Exactly what goes on in those furry little heads is hard to say. If you do a Search here, you will find several old threads about bowel movements in a crate. Could you be convinced he is doing it deliberately to protest being crated? If so, it certainly is effective isn't it? Many ''experts'' say no way.
I think the first step is to eliminate the bedding. You might try wood shavings instead. If you do, let me know how it works. Racks do well with small puppies and urine, but often stools stay on top.
Having a good pack structure reduces such problems. 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/. As top dog, you have the right to crate him. It is his place to wait quietly for your return. At his age, keep sessions short, a few minutes for several repetitions. Steal a few minutes several times a day, and in a month people will be marveling what a good little puppy. It is easier to convince the public that the puppy quietly setting at your heel isn't a threat than one that is bouncing at the end of a leash. The public holds some breeds to a higher standard, logical or not.
Watch the squeaky toy. Even now he could easily tear it apart.
The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into
pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
chewers such as Labs. What is safe greatly depends on the individual dog. Another way top keep him busy in the crate is a Kong filled with peanut butter. Depending on how food motivated he is, he may stay busy licking it out for hours. Extend the time by freezing it.
Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made
lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the
foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get
them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch
carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.
Along with these steps, he should decide a clean crate is nicer. Try not to let it upset you. Just quietly clean him and the crate up. It is hard to hide your emotions from a dog. Just focus on the good times with him. The more upset you are, the better it worked.
So, I have a 3 1/2 month old pitt bull mix puppy, Maddox. I have had him since he was 8 wks, so about a month and a half. I got him from the local animal shelter. He has had a crate since the first day, but for about the first week, he slept in my bed with me. I realized that for potty training sake, he should be sleeping in the crate. Whether in my bed or in his crate he NEVER poops at night and he can go about 7 hours. I caught him peeing only once when I ignored his whines for too long. At one point, he had two separate areas for pooping and sleeping, with a low divider so he can get over, and puppy pads. He would run all through the poop, get it all over the place, and then tear his puppy pad to shreds. I leave him in there with toys. I even have this one toy that is his favorite (it is a VERY loud squeaky toy) that I will only give him when I leave (so that I don't have to listen to it and he has fun with it). However, everytime I leave him in the crate he poops in it. Though he sometimes has to be in there for 5-6 hours, that is rare and he poops in it no matter what the duration of his confinement. He will poop right before he gets in his crate, I will leave for 2 hours, and he will have pooped in it by the time I return. He does seem to like the crate however. He will go in there without having to be carried when he is tired and even when he knows that I am leaving (and trust me, he has figured that out). I have changed its size, cleaned it, moved it, and put all new stuff in it. The vet recommended that I begin to feed him in there, and that has also proved fruitless. Yesterday, I cleaned poop off of his dish. A friend of mine told me to leave an article of my clothing in there so he can smell me. I did, even though his crate is in my bedroom and he peed on my shirt!
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