[kenichol]

My dog is an american eskimo beagle mix. I got him 6 days ago. I have been reading about what to do with him because he keeps pooping in his crate. He is small, about 5 pounds. I had him in a cat carrier and he screamed and hated it. So I thought it was too small. So I put him in a crate. I had to divide it to make it smaller because it's huge for him. Well. So he knocked down the barrier so he could poop. He has pooped in the cat carrier too. I take him out, we're home with him a lot of the time, it's nothing like that. It might be a dominance issue--which I am worried about. But I am slightly frustrated.

He also still cries and screams at night. I have no idea how to get him to stop. Everyone says after a few days he should be fine. Yeah--he still hates it and me when I put him in there. I need more sleep! So if you could help me on these 2 issues... that would be fabulous!

[RubyPitbull]

Ken, training a puppy is very time consuming. Housebreaking can take anywhere from a few days to a number of months. It depends on how much time you can dedicate to the dog. People always lose sleep the first month a puppy is brought into the household. You haven't mentioned his age, where you purchased him from, how many hours you leave him without a potty break, and exactly what you are doing with your training routine. It takes a good 6 months for a dog's bladder and bowels to grow strong enough for them to be able to exercise control over them. They just can't hold it. If your puppy was kept in a crate or cage, more than likely he has become accustomed to doing his business in it so it is going to take longer to break him of the habit. You also have to watch him closely and start getting a handle on his signals that he needs to potty. Sniffing around a lot, pacing, circling, are all signs of the dog readying himself to evacuate. Labman has some housebreaking and new owner tips in his sticky at the top of the forum. He also includes one of the best list of training books I have come across. Please read through the entire sticky and if you haven't picked up a good training book, consider going to your local library, or do a search online, and find one or two of those books on the list to help you. https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251809