidentally teaches pup to do so by placing something like a puppy pad on one end of a larger crate or confining a puppy in cage where they are forced to pee through wired flooring - like at a pet store and some shelters. There are rare puppies who simply do it anyway, even though nothing happened to teach that. In those cases you can try feeding pup his meals in there to discourage it but most of the time you simply have to switch potty training methods until he is fully potty trained - at which point you might be able to use a crate for travel again later in life. Check out the Tethering method from the article linked below. Whenever you are home, use the Tethering method. Also, set up an exercise pen in a room that you can close off access to later on (pup will learn it's okay to potty in this room so choose accordingly). A guest bathroom, laundry room, or master closet with good ventilation are a few options. Don't set the exercise up in a main area of the house like the den or kitchen if you have other options. Tethering method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Use the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below, and instead of a litter box like the article mentions, use a real grass pad to stay consistent with teaching pup to potty on grass outside - which is far less confusing than pee pads (Don't use pee pads if the end goal is pottying outside!). Since your goal is pottying outside only use the Exercise Pen at night and when you are not home. When pup will hold his bladder while in the rest of the house consistently and can hold it for as long as you are gone for during the day and overnight, then remove the exercise pen and grass pad completely, close off access to the room that the pen was in so he won't go into there looking to pee, and take him potty outside only. Since he may still chew longer even after potty training, when you leave him alone, be sure to leave him in a safe area that's been puppy proofed, like a cordoned off area of the kitchen with chew toys - until he is out of the destructive chewing phases too - which typically happens between 1-2 years for most dogs with the right training. Exercise Pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad brands - Also found on Amazon www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com You can also make your own out of a piece of grass sod cut up and a large, shallow plastic storage container. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
March 28, 2023