I have a maltipoo puppy that is 14 weeks old. We got her at 10 weeks. Both my husband and I work ( I am a nurse and onlyl work 3 days a week, while he works 5) Anytime we put our puppy in her crate she poops... A LOT and then mushes is all around in her crate. The days that I work we are both gone for 13 hours, so understand that she goes in her crate then... who can hold it for that long! Our problem is at night she goes so much and then is covered in her poop by the time we get up. We usually take her out right before bed around 10 pm and then we are up by 6 am. I am at my end here... I need adive!

I'm no expert, but I have taken care of and raised puppies and they need constant attention to learn. I understand that you and your husband work, but 13 hrs is simply way too long for her to be in that crate without a bathroom break. I took the puppies out every half hour to hour and a half to teach them that outside is where they go potty. 10-15 minutes after eating, and on through the night. Consistency consistency consistency. Also, is the crate bigger than the dog? When you're teaching a puppy, the crate needs to be just big enough for the animal to be comfortable. No extra room for anything but to stand up, turn around, and lay down.

How do you feed your puppy? Free-feeding or scheduled meals? Scheduled meals make it easier to predict and time when the puppy is going to have to potty. You could try feeding her earlier, and taking her out several time before bed. Young puppies simply do not have the bowel control that people often expect of them. Puppies need to go out after every meal, and after naps especially. 13 hours is twice as long as any puppy should be left in the crate at that age. You may want to consider having a friend or neighbor take the puppy out at intervals, or come home on lunch break if at all possible. Not only are the accidents detrimental to the training process, but you are risking your puppy getting very sick is it has to sit in its potty for those extended periods.