dog mess

Question
I'll make this quick. I bought a 7month old Schnoodle 3 days ago. He was from a pet store that was about to ship him away since no one wanted him. Anyhoo, he was of course in a crate all the time.
Well here it is. He will not poop outside. He did once on the pavement. I catch him all the time almost pooping in my home or pooping. I have a crate I bought today and put the peepee pads and spray in there. Only thing is that my crate is plastic on the bottom and not like the one at the store.
Please help me and Schmidtly MaGe


Answer
Hi Manda,

This is a really common problem with dogs that come from pet stores, and of course, the older the puppy the harder it is to house train.

Your first course of action needs to be prevention. Your second thing is getting your puppy on a rigid schedule of when he's fed and taken outside, and then stick to the schedule.

It will take time for your puppy to get the hang of this. You should not place puppy pads, or anything which entices him to relieve himself inside his crate. A crate is NOT for going to the bathroom, although he probably associates the crate with going to the bathroom because he's had no choice until now.

If your puppy messes in his crate, do not punish him. Simply wash out the crate using a pet odor neutralizer (such as Nature's Miracle, Nilodor, or Outright). Do not use ammonia-based products, as their odor resembles urine and may draw your dog back to urinate in the same spot again.

It might be helpful not to crate your puppy if he's soiling in it. Instead, contain him to an area of your home with the help of a child gate or two. Lay a thick layer of newspaper over the entire floor of the containment area. When your puppy can't be supervised, or when you're not home this is the area he needs to be in.
As time goes on, he will start to show a preferred place to do his business. When this place is well established and the rest of the papers remain clean all day, then gradually reduce the area that is papered. Start removing the paper that is furthest away from his chosen location. Eventually you will only need to leave a few sheets down in that area only. If he ever misses the paper, then you've reduced the area too soon. Go back to papering a larger area.

If you take your puppy outside and he doesn't go to the bathroom, when you get back to your home, put him right in the containment area, give him about 15 minutes before taking him outside again.

Even though he's an older puppy, he's not yet trained, so you should be giving him frequent opportunities to go outside. Take him outside the first thing in the morning, after eating, drinking, and sleeping, and just before you go to bed at night. You should know the signs that your dog needs to go to the bathroom. If he suddenly quits playing, and starts running around sniffing, he's looking for a place to go. When you take him out, take him to the spot and give him the command to "go potty" (or whatever phrase you'd like to use) in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep repeating the command and let your puppy sniff around. If he goes to the bathroom at all praise him lavishly. Really let him know what a good dog he is and how much you love him, you can even give him a treat to enforce the goodness of it all. If he doesn't go, try walking around or playing for a few minutes. The exercise can stimulate elimination.

Some puppies that have house training problems like a little privacy when they go to the bathroom. A longer leash, or walking in a scudded area with shrubs and foliage can be helpful, rather than walking in a busy area.

Best of luck,
Patti