Crate/toileting advice

[Jasper]

Hi, well our pup Tashi has now been with us almost two weeks and he is amazing! SO very smart and has fitted right in. We have one issue which I'm not sure if I'm doing the wrong thing with which I would appreciate advice about. He is now 10 weeks and he is crate trained. He last gets out about 11/11.30 then again about 6/6.30 am. However he always does a poo in his crate overnight but doesn't wake us by barking or whining to let us know he needs to His crate is just the right size for him (I have dividers) and during the day after a nap he'll let me know he needs to go. He is accident free the rest of the time.

Should I be waking him to take him out overnight or should I just wait for him to be able to hold it? He does a lot of poos....about 6 a day at the moment and does do one about 8pm as well. He last gets fed at 5pm. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[missjenneygirl]

This sometimes happens at this age. His body will regulate, and I am sure he is not enjoying the mess in his crate either. When this happens here, I just use an old towel for bedding, since it is only going to last one night. I don't scold or say anything about it. Just clean it up.
This will not become a habit, as long as you are sure the crate is the right size. For a puppy 10wks old, I would say floor space in the crate should be about 12" X 14" and no more.
What is the last time for the day that he eats solid food? He should have 3 meals a day, and the last one no later then 7pm.

[Jasper]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I'm not honestly bothered about it for me at all, just he is so upset by it I just use blankets in his crate and wash them after so thats not a problem. He is on three meals and his last is at 5pm. We don't say anything about it to him and just clear it all up. As I say I know hes only doing it as hes desperate as hes fine the rest of the time, but it makes me sad that he feels he has to do it there.

Crate is definately the right size, he can only stretch out (just) and turn around in it, no more.

[corbinam]

I would probably take a different approach. If he's pooping in his crate at night, but not letting you know, then it seems like he doesn't know that he should be letting you know.

I would set my alarm for the middle of the night to let him out. If he's already gone, then the next night I would set it for earlier. Try to figure out when he is pooping, and then let him out before it happens. If he poops outside, throw him a HUGE party. If you can consistently get him outside to poop, then you can start to move the time back that you wake up to let him out.

I wouldn't want him to get in the habit of pooping in his crate because that can be a really hard habit to break.

[BarbV]

I dunno.....

Pooping in the middle of the night? My experience is my dogs generally poop after they eat - not hours after they eat.

When is you dogs last feeding?

Is the poop solid or runny?

If the poop is runny, then you might be dealing with something beyond a training issue That is, sensitivity to the food you are feeding.

If poops are solid, then you might want to constrict the crate a little more. Pup should have just enough room to lie down comfortably.

Also, where is his crate at night? Can you hear him if he whimpers at night? I'm personally not a fan of teaching dogs that its ok to go out in the middle of the night. I prefer to teach them to hold it till morning. But if he needs to go, he needs to go. So you take him out if he whimpers, no fuss, then quickly back to bed.

p.s. I'm a really sound sleeper, so is it possible that you aren't hearing your dog needing to go out?

Sorry for the ramble here.....there are so many possibilities....

[Jasper]

Thanks for replies.

He last gets fed at 4pm. Poops are solid. He goes after eating then also later on. Crate is only big enough for him to lie stretched out in and turn around, hes grown so may even need to make it bigger soon.
He is downstairs but I do hear him if he whines, but he really isn't at all.

Last two nights hes been clean and dry all night, so just going to keep doing what we're doing as he seems to be getting the hang of it. I don't want him to think I'm going to get up for him endlessly during the night, so don't want to set alarm and do that. If he whines I'm straight down to him.

[SammysDaddy]

Hi there,

My puppy is 10 weeks old as well, for the past 2 weeks that we have owned her, I have been waking up in the middle of the night to take her out of the crate to do her business. And she would do a poo at that time too. So I guess it is not uncommon for puppies at this age to be not able to hold it that long, and if your puppy is shy about letting you know you can take her out on schedule.

Sammy's Daddy