Puppy Advice - Stop Weeing In Cage

[turtletom 10]

Hi,

 

I have an 18 week old puppy (lab) and she seems to be having problems still weeing in her cage. Sometimes she is only in her cage for 6 hours and she still wees. I take her out at night just before we go to bed and have even started taking her water up at 6pm to make sure her bladder is empty. I am wondering if dogs can wee in their sleep and if anyone else has had a similar problem? Thanks in advance.

[H_Hounds 10]

18 weeks old is very young and I would say 6 hours is too long to expect her to hold it. Mine were around 6/7 months before they could hold it through the night, without us letting them out during the night. I would suggest a couple of get ups in the night to let her out.

 

6pm is also a bit early to take her water away.

 

How are you going about your toilet training? Maybe there are some tips we can suggest to help you.

[ccit 10]

A puppy of that age cannot be expected to go 6 hours without passing urine. If it is important for you to have the dog dry at night then you need to get up in the early hours of the morning and take him out.

I have always had their bed at one and of the puppy pen and newspaper at the other. The latter is easily cleaned up in the morning. They soon get dry.

BTW not a good idea to take water up at 6pm, especially if the dog is on dry food. Fresh water should be available at all times.

[Evei 10]

They are still a puppy. Toilet training takes time and then the puppy has to be mature enough to hold for a length of time, older dogs get the same problem with holding for long periods of time.

 

You need to shorten the time to ensure the dog learns to be toilet trained properly and the holding will come with age. For now you need to be letting out more regularly, it is not fair on the dog otherwise, they don't like to mess their bed unless they really have no choice.

[vwkittie 10]

Our dog could easily hold herself overnight for 6/7 hours from the day we got her at about 4 months old (we took her out right before bed and immediately on waking).

 

Is she only crated overnight - has she ever been crated during the day and wee'd (just wondering if she's managed to form a habit of it)? Is she worried or upset about being away from you at night? And finally how big is her crate, if it's too big it won't stop her peeing.

[Callum_1 10]

Please do not take up your dogs water as a fresh supply should be readily available at all times, just as it is to us. When you say she is only in her cage for six hours, am I correct in assuming this is overnight when the puppy is sleeping? And is this the only time that she does wee?

 

I can only recommend stepping up the toilet training. Choose a keyword/short phrase such as "do you need to go outside?" or "do you need a wee?" ("outside" and "wee" being the key words) and say it every time you take your puppy to the door so that she begins to associate the words with the action. When she is in the process of urinating outside, congratulate her and use your key word, let her know she is doing something good and when she has finished make a fuss of her. She has just wee'd outside, it is amazing, the best thing in the world, she has won the Nobel Peace Prize for services to humanity!!!

 

I don't like to use treats as I feel then that you are bribing your dog but not only that, you are placing something between the two of you. Your dog should respond to you because he/she loves you and wishes to please you, not because you can provide a tasty snack.

 

Just keep an eye on your puppy, she is still very young and it takes longer for some to learn than it does for others. Look at human's, it takes us years, not months! Also, by introducing the key word - and perhaps waiting for a response when you are at the door with your puppy - it will encourage her to talk to you and communicate her needs which should reduce the accidents.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 1, 2013 by Callum_1

[my eyes only 10]

The general rule for a puppy holding it's wee is the puppy's age in months plus 1, so around 5 hours for your 18 month old, but every puppy is different so it is trial and error.

 

When our Daisy was a puppy we never put a training pad in her crate, because it then allows puppy's to think weeing in there is ok, even when you take the pad out.

We also took Daisy's water away from her around 10 or 11 at night depending on how much she had drank prior to that, and her last wee was around 12ish, she was never left in her crate longer than 6 in the morning, I do agree that they should always have water, but if you are having problems now it is something to consider short term until they stop peeing in the crate.

 

Everyone has dealt with potty training in different ways, all I can say is try to get into a routine as quick as possible or you might find it will become more difficult to stop as they get older.

 

Hope this helps