[mommyiggy]

So hubby and I purchased not 1 but 2 Rottweiler puppies as a early Christmas present for our children. We knew coming into this that it was going to be a bit of a challenge. We originally had them together in a crate but our Vet told us it was better to separate them sooner then later so we did. We work long hours but I am able to let them out for about 30 minutes or so in the middle of the day. Our problem is that both puppies pee in the crate on one of them poops all the time in the crate. I understand that they don't have a lot of bladder control at this age but my concern is the pooping didn't start until they were separated they are now 13 weeks old (we've had them since around 8 weeks). They go out several times a day we are very consistent and they go out nearly every hour on weekend and they still continue to eliminate in there crates. I am extremely frustrated and have even thought about rehoming 1 of them and if this doesn't get any better both. They smell from being in their own waste and I really don't know what else to do. Any suggestions for this working family. We have hardwood floor in the majority of our house so leaving them alon in a room and having urine seep into the cracks is not an option. I have thought about our bathroom but they fight all the time and I don't know if that would be a good choice either.

Did I bite off more then I could chew or is there any help for the Rottie Mama??

[mrscoltweaver]

OK, the crates have to be just big enough for them to lay down in-if they have more room than that, they eliminate in there. A good rule of thumb-they can hold it roughly 1 hour for each week they are old. I would think they would definitely be good for 8 hours. This does not mean they should be in there all that time, though! Ask your vet for handouts about crate training tips. Also, are your free feeding these guys? Don't leave food out. Set specific times for the food to be down-first thing in the morning and leave down for no more than 10 minutes tops. Do the same thing at 6pm. That will give them time to eliminate before crating for the night. Are you feeding a large breed formula of good quality?

[mrscoltweaver]

Oh, and no, absolutely do not crate together.

[starbuck8]

I honestly cannot for the life of me understand why you would get two large breed, high energy dogs, and expect that you can leave them alone for hours on end crated. I'm sorry, I don't understand the logic behind this. Puppies can't train themselves. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but if they are left alone and are not shown what is expected of them, of course they are going to poop and pee in their crates! What other choice do they have?

You say that one or both may need to go! Where are they going to go to? This is what happens at Christmas time every year! People get dogs for their kids. They don't take into account that they don't have the time or energy, to properly train or care for the dogs, and then they end up in shelters, to face their fate!

Rotties are high maintenance to begin with! To leave them to their own devices for several hours a day, is setting yourself up for very badly behaved dogs! They need to be exercised at least twice a day to drain their pent up energy! Rotties have lots of it. This doesn't mean a walk around the block! This means a half hr fast paced run or walk, at the VERY least, and at least twice a day! They also need off leash playtime every single day!

Crates are not somewhere you put them for your convenience. Crates should be like a dogs den. A place where they go and feel safe. A dog will not soil in his "den" if trained properly.

It really blows my mind that you would get not one, but two Rotties, right before Christmas, and you are already rethinking your decision. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you're a bad person at all. What I AM saying, is this is what happens when people don't do their research, and don't figure in their schedule and work habits. They just see a cute puppy, and then get angry when it does things that any puppy would do without training!

This is why we have so many dogs in shelters, and why 11 million of them have to die every single year in the US alone. The reality of it is, in the time it took me to write this, 20 dogs died.

I am sure you are a wonderful person, and I know you just wanted to get your kids puppies, but they come with so much responsibility! They are a large powerful breed, as you well know, and if they are left in their crates without proper training and exercise, you will have two very powerful untrained dogs that can possibly turn their excess energy on your children.

Please do as much research as you can, and don't use the crates as a babysitter! I only give this advice in the most caring manner, and not to admonish you. It's only to make you aware.

Best of luck to you and your new "family members" :)

[mommyiggy]

Ok so I really wasn't expecting a toungue lashing... my intent is to keep both puppies other than typical puppy stuff they really are well behaved I have taken them to puppy socialization classes and they are now enrolle din obedience training, with the exception of our pooping problem so far everything has been great. I don't crate 24/7 but the are in the crate from the time I work which is around 10am until my lunch about 2pm then again until the kids get home from school in the after noon around 330pm and then again until about 5pm when hubby gets home and then they are crated overnight. On weekends they are out of the crate most of the day unless we leave the house.

I honestly cannot for the life of me understand why you would get two large breed, high energy dogs, and expect that you can leave them alone for hours on end crated. I'm sorry, I don't understand the logic behind this. Puppies can't train themselves. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but if they are left alone and are not shown what is expected of them, of course they are going to poop and pee in their crates! What other choice do they have?

You say that one or both may need to go! Where are they going to go to? This is what happens at Christmas time every year! People get dogs for their kids. They don't take into account that they don't have the time or energy, to properly train or care for the dogs, and then they end up in shelters, to face their fate!

Rotties are high maintenence to begin with! To leave them to their own devices for several hours a day, is setting yourself up for very badly behaved dogs! They need to be exercised at least twice a day to drain their pent up energy! Rotties have lots of it. This doesn't mean a walk around the block! This means a half hr fast paced run or walk, at the VERY least, and at least twice a day! They also need off leash playtime every single day!

Crates are not somewhere you put them for your convenience. Crates should be like a dogs den. A place where they go and feel safe. A dog will not soil in his "den" if trained properly.

