Why does my house-trained 9-month-old dog soil his crate on weekends?

I know how frustrating that can be when things were going well! If crate training was going perfectly fine, and then all of the sudden everything changed, my suspicion would be one of two things: an underlying health problem is the cause or some sort of environmental change. Providing a dewormer is definitely a good idea, but if you suspect there is a parasite involved I would take a fecal sample to the vet to have it analyzed. Not all dewormers kill all the same parasites. As for the environment, dogs and cats are very sensitive to any sort of environmental change. If something in the house in or around the crate has changed in some small way, this may be the reason for Cleo's recent behavioral malfunction. Also, if Cleo is still growing, it is possible she may be in need of a new crate that is more befitting of her size and shape. Also, I don't know what your crate lay out is, but I have seen many dogs take to burying their waste in their crate. Sometimes, removing blankets and beds from the crate deters this behaviors as they do not want to lay next to their pee and poop. Overall, I think making sure some underlying health issue isn't the problem would be your first and safest course of action.

Since it sounds like this is a recent behavior change for Luca, I would be concerned that he may have a medical problem of some kind causing him to have trouble controlling his bowel movements - so the first step would be to have him checked by a vet. He/she can do a fecal exam as well as other testing if needed to check for any problems. If his exam and lab work is all normal, then it may take a bit more detective work to figure out what is causing this behavior. If it only happens when you're not home, then I would be very suspicious that he may have separation anxiety - this is a very common cause of accidents in the crate when owners are not home. You can try videotaping him one day while you go out if you want to know for sure if this is the problem. If so, he may need prescription anti-anxiety medication to help keep him from becoming so upset - this would be something to discuss with your vet if you suspect that this may be the issue.

Some dogs have their own schedules and they are pretty stubborn about it! You could try going on a long walk 30 minutes after eating, sometimes that will stimulate the bowels. But otherwise, he probably just needs some more time to adjust. Make sure when you take him out in the middle of the night, that it is "boring" for Walter. Let him out, then take him back to bed. No talking or playing or treats.

You did not mention if this is a new problem with Kash or an ongoing problem. If Kash was previously kennel trained and has just started going in his kennel, then I would certainly recommend having your veterinarian examine him and check a urine and/or fecal sample to make sure there isn't a medical reason for this. If a medical reason has been ruled out, then I would work on positive reinforcement when he goes outside. That may involve longer walks (rather than just going inside as soon as he goes), treats when he goes outside or verbal praise/excitement when he goes outside. You may also need to change when you walk him. For example if he tends to go 30 minutes after eating, then you may need to wait a little after eating to take him on a walk. And if you just take him outside in a yard instead of out on a walk, then you may want to start walking him. I am attaching a handout below that may have some other ideas for you. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8562851 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Potty training can be frustrating. I commonly see puppies learning quickly and not having accidents get to this age and just forget everything they have learned. As long as there is no medical problem, I would go back to the basics- stay on a schedule, lots of trips outside to prevent an accident, lots of praise when he goes outside. This behavior usually lasts about a week and then they snap back to normal. Good luck and kisses to Max!

First I would make sure that Titan's crate is not too large - it should be big enough for him to stand up and turn around but not much larger. You may need to put a barrier in to make it smaller if it is too large. If it seems like it is an appropriate size you may want to have your vet examine him and make sure he doesn't have signs of a urinary tract infection. If there is no medical reason for this behavior you may need to try taking him outside on a schedule at night to hopefully prevent accidents in the crate.

Four months is a very young age still and one where I wouldn't expect Fendi to be completely potty trained. That said, she should still be able to hold it about an hour or two, and if she can't, then scheduling a vet visit to make sure there isn't a health issue related first is a good idea. If she checks out healthy, sticking to a strict potty training routine is best. This means going out every 1-2 hours, after waking, eating, drinking, playing, etc to give her opportunities to go outside. If she is pottying in her kennel, it may be too big for her (it should be just big enough to comfortably lay down and turn around in, but not so big she can potty on one side and lay on the other.) Blocking off the house so she has limited access and limited chance to have an accident can also help. Here are a few additional articles that may help as well: https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-tips-to-potty-train-your-dog-young-and-old/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-common-housetraining-mistakes/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-housetrain-your-dog-or-puppy-using-a-potty-cue/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/housetraining-tips-and-tricks/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-common-reasons-for-potty-accidents-in-dogs/