house breaking my puppy

I have a 11 week old bouvier puppy who is urinating in his crate.

The crate is large but we have reduce the size so he has just enough room to lay down.This is very frustrating and time consuming.

He has to get a bath just about everyday. any suggestions would be helpful.

thanks




Hi
This is definitely frustrating. I assume the crate is a wire one and even though you have partitioned it off, it probably has the illusion of space due to it's design. You may find a fibreglass travel crate would work better.

I would also suggest that you have your veterinarian examine your pup to rule out a bladder infection. These are fairly common and can really interfere with housebreaking.

Although your pup is 11 weeks old, he may have poorly developed bladder/bowel control. All puppies are different and some take longer than others to learn to 'hold it'. Make sure he's getting enough potty breaks (he may need them as often as one every hour during the day, and at least one during the night). My Crate Training page for lots of tips and advice.

When he does have an accident in his crate, clean it out thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle. These remove all traces of the odor that attracts your pup back to urinate in the same spot over and over.

Housebreaking can be challenging, but with patience and consistency your puppy will get there eventually. If you try the above measures and still experience problems with him, I would suggest that you talk to your vet, he may be able to give you more advice.

Best of luck.