Hello everyone. I'm new here.. and having a problem with my male bulldog mix ("Olde English Bulldogge"). He is 1 year old, and has recently began pooping in his crate at night. This happens almost every night (3 times a week minimum), even if I wake up to let him out. I've tried letting him out at 3 and 4 am. He'll return to his crate, only to poop in it sometime later. He never urinates in the crate.. it's only poop. And he doesn't seem to care. He will step in it, sit in it, etc. I'm also becoming concerned about having to bathe him so often. Some basic info:
-His crate is the plastic type, and snug. There isn't too much room.. he can stand, lay and turn around. He enjoys his crate and has always napped in it and slept in it willingly. Crate training was a breeze.
-He's only in his crate at night, or when we leave. I work from home, so most days he's never alone for long periods of time. However, we do go out 1 time a week during the day and he is crated for 5 or 6 hours. He never soils his crate during the day. Seems to only be at night, when we are home.
-He's eating 4 cups of Merrick kibble each day. He's done really well on this food.. healthy coat and eyes and has nice solid stools. He's leaner than your typical purebred bulldog (being an OEB) and is not at all overweight or over-fed.
-Potty training was very difficult for him. I've never had so much trouble potty training a puppy before! Our older dogs (2 and 3 years old) who I also trained were fully housebroken and accident free by 5-6 months of age. He continued to have problems up until 10+ months (pooping in the house).
-Obedience-wise, he is great. He listens well, is extremely smart (knows many tricks and commands), and aside from a little too much excitement at times, is a very pleasant dog. He gets along well with the Boxers and they are all very balanced and happy.
-Our vet recommended feeding him 1x a day to help regulate his bathroom habits. We began doing this at 10 months of age. This helped and he no longer poops in the house (unless left out at night instead of being crated, which I've also tried!). He eats at 6pm (sharp!) every evening.
-I've had him and his stools checked by the vet multiple times. No worms or other health issues.
-As mentioned above, I have tried letting him sleep outside of the crate at night with the other dogs. He will poop on the carpet.
I am terrified to try feeding him multiple times a day again, or to attempt feeding him at any other time than what he's used to, so I figured I would come here and ask first. Perhaps if I feed him at 3pm instead of 6? Should I switch food? Any other suggestions, tricks or tips? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
-His crate is the plastic type, and snug. There isn't too much room.. he can stand, lay and turn around. He enjoys his crate and has always napped in it and slept in it willingly. Crate training was a breeze.
-He's only in his crate at night, or when we leave. I work from home, so most days he's never alone for long periods of time. However, we do go out 1 time a week during the day and he is crated for 5 or 6 hours. He never soils his crate during the day. Seems to only be at night, when we are home.
-He's eating 4 cups of Merrick kibble each day. He's done really well on this food.. healthy coat and eyes and has nice solid stools. He's leaner than your typical purebred bulldog (being an OEB) and is not at all overweight or over-fed.
-Potty training was very difficult for him. I've never had so much trouble potty training a puppy before! Our older dogs (2 and 3 years old) who I also trained were fully housebroken and accident free by 5-6 months of age. He continued to have problems up until 10+ months (pooping in the house).
-Obedience-wise, he is great. He listens well, is extremely smart (knows many tricks and commands), and aside from a little too much excitement at times, is a very pleasant dog. He gets along well with the Boxers and they are all very balanced and happy.
-Our vet recommended feeding him 1x a day to help regulate his bathroom habits. We began doing this at 10 months of age. This helped and he no longer poops in the house (unless left out at night instead of being crated, which I've also tried!). He eats at 6pm (sharp!) every evening.
-I've had him and his stools checked by the vet multiple times. No worms or other health issues.
-As mentioned above, I have tried letting him sleep outside of the crate at night with the other dogs. He will poop on the carpet.
I am terrified to try feeding him multiple times a day again, or to attempt feeding him at any other time than what he's used to, so I figured I would come here and ask first. Perhaps if I feed him at 3pm instead of 6? Should I switch food? Any other suggestions, tricks or tips? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!