House training a Westie

Question
Hi, thank you for this opportunity. I have a Westie, Laddie, who will be six months old June 9th. I am crate training him, with not so good results. First, I used the entire crate with padding for him to lie on. I heard they will pee on absorbent material, so I took the padding out; he kept peeing, never pooping, but still peeing and trying to lick it up. Then I reduced the crate size to about one half, with some better results, but he still pees even when he has to sit in it or lie in it, totally defying anything I have ever heard or read. Laddie is very well taken care of; I am retired and can spend all the time he needs responding to him. Sometimes, he whines to be taken out, and sometimes, he never lets me know, preferring to pee in the crate. I have had Laddie since he was 9 weeks old, he eats Nutro puppy food, and I give him chicken liver treats as various rewards. This is most frustrating, and I hope you can help. If I can't train him in the crate. it looks like I will never get him housebroken. Thanks, Ken

Answer
Ken, you say you're retired - does that mean you're at home all day? Have you tried keeping him leashed to you, rather than in the crate? That way, you could learn the signs that he needs to go potty, and get him straight outside before he has a chance to go potty on the floor.

His crate should be just large enough to allow him to stand, turn around, and lie down in. You could get him used to wearing a 'belly band' and let him wear it in his crate. This would not prevent him from going potty, but it would make cleanup easier, and it may help teach him not to potty in his crate. If you choose to do this, you need to remember that, just like a baby that's still in diapers, you will need to keep the belly band changed when he potties in it. That means you may have to buy more than one.

He should not be left in his crate for more than 6 hours straight, and that's only if he potties before being put in the crate. The only exception to this rule would be at night; he should be able to go all night without needing to be taken out, again, as long as he is taken out just before going to bed, and that he's not been fed or watered within 2 hours of bedtime.