It really blows my mind that you would get not one, but two Rotties, right before Christmas, and you are already rethinking your decision. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you're a bad person at all. What I AM saying, is this is what happens when people don't do their research, and don't figure in their schedule and work habits. They just see a cute puppy, and then get angry when it does things that any puppy would do without training!

This is why we have so many dogs in shelters, and why 11 million of them have to die every single year in the US alone. The reality of it is, in the time it took me to write this, 20 dogs died.

I am sure you are a wonderful person, and I know you just wanted to get your kids puppies, but they come with so much responsibility! They are a large powerful breed, as you well know, and if they are left in their crates without proper training and exercise, you will have two very powerful untrained dogs that can possibly turn their excess energy on your children.

Please do as much research as you can, and don't use the crates as a babysitter! I only give this advice in the most caring manner, and not to admonish you. It's only to make you aware.

Best of luck to you and your new "family members" :)

[teachnk]

Ok so I really wasn't expecting a toungue lashing ... my intent is to keep both puppies other than typical puppy stuff they really are well behaved I have taken them to puppy socialization classes and they are now enrolle din obedience training, with the exception of our pooping problem so far everything has been great. I don't crate 24/7 but the are in the crate from the time I work which is around 10am til my lunch about 2pm then again til the kids get home from school in the after noon around 330pm and then again til about 5pm when hubby gets home and then they are crated overnight. On weekends they are out of the crate most of the day unless we leave the house.

As a working "mom" to my rottie mix, I feel your pain. However, I know that my adopting her was the right thing to do. Those of us who work all day CAN provide good homes to pups, we just have to work at it a little harder. It sounds to me like you are doing a good job. The crate training can be hard at first. I think you need to look at the day you separated them in the crate as day ONE. I am sure they are dealing with some separation anxiety, especially the one who is pooping. Read mrscoltweaver's post carefully - there is some great advice there. Limiting their space in the crate is very important, by nature they will not want to lay in their own mess. Also, I found the more they move around, the more they need to eliminate. Try to find some way to heavily exercise them in the a.m. so they will want to rest. Also make sure they eat well before you leave so that they have time to pee/poop before you leave. I wish you the very best!

[mommyiggy]

They eat 3 times a day and I feed them Iams large breed puppy food... we bought large crates because we figured the would get much bigger in a short amout of time do they sell anything that can be used to divide crate... I though I saw that on another post but haven't see anything like that in pet smart or anything. We just spent about $200 on the crates we have I don't think we're going to drop more money on more crates that they'll grow out of in no time. Maybe I can have hubby rig something up.

OK, the crates have to be just big enough for them to lay down in-if they have more room than that, they eliminate in there. A good rule of thumb-they can hold it roughly 1 hour for each week they are old. I would think they would definitely be good for 8 hours. This does not mean they should be in there all that time, though! Ask your vet for handouts about crate training tips. Also, are your free feeding these guys? Don't leave food out. Set specific times for the food to be down-first thing in the morning and leave down for no more than 10 minutes tops. Do the same thing at 6pm. That will give them time to eliminate before crating for the night. Are you feeding a large breed formula of good quality?

[teachnk]

They do sell dividers, most of the all metal cages come with one. Ask at the pet store, make sure you have the dimensions of your cage before you go.

[mommyiggy]

We don't have the metal one we have the regular Plastic crate.

They do sell dividers, most of the all metal cages come with one. Ask at the pet store, make sure you have the dimensions of your cage before you go.

[teachnk]

We don't have the metal one we have the regular Plastic crate.

I use one of those as well. Labman often recommends using a large vegetable bin inside the crate to reduce the amount of space available when getting started. If you read through his stickies at the top of the dog page there is a ton of great information.

[mommyiggy]

It worked at first then she stated pooping again... I don't know if the crate I used just wasn't big enough.

[mrscoltweaver]

You can use anything to take up space in the crate-just remember, it might not be in usable shape afterwards! You can cram old blankets or towels, etc. in the space, doesn't matter. Like you say, they will be growing quickly.

[mommyiggy]

I am glad to report that out pooping problem is getting better Java (my pooing pup) is not popping near as much I work from home an am letting them out more if only for a few minutes to stretch and eliminate and it seems to be working. Both puppies are still peeing in the crates but not as much so slowly but surely they're learning that their crate is not the proper place to do there business.:o I hope it continues to get better here's a pic for those of you interested.

[teachnk]

I am glad to report that out pooping problem is getting better Java (my pooing pup) is not popping near as much I work from home an am letting them out more if only for a few minutes to stretch and eliminate and it seems to be working. Both puppies are still peeing in the crates but not as much so slowly but surely they're learning that their crate is not the proper place to do there business.:o I hope it continues to get better here's a pic for those of you interested.

They are absolutely beautiful! That pictures makes me miss the puppy days, however the memories of house training fixes that! Enjoy them everyday. :)

[mommyiggy]

I have to keep reminding myself that everyday its going to get a little better and that keeps me from sticking them in a box by the grocery store with a sign that says free to a good home (oh yeah and the almost $3000 we've spent so far... purchasing them, puppy classes vet bills, supplies, toys, treats, cleaning supplies... lol, and the list goes on).