HI - I'm new to having a dog and new to this site. I have a 5 mo. Old Brussels Griffith. He is the friendliest little thing and loves being on laps and with people. We just got him 2 days ago, but visited him at the pet store since June - first because we liked him & had to go anyway, later because I was considering it and it was a BIG decision for me because I have 3 kids & am a single mom and quite frankly never have been a dog person/pet person. I totally love this guy though, it was love at first sight =)

Ok - I know about the schedules, the feeding schedules, the crate (I have wire) and making it small. Despite that (I realize I haven't had him a week but... ) I take him out ALL the time or take him with me to run errands and walk him in between. Even so, I have never seen him pee outside and only 1x did he poop and that's because he started in my house and I grabed him & ran outside. I take him to the same spot every time but nothing! He poops overnight and pees in his cage and everyone says that is very strange. The smell is horrible and I have washed everything in hot hot water and find that 1) the smell is still there just fainter and 2) my washing machine & dryer now smell. So Question #1: do I throw out the towels & toys that were in his cage that he got poop on or wash & return, thinking they may still have some of the odor 2) how do I get it out of the towels & stuff that he lays on?

Question #2: Should I be getting up in the night. The thought makes me miserable because after twins & a 3rd I cannot say I am up for it. We all need our sleep. And I start to think, "well, if he doesnt ever go outside, why would tonight at 2am be any different?" I set the alarm last night but figured, why freeze and expect him to do anything when he doesn't all day long if he's out. Put him in the crate for 2 hours and voilà, poop galore.

Thanks for thoughts. Part of me things being in the pet store has made him very unaccustomed to bathroom on grass and outside in a noisy world. He's like a 2 yr old with ADHD outside at times.

Ill try my best here.
How long are you taking the puppy out? You may need to walk him until he goes, even if it takes FOREVER.
When is the last time you take him out before you go to bed? What time are you up in the morning to let him out?
You can try and wash the stuff in his crate with bleach. It may discolour it, but it will probably get the smell out. If not, I would discard it.

How large is your crate? They really should be only big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around. Too large and a dog will designate an area to urinate and defecate in, and it will become a habit.

You should not get up in the middle of the night. At 5 months your dog SHOULD be able to sleep through the night without needing to go. If you get up in the middle of the night, he will come to expect that, and he may wake you up.

A lot of times with going outside, you really need to be persistent with things.

Congrats on your new baby!

Unfortunately, he's a puppy mill puppy. Because of that and from the pet store situation he was in, he has learned to poop and pee in his cage. No one ever taught him otherwise.

You are going to have to retrain him. We have very helpful dog experts who will advise you. While you're waiting for them to come online and see this question, read some of the other questions and any stickies on the Dog board. The public library has dog training books too, but our experts will point you toward the best ones.

Thanks for asking us for help!

Hi Mena.

WG is right, you have a puppymill puppy and because of the living conditions in a puppymill he never learned proper behavior. You're going to have to retrain him, and this will take time and lots of patience.

At 5 months of age he should be able to hold his bladder overnight but you'll have to help him along. Limit water and food for at least an hour, 2 is better, before bed, and then take him for a nice long walk right before bed. Give him the opportunity to go, and when he does praise him as if he just won an Emmy. :)

Consider going to puppy classes to socialize him, and to gain a bit more experience with raising a dog.

Never punish when he has an accident, positive reinforcement only. No sticking his nose into his accidents, no yelling, just a firm no, and than take him outside. Use a key word like potty, when he goes, tons of praise and a treat.

The good news is that dogs are very eager to please their owners. Once your puppy knows what's expected he'll do what you wish. He just doesn't know what he's supposed to do yet, and 5 months of bad habits doesn't help.

You can turn this around.

As for the laundry, try adding vinegar to the wash. We have an incontinent dog and vinegar works wonders in getting out the smell. I usually wash the load with around a cup of vinegar on hot, than run it through a second time with detergent.

We love pictures. Hint, hint. :)

2 days is nothing, espacially for a puppy mill dog.

My pup came from a reputable breeder at 3 months of age and it took until he was about 10 months before he was dry in the crate during the day. Night time we were still having accidents at about 6 months once a week.

Where do you have the crate? And does he get upset about being locked in it?

With my pup he would howl like crazy when we left the crate in the living room.
We ended up moving it right next to my bed... I replaced my bedside table with the crate for the first few weeks.
He only had a whine for about a minute once I did that as he knew he was close to me and he could see me if he woke up.

Eventually (after a few weeks) we moved the crate further away, just a few feet, and finally we pu the crate on the other side of the room.

It's a slow process, but by doing that it made him feel much more comfortable in the crate and it eventually became his safe sleeping place, not his place where he was 'locked away from mum'.