Help... Defecating in crate at night :(

[SMammers816]

HELP.... please!! Copper is a year and a half and we have a situation where he will defecate in his crate at night. Our dogs always sleep in their crate at night and Cooper is downstairs in our living room. Gunner, our six year old fur baby, sleeps in a crate upstairs in our room. We tried having Cooper up in our room as well for a bit prior to his first birthday, but he would constantly wake up in the middle of the night and wake us up. We moved him downstairs and the sleeping situation improved. Bedtime is between 9:00pm and 10:00pm and we usually get up between 7:00am/7:30am. His last walk is right before bed. I have let Cooper have free roaming of his very large crate and he usually has a cotton pee pad in there with him.


Lately... meaning pretty regularly, he will defecate at some point in the crate and covers it up with his pee pad. This issue has been ongoing, but it used to be maybe once a week and now It seems like it is getting worse... for months now it has been one to two times a week (which isn’t great I know), it is now almost every other day.


I have tried EVERYTHING....


Changed dinner time from 6:00pm to 5:00pm.
Tried giving him 1/2 his food at lunch and the other half at dinner (he gets two cups total of Grandma Lucy’s food).
Tried walking him more often... tired walking him a bit less to build up the “hold it” feeling.
Tried exercising him like crazy so that he is tired.
Gone back to treating him when he defecates outside so he realizes that is the time and place to poop.


The past two nights we made the crate smaller... the first night we gave him the pee pad and we woke up to poop. Last night we took the pee pad away and... woke up to poop!! I’m including pictures of him in his crate so you can see the spacing.


I don’t know what else to do at this point and my husband is fed up. Between the poop and my husband’s complaining, I’m so over it and can’t listen to it anymore.


Do I really need to take it back to potty training 101?
Should we try bringing him back upstairs with us?
Should I try a different food?


Thank you in advance!!

 

[Dollys Owner]

A few questions- what consistency are his poos? Which Grandma Lucy's dog formula?

If his poos are loose you could add canned pumpkin to his diet. Or switch foods.

I'm not that knowledgeable about toilet training but here's a few ideas to try, in order:

Try putting in a worn piece of clothing with him at night so he will feel less isolated.
Try going to bed later and getting up earlier
Try moving his cage into your room

 

[Maxthebulldog1210]

HELP.... please!! Copper is a year and a half and we have a situation where he will defecate in his crate at night. Our dogs always sleep in their crate at night and Cooper is downstairs in our living room. Gunner, our six year old fur baby, sleeps in a crate upstairs in our room. We tried having Cooper up in our room as well for a bit prior to his first birthday, but he would constantly wake up in the middle of the night and wake us up. We moved him downstairs and the sleeping situation improved. Bedtime is between 9:00pm and 10:00pm and we usually get up between 7:00am/7:30am. His last walk is right before bed. I have let Cooper have free roaming of his very large crate and he usually has a cotton pee pad in there with him.


Lately... meaning pretty regularly, he will defecate at some point in the crate and covers it up with his pee pad. This issue has been ongoing, but it used to be maybe once a week and now It seems like it is getting worse... for months now it has been one to two times a week (which isn’t great I know), it is now almost every other day.


I have tried EVERYTHING....


Changed dinner time from 6:00pm to 5:00pm.
Tried giving him 1/2 his food at lunch and the other half at dinner (he gets two cups total of Grandma Lucy’s food).
Tried walking him more often... tired walking him a bit less to build up the “hold it” feeling.
Tried exercising him like crazy so that he is tired.
Gone back to treating him when he defecates outside so he realizes that is the time and place to poop.


The past two nights we made the crate smaller... the first night we gave him the pee pad and we woke up to poop. Last night we took the pee pad away and... woke up to poop!! I’m including pictures of him in his crate so you can see the spacing.


I don’t know what else to do at this point and my husband is fed up. Between the poop and my husband’s complaining, I’m so over it and can’t listen to it anymore.


Do I really need to take it back to potty training 101?
Should we try bringing him back upstairs with us?
Should I try a different food?


Thank you in advance!!

View attachment 119046

I almost gave up crate training when my Max deficated and urinated in his crate.
It took three nights of doing so, I did make his crate smaller and that actually helped. I am curious if your bulldog has bad anxiety. Leaving a piece of worn clothing like they said will definitely help. I have also given my dog pet cbd. That is also something that can help his anxiety. Also just keep trying to take him out every 2 hrs until you get a routine down.

