I'm trying to potty train my 8wk old pug. We go outside all the time and she does her business great!! When we leave though, it's a different story. I put her in a crate since the day I got her and she will poop in it and then walk in it, and it ends up all over the crate and her!! After that didn't work, I tried putting her in the bathtub with a towel on one end and nothing on the other, hoping that if she did poop, she would poop on one side and lay on the other. I came home after an hour and it was ALL OVER the tub, blanket and her!! I don't know what to do!! I can handle cleaning up the poop if it's in one place but I feel that it's getting ridiculous that it is EVERYWHERE!! There were 3 baths for her in one day at one point. And I'm taking her out every time just before we leave. She'll pee and poop and then we'll leave and come home to a HUGE mess!! I feel like giving her back to the people who gave her to us. I'm at my wits end. I'm a teacher and will soon be going back to school. I can't in good conscience leave her knowing that she'll be laying in her own poop all day. I can come home at lunch to let her out but I have a feeling that I'll have to clean up at lunch AND after I get home. At night I have resorted to having her sleep with me because of this and last night she slept all night no problem... It's only when we leave!! HELP!! I'm desperate and losing my mind!!

How long is she alone and how big is her crate? I have big dogs. I have only crated 2 of the many dogs I've had and both had crates large enough for them to have an area to live in and then another area to bathroom in. I don't think there's anything wrong with her - she's a dog, she has to go to the bathroom, she can't leave her crate.

Keeping her in the bathtub is not safe.

I'd speak to the Vet and also get a bigger crate. However, if you are ready to give her back that is probably a good idea both for her sake and for yours. She's just a baby and, believe me, she will develop other "habits" which will be difficult to deal with before she's an adult dog.



What does the Vet say? This could be a health problem - it sounds like she has numerous bowel movements every day.

Thanks for the reply!! Her crate is pretty big... 2ft x 1 1/2ft. She's only about 3 1/2 lbs. so she's not very big... Now that I've had time to cool down, it's not the poop that bothers me... its the HUGE mess that's left because she's walked around in it. Is this normal?? This is the 3rd puppy we've raised and we didn't have near the problems w/ the mess that we do with this one. Could it be that she was allowed to do this at the place we got her from? I know that the conditions with they kept the puppies in were not the best... that was one of the reasons we decided to take her... I just need to know if the tracking it all over the crate is normal...

p.s. I forgot to add that it doesn't matter how long we leave her. Even if it's 30 minutes and she poops outside before we leave.

Some dogs are far more bothered by their waste than other dogs are. I have a dog who (at 6 years old) will take the shortest route from here to there, no matter what she has to walk through. My other dog won't go NEAR waste, hers or the other dog's. She almost tiptoes around it.

They are all different and, yes, she may very well have been penned or crated and become accustomed to living in her waste.

Good call on your part.

I'd try a bigger crate because of the problem as well as a Vet.

Well to start with, she is only 8 weeks. She is a puppy, and she is being left alone. All puppies suffer at one point a bit of separation anxiety. And when dogs suffer from separation anxiety, they usually do the most damage with in the first 30 minutes. If her cage is big enough for her to designate a poop area, that is what she will do.

Where did you get your pup from? You say the conditions were not the best, so if she was allowed to live in her own mess, than she knows no difference. Just like pet store dogs who literally live in their own urine and feces, they become accustomed to it, as they know no difference. These dogs tend to be the hardest to house break.

Consistency is the best key, so as soon as she is finished eating take her out side. Bring her in the house while you are getting ready to leave, and about 20 minutes before you leave for the day, bring her back out side. Wait out there with her until she uses the bathroom. Praise like mad when she does her business out side. Offer a SMALL treat, because remember, any morsel of food will put pressure on her bowels. Do you leave food in the crate with her while you are away?

You can try making her crate smaller by blocking it off, only leaving her enough room to turn around and lay down in.

