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My puppy keeps pooping in his crate at night. How do I stop it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 3 days old

I stopped locking my dog in his crate at night since he pooed in his crate and slept in it (it took a serious bath to wash it all out) how do I get him to not do this again?

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on July 25th, 2017

Most dogs do not want to poop where they are sleeping, so this normally only happens if he physically can't hold it. If this occurred while you were not home, then I would suggest using a larger crate or keeping Ziggy in a room with a hard floor, so that if he can't hold it he has an area to poop in, and a separate area to lay in.

If it happened at night, I would recommend placing his crate in your bedroom next to the bed, so that you can hear him if he whines and needs to go out - most pups will whine, cry, and act restless before they have an accident in the crate, which gives you an opportunity to wake up and take him outside.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian
Published on December 11th, 2017
I would go back to basics with crate training. Usually, dogs don’t pee and poop where they sleep so putting him in a crate will hopefully teach him to hold it again. I would also make sure he isn’t drinking a ton of water before bed as this will make it hard for him to hold it. Finally, I would feed him a few hours before bed so he has time to go outside and have a bowel movement if needed. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Oneal Bogan, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 4th, 2018
Hi there,

Puppies can take a while to potty train. He's still very young and getting him completely trained will take time.

Puppies that are 2 months old usually need to be taken outside to try and use the bathroom every 2 hours. If he's having accidents around the middle of the night, try taking him out around 1 am and encouraging him to go. Just remember that it can take them some time to learn not to poop inside, and he just need patience.

I hope that helps and thanks for using Pet Coach!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 3rd, 2018
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach. Potty training with puppies takes patience and can be difficult at times. Seeing that Dempsey is only one month old, she is quite Young but should change her habits as she gets older especially if she is responding to daytime training well. At night, you may find that a larger crate may help with this Behavior. I have also had great success with a product called Fresh patch. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Stephanie Echols, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 22nd, 2017
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can keep Ziggy in the crate overnight but I recommend taking him out to potty every 2-3 hours since he has diarrhea. I also recommend taking him to the vet to make sure he doesn't have any pieces of furniture stuck in his GI tract causing the diarrhea. Good luck and kisses to Ziggy!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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