Why did my puppy suddenly poop in its crate after going out?

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!

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like Mocha has diarrhea. I recommend taking her and a fresh stool sample to the vet to check for microscopic parasites. They can get her the appropriate medications if needed. If it's not diarrhea, she is just not potty trained yet and you need to take her out more often. I hope this helps! Kisses to Mocha!

This can be a sign of a medical illness, like diarrhea. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, Rocky will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.

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.

Hi Deja! It is common that puppies eat things outside such as branches and mulch, but it is strongly recommended to keep them from doing that. Branches can cause trauma to the GI tract, and some types of mulch can be toxic to dogs if they contain cocoa beans. Puppies may eat this stuff due to intestinal worms, which would also cause her to poop in her crate. I would make sure Daisy is up to date on her deworming treatments, giving her one if she is not. I recommend Panacur, which is a three day course of treatment. She will need another course of treatment two weeks after the first to kill all the worms, and then she should be dewormed every three months. Pick up any branches outside, and keep her away from the mulch to keep her from eating it.

If this is a new behavior I would recommend bringing Tuck along with a stool sample into your vet. This can help rule out some more common issues such as parasites that could be causing GI upset and accidents. Your vet can also examine Tuck for issues such as arthritis that may be making it harder or difficult for Tuck to go potty thus leading to the accidents, or any other health issues that may be affecting his ability to hold it.