 

[Cbrugs]

Sometimes you have to go back to the basics and start the potting training process over.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[helsonwheels]

I almost gave up crate training when my Max deficated and urinated in his crate.
It took three nights of doing so, I did make his crate smaller and that actually helped. I am curious if your bulldog has bad anxiety. Leaving a piece of worn clothing like they said will definitely help. I have also given my dog pet cbd. That is also something that can help his anxiety. Also just keep trying to take him out every 2 hrs until you get a routine down.

I do give CBD on n off to Jake as he does have bad anxiety. When he takes it his stools are very loose even though he eats raw. Raw will give him hard poop nugget style. Not when he takes CBD. Check the strength of it, many times per day he takes it and does he get exercise daily? [MENTION=16619]Cbrugs[/MENTION] can help you in strength wise as ours in Canada are different brands so I’m not going to guide you on that one.

 

[oscarmayer]

Put him in a much smaller crate...no bigger than 18x30...smaller(24") if he'll fit.

 

[cefe13]

Sorry to hear Cooper is having a hard time (and you!). When it comes to basic functions, such as potty training and sleep, I believe in using a soft approach in the sense that keeping the dog close and letting him be part of the pack rather than expecting him to sleep alone and hold it.

I would actually suggest you go back to basic potty training: 1) set the alarm clock and take him out in the middle of the night and 2) let him sleep in your room, close to you so that he knows you are there for him. As soon as he wakes up, calm him down by patting, singing or whatever works, and if he needs to go, take him out at once.

Best of luck!

 

[Manydogs]

First thing I would try, as [MENTION=9875]cefe13[/MENTION] stated, is take him out in middle of night.

 

[oscarmayer]

Oh, I forgot, no pee pads in the crate. That just reinforces undesired behavior.
And until he gets back on track, no bedding in the crate either...just a bare plastic bottom.

 

[2BullyMama]

HELP.... please!! Copper is a year and a half and we have a situation where he will defecate in his crate at night. Our dogs always sleep in their crate at night and Cooper is downstairs in our living room. Gunner, our six year old fur baby, sleeps in a crate upstairs in our room. We tried having Cooper up in our room as well for a bit prior to his first birthday, but he would constantly wake up in the middle of the night and wake us up. We moved him downstairs and the sleeping situation improved. Bedtime is between 9:00pm and 10:00pm and we usually get up between 7:00am/7:30am. His last walk is right before bed. I have let Cooper have free roaming of his very large crate and he usually has a cotton pee pad in there with him.


Lately... meaning pretty regularly, he will defecate at some point in the crate and covers it up with his pee pad. This issue has been ongoing, but it used to be maybe once a week and now It seems like it is getting worse... for months now it has been one to two times a week (which isn’t great I know), it is now almost every other day.


I have tried EVERYTHING....


Changed dinner time from 6:00pm to 5:00pm.
Tried giving him 1/2 his food at lunch and the other half at dinner (he gets two cups total of Grandma Lucy’s food).
Tried walking him more often... tired walking him a bit less to build up the “hold it” feeling.
Tried exercising him like crazy so that he is tired.
Gone back to treating him when he defecates outside so he realizes that is the time and place to poop.


The past two nights we made the crate smaller... the first night we gave him the pee pad and we woke up to poop. Last night we took the pee pad away and... woke up to poop!! I’m including pictures of him in his crate so you can see the spacing.


I don’t know what else to do at this point and my husband is fed up. Between the poop and my husband’s complaining, I’m so over it and can’t listen to it anymore.


Do I really need to take it back to potty training 101?
Should we try bringing him back upstairs with us?
Should I try a different food?


Thank you in advance!!

View attachment 119046

i will try the bedroom, back in with you, I’m wondering if it is separation anxiety

 

[nubonics]

I agree with everyone who has suggested moving the crate back into the room with you and, if that is not possible, do a baby monitor. Since he was trained previously, it is likely he is making noise before doing his business and no one hears him to be let out. I also agree with no pee pads in the kennel.

If it is possible, try feeding him around 2 or 3 instead of 5:30. My guy use to be fed around 5-6 in the evening. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he would constantly get up in the middle of the night to #2. When I gradually switched his dinner time to 2-3pm, he stopped waking me up in the middle of the night. Now if I am unable to feed he by 2 or 3, he consistently wakes up in the middle of the night to go out.

 

[Chunky White]

It sounds like he isn't having trouble going in the crate

Sorry for that!! I will leave now but hope you find a way to stop that problem