New bullie

Question
We just adopted a 3 or 4 year old English bulldog.  She has been doing fine with the changes in her life but we are having one issue.  She is using the bathroom in her crate.  I know how to crate train a dog and have so with both of my Boxers but I am a little confused with this issue.  She is in a large crate and can move away from the urine so we do need to make the crate smaller but heres the weird thing.  She isn't bothered bit the pee. Yesterday she was actually stretched out on her side laying in the puddle. She has had two baths in two days because she is laying in the mess. I have always read about how dogs don't like to mess where they sleep but she seems to be fine with it.  I was wondering if this could be a result of her being neglected before we got her.  Maybe she was crated for so long before that using the crate as a potty is all she knows? What do I need to do to brake her of this?

Answer
Erica,

I'm sorry to say, you have a hard task ahead of you.  It is always easier to train a dog than to break a dog of wrong behavior.

I think you are right, that she has been had to stay in a crate too long and had learned that is the place to go.  

You will have to totally change her environment. If there is any way you can totally stop using a crate, that would be best.  Normally, I would suggest that you use a smaller crate, but since she doesn't mind sitting or laying in her mess, I don't think that will work.

If she is potty trained in the house when she is not in her crate, then just stop using a crate.  Make her a nice comfy bed that she can lay and sleep in.  

If she learns that her bed is a nice place, not to mess up, later you could try putting her nice bed back in a DIFFERENT crate.  Don't use the same one.

Hope that helps,
Christine Puetz