crate training

by david
(mechanicsville, va)

i just got a boston terrier puppy and he was great for a few days when it came to going the bathroom outside but for the last 5 days he has pooped in his crate more than he has pooped outside.

i have used a divider to make the crate only big enough for him to turn in and that has not helped.

he is not left in the crate for any more than 3 hours at a time, what should i do?



Hi David
For the first few days in a new environment, puppies are usually a bit stressed and they may act differently to normal. Eating, and pooping, less than normal isn't unusual.

Depending on how young your puppy is, 3 hours may be too long to leave him in a crate without a potty break. 3 hours is the maximum time a 14 week old pup should be crated, if yours is only 8 weeks for example, he really needs a break every 30 minutes to an hour during the day, and at least once at night. An 8 week old puppy is only just beginning to learn to control his bladder/bowels, and can't really 'hold it' for any length of time.

It's worth making the extra effort or arrangements for him to be able to do this to begin with as it helps to head off any crate training problems. A fibreglass travel crate in the correct (small enough) size sometimes works better than the wire ones, as it more closely resembles a 'den' and doesn't give the illusion of space. Alternatively you can cover the wire crate with a heavy rug or blanket, to make it more den-like. You can find out more about crate training on my Crate Training A Puppy page.

I would also suggest making sure that you are feeding him a high-quality, premium puppy food. The lower quality, generic foods contain a lot of fillers, additives and 'junk', which your pup can't digest. These then travel through his body pretty much unchanged and produce greater quantities of 'poop'! A premium food supplies a higher ratio of usable nutrients and as well as producing less stools, you'll also find your puppy needs to eat less of it to get the same nutrition.

Housebreaking a puppy is one of the most challenging tasks a new puppy owner faces, but with patience and consistency you will win the day! Best of luck