I have a 4 month old mini dachshund puppy (4 lbs). She is doing pretty well with going potty outside and has few accidents inside my home. The only problem is she goes to the bathroom in her crate. She is only in there 3-4 hours max and I'm not sure what her problem is. I would like to know how many cups of food to be giving her a day in case that is the problem. I do not want to do the potty pad training and would like to get her to stop going in her kennel... please help, I'm very sick of giving her a bath and cleaning her kennel every time I come home. The kennel is not to large either.

It really depends on the food you are feeding and your individual dog as to how much to feed. Try feeding smaller meals in the morning, and never just before you go. Offer a larger meal when you know you will be home to let her out enough. Even the smallest piece of kibble can put pressure on the bowels giving him that urge to need to release. Same goes with water. Remember 4 months is still a young puppy. He is going to have accidents no matter how diligent you are with house training. The key here is consistancy. Dogs like having a routine. Try to offer a little more stimulated play time and out door potty breaks before you kennel him. Don't offer food in the kennel, just a small dish of water. If you are gone for only 4 hours you can remove the water dish, but anything longer than 4 hours with no water is not healthy for such a young pup.

Also keep in mind a better quality chow produces less... if you catch my drift ;)