Sampson

Question
I have a 4 month old male neutered American Bulldog. He has been to obedience training and is a very well mannered smart dog. It took him awhile, but eventually he was pottie trained, except for the fact that he urinates in his kennel almost everytime he is put in there. I know he is not afraid of his kennel or views it as punishment b/c he goes in there on his own all the time and even stores some of his toys in there. He does not urinate on anything outside his kennel and he no longer has accidents and if we are home and he needs to go out he waits by the door. It is only when he is left in there and that he does this. It is a full sized kennel, we had a wall up so that it fit him, but then he would urinate in the kennel and then lay in it causing him to get a bath 2-3 times a day, now he urinates in a corner in the kennel and gets away from it. If we put the wall back in he lays in the urine again. I know he can hold it for 4 hours b/c on rare occassion I have come home for lunch and he hasn't urinated, but that is short lived and few and far between incidences. Any ideas? Thanks

Answer
I think much of it has to do with poor early care.  Having been forced to live in a small space, they continue fouling it when they don't have to.  I can be of more help in coping with it than stopping it.  A wire grid in the bottom will help keep the dog up out of urine . They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I am now using a plastic vegetable bin with plenty of holes drilled in the bottom. It helps block off part of the crate for the smaller puppy.

Making sure he walks around before crating him may help.  The movement may stimulate him to urinate leaving him with an empty bladder and able to go hold it longer.