Hello, we just got a 8wk old yellow lab puppy a week ago,he does really well during the day in his crate and no accidents at all, in fact when I let him out of it he runs to the door and waits if he has to go. The problem is that even after meals he doesn't poop, it takes him around 3 hours to go potty after a meal ( which doesn't seem normal to me) and also it is at night between 12-3am that he poops in his crate nonstop, like 4 times. During the day and first times he poops at night it is a normal consistency, but after his second stool movement around 1am it looks like diarrhea... Help please!

You are learning your dogs schedule and now you can adjust when he is fed. 4x times in one short time frame tells me he might need to see a vet and/or be wormed. A new pup needs a series of shots and should be wormed unless the previous owner already wormed him.

You will have to be consistent and due diligence. If you know his schedule for bowel movement and if he barks, he is letting you know he has to go. Labs are pretty smart and completely trainable. As soon as my pup told me he had to go, I was up and put him out!

You have a baby there, at eight weeks, so how long are you leaving him in his crate at a time?

His crate could be too large for him right now. You might want to try a smaller one for a little while. Also, if his stool is loose then perhaps there is an issue. I would take a stool sample into the vets to be checked if he has no other symptoms. However, if his stool is foul smelling, contains blood or visible signs of worms take him to the vet immediately. If it's consistently only loose at night then it's probably best if you feed him his last meal earlier and take him out just before you go to bed at night. Is he more playful and active in the evenings? That, too, could loosen up his bowels a bit. Make sure that after supper is a quieter time other than his walk right after a meal and just before bed. A lot of the Retriever breeds need to walk a lot before going. I have a Chocolate Lab and a Golden Retriever and I call them my travelling poopers. :)

Hope this helps!

Hugs, Didi

My problem with the smaller crate is that unless a Vet rules out any physical problem a smaller crate forces the dog to live in his/her own "poop" until the owner takes him/her out of the crate. This dog is also 8 weeks old and very possibly doesn't have a lot of control right now - the time between the "urge" and the "act" could be very short, not like with an adult dog.

I'd see what a Vet thinks - as I recall at that age they see a Vet on a very regular basis anyway.