We were looking into getting a dog and went to a pet store just to see how a couple of different breeds acted. We made a mistake when we fell in love with a beagle-boston terrier mix and bought her. She can't stand being in the crate so for it to be less stressful we've been keeping her in the bathroom at night and when we aren't home. Even if she's walked recently, she will definitely pee (within minutes even). We do have a plastic crate in there and a framed pee pad which she does not touch. We've been working with her on the wire crate by letting her go in and keeping her in for 3 minutes, then 5 minutes and making sure she's calm before letting her out. We know we shouldn't have bought from a store and that it will be more difficult. She's been pretty good about going outside, but we have no idea how to get her to try to hold it/not go inside. We've only had her about 5 days, and know that it's not immediate. For the most part she's not going anywhere in the house except when she's in the bathroom. We're hoping to get into puppy school in the next two weeks, but we need help now! Thanks.

All I can do is tell you how to crate a pup...

Put the crate in the room where you and your family are. Keep the dog in the crate all the time... as you need adopt the train of thought that the dog is not be allowed ANY trust or rights to the home till the pup has learned to be clean in the home, (potty training).

My dogs are raised in the crate as pups. The crate is moved all over the home throughout the day. The dog is structured into many hours of either training or playtime or walking outside time... etc. All of these structured events happen around the time that the dog is learning that the crate is their "base" place. Dogs are packing animals, which is why you need to keep the dog w/ you... at all times. He will learn to enjoy the calm submissive quiet that the crate affords IF you can organize him to understand that he's a dog IN THE CRATE till he's house broken.

Pups need to go potty all times during the day... you might want to pick up a potty training book or check on line for help. (It's too long to teach you how to potty train a dog as well... ).

Crate training teaches your dog AND QUICKLY that soiling in the home is not allowed.

Read up on how to potty train a dog while crate training...

Once you get the idea... make sure you see this crate like it's a "crib" where you put the baby when he's not in a structured event. All play time, feeding time, walks, training, grooming, etc are "structure events". You put the puppy "away" in the crate between events. He has to learn to have quiet time... It could be taught that it's a good time to chew on a bone for a little while... (if he has a sensitive tummy he might get diarreah w/ a rawhide, so offer him a Nylabone instead. This bone SHOULD ONLY be given when he's in the crate for some quiet time).

It's so hard to describe in words how to teach crating...

You can research it on line too.

Crating is awesome for so many reasons. Another reason would be because dog become easier to take on vacation or to a friends home where you might be staying for a few days. Most people appreciate that your dog can be "put away" at night and not roaming about their home...

Just know as the pup get older the amount of time the pup is able to hold it's bladder changes from month to month. Like, by 4 months, if he's been PROPERLY potty trained... he can hold his bladder inside the crate for at least 2 and a half hours. By 5 months he can hold it for as long as 3 1/2 hrs. By 6 months the bladder has matured and is likely to be able to hold it for as long as 5 hours. (And so on and so forth... meaning by 6 months he can hold it for 5 hours, by 7 months it's 6 hours that he can hold... ).

The bladder is a personal thing to each dog...

So, get the dog next to your bed at night.. crated, and keep him quiet, (by saying "Ttshhhhhhh!" in a loud and negative way. It will quiet him after a while... if not then ignore him). It's hard at the beginning, but after a few weeks he'll get picture that he's a crate dog and in bed for quiet time.

When you are cooking dinner, the dog can be in the kitchen in the crate. When he whines, keep him quiet even then. Whining needs to be dealt w/ at all times when he's crated.

If you have kids and they want to play w/ him then that would be a "structured event" and they can have some play time for a while, but the dog MUST return to it's crate to learn how to simmer down and "quiet relax".

Anyhow, I hope some of this made sense. It's so hard to express in words ON LINE how to crate train... So, good luck... Pick up a training book, maybe?

You just got her from a pet store where she lived in a crate, when she had to go that's where she went. It is what she is used to. She may be good about going outside but she doesn't know that it is bad to go inside the crate. I had a rescue dog with the same problem so hopefully I can help. He wouldn't do the pee pad thing either. You need to give huge amounts of praise and treats when she goes outside. She is the best dog in the world when she goes outside! When she goes in the cage it's bad. Don't start that its too bad though. As she gets better about being a good dog outside you can start to say "no" to her when she pees in the kennel. This worked with my dog. You are lucky to have a girl though, my boy dog lifted his leg and the pee went everywhere outside of the cage too! And the cage was inside the house on carpet so that was no fun to clean up. Good Luck!

She was probably taught that the crate is where she should go at the store. Also, if she makes a mistake clean it up without giving her any positive results like cuddling or playing, or else she might learn to do it for attention as well. Also don't yell at her either. Remember, it is NOT her fault. You may only succeed in making her scared of you, or scared to potty around you which wouldn't help one little bit. Also how old is she? Very young puppies have poor bladder control. She should be taken outside often, and when she begins to potty give a command word that she will eventually learn to associate with the act, and plenty of love and treats.

As a tiny pup and being in a crate in a pet store... this will NOT affect her ability to learn not to pee where she sleeps. The only way this can happen is if the crate that she's in is larger than the length of her body when she lays down. I usually put something large in the back of the crate to take most of the space so she can't find a dry place to sleep once she's soiled. I also don't wait for her to soil either... She gets put out after she eats... not to mention every half hour if she's playing or even just hanging out w/out drinking. I believe in teaching a dog the command of going to the bathroom so I can decided when she gets to go and not her. It makes my life easier.

My dogs, (all 5 of them) go potty 5 times a day. I teach them the command of "going" so when we travel I can tell them to "Go quickly" off the side of a busy highway... I don't like to waste time w/ peeing when we are on a road trip.

I also don't like to pick up after my dogs when I walk them on leash in neighborhoods. I prefer to ask them to go potty BEFORE the walk so I don't have to take bags or walk around w/ poopy baggies either. :(

Just a thought...