I have no idea what the standard is but my GSD had a crate (she is now full grown) that is double the length of her now - she started as 11 pounds and now she's over 130. She had an entire area to bathroom and an entire area to lounge (or whatever dogs do in crates). I didn't keep her strictly crated. Her crate was inside a puppy fence so she could leave the crate and be within the fenced area, but I have a big kitchen.

The crate - now - is higher than she is tall.

I have no idea what the standard is but my GSD had a crate (she is now full grown) that is double the length of her now - she started out as 11 pounds and now she's over 130. She had an entire area to bathroom and an entire area to lounge (or whatever dogs do in crates). I didn't keep her strictly crated. Her crate was inside a puppy fence so she could leave the crate and be within the fenced area, but I have a big kitchen.

The crate - now - is higher than she is tall.

All dogs are different, but when house breaking, it's best to have a smaller kennel, big enough to turn around and lay down, other wise they will designate one area to use the bathroom in. It's actually more of a comforting feeling for them, especially if they are suffering from any anxiety, their dens in the natural would be very small, with no potty area in it. I would only recommend a smaller kennel for a dog with house breaking issues. My dogs kennel is one of the biggest I could find.

The way she grew I would have had to join the Kennel of the Week Club.

But I do agree with you in theory.

The way she grew I would have had to join the Kennel of the Week Club.

But I do agree with you in theory.



LOL!! I usually just blocked the larger ones off. But that's cute. I could open my own used kennel store, but I hang onto all of them! You never know when they will come in handy.

Thank you SO much guys!! I really am thinking that these dogs were left in their box to run around in their own messes all day. And with 6 puppies, mess is all you can expect!!

Nope, no food in the crate.

We have a gated place in our kitchen we use for our big dogs when they come inside. I'll have to block the holes probably w/ poster board on the outside because she could easily slip through them. I'll put her crate inside the gated area and leave it open and see what happens. Should I put a towel in the crate and a puppy pad outside?? Maybe she DOES need more space...

I think I'll try leaving for short periods at a time just so she knows I'm coming back... maybe 15mins. To start... and gradually increase it.

We have an appt. w/ the vet on Friday and I'll ask then too.

I'm SO thankful for this site!! It just goes to show that every breed is different. We have 2 Golden Retrievers and a boston terrier/yorkie mix. Thank you two SO much for the kind words of advice and encouragement!!

I'm going to briefly highjack the thread - my dog was so big when she was young that I came home one day and found the puppy fence and kennel in a rectangular shape stuck in the doorway. She put her body against it and pushed it to a spot she liked better.

Thank you SO much guys!!! I really am thinking that these dogs were left in their box to run around in their own messes all day. And with 6 puppies, mess is all you can expect!!!

Nope, no food in the crate.

We have a gated place in our kitchen we use for our big dogs when they come inside. I'll have to block the holes probably w/ poster board on the outside because she could easily slip through them. I'll put her crate inside the gated area and leave it open and see what happens. Should I put a towel in the crate and a puppy pad outside??? Maybe she DOES need more space...

I think I'll try leaving for short periods at a time just so she knows I'm coming back...maybe 15mins. to start out...and gradually increase it.

We have an appt. w/ the vet on Friday and I'll ask then too.

I'm SO thankful for this site!!! It just goes to show that every breed is different. We have 2 Golden Retrievers and a boston terrier/yorkie mix. Thank you two SO much for the kind words of advice and encouragement!!!

If you want her to learn to use the bathroom OUTSIDE, stay away from puppy pads!

JudyKayTee---that is hilarious!!
Aurora_Bell---okay, will do!!

I will also mention that there were times I considered living in the crate and allowing the dogs to run loose in the house.

I will also mention that there were times I considered living in the crate and allowing the dogs to run loose in the house.


Have to spread the rep, but YES!

You two are hilarious!! I sure needed a laugh after the past week!! I will try both and see what works best for her!! Thank you both again!!

Well Welcome to AMHD Musictchr! Have a look around the site, you will find many forums with comic relief! Have a look in the "lounge" at out pictures of our pets thread. We always love seeing new fur babies! And it sounds like you have a house full of them!

Oh I will!! I love my babies so much and it is SO fun to post pics!!