[sfike77]

I have a 10 week old mini dachsund and crate training her. I have reduced the size of the crate to hopefully stop her from eliminating in her crate. When I crate her with her toys, etc. and I went upstairs. She crys and howls when I leave and hhen I came back down 10 minutes later she pooped in her crate. I took her to the "potty" approximately 30 minutes before placing her in the crate. Could this be anxiety problems? Any ideas out there to prevent her from doing this without having to carry the crate with me to every part of the house.

[labman]

It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

Likely it will cry the first few nights in the crate. I have never had much
Luck with the old clock or radio tricks. What I do is lay down by the crate
Like I was going to sleep there. Usually a puppy may fuss a little, but then
Settle down and go to sleep. Once it is asleep, you can get up and go to bed. I don't know if the lying down trick will work in this case or not. I can't say whether the dog has a bowel movement to protest being left in the crate or it is just because of the stress of being left alone. I read the smaller crate makes a big difference in some cases, but neither I nor some others see much difference. One thing that can make a big difference is a rack in the crate. They are more effective for keeping a puppy up out of urine, but stools do fall through too. Clean up is much easier if the puppy hasn't laid down in it. Racks are available with the crates, or you can make one out of closely spaced wire closet shelves.

You need to stand your ground on the crate. If she wins the battle of the crate, you can expect more challenges. Do not make the mistake of not obedience training her. Small dogs need it as much or more than larger dogs. Otherwise they can turn into 4 legged Napoleons. 10 weeks is much too early for class, but not training. Keep sessions short, only a few repetitions at a time. The dogs see all the
People and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
The pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
Outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by
Reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
Or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with
A treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/.