pikalty
Q. I have a Golden Retriever puppy. We got her when she was 8 weeks old and now she is 14 weeks old. We both work, so we have to crate train her. The problem were having is she keeps pooping in her crate. Yes, we bought her a small crate with just enough room to lie down. The other night we took her out and she peed like she was supposed to but would not poop, so we put her back in the crate and went up to bed. Within 5 minutes, she barked so my husband went down to see if she had pooped and she didin the crate! I have a neighbor bringing her out around 3:00 p.m. but when my neighbor gets there she has already pooped in her crate. When my neighbor cleans it up and takes her out–she will only pee. She’ll put a clean towel in the crate and by the time my husband gets home around 5:30 she had pooped again. When she does poop outside, we reward her with treats.
Please help us. We were told that dogs will not go to the bathroom where they sleep. Does this mean she doesn’t like her crate?
A. I am sorry to hear about your housetraining problems with your puppy. It is unusual for a puppy to defecate in her crate, but it sounds like you have an exception.
I would abandon the crate training and try something more conventional, such as paper training. Leave out a large area of newspaper leading up to the back door, and reward your puppy when she poops on the paper. Gradually make the area of paper smaller until it is just in front of the door outside, and finally remove it when your puppy waits by the door to go outside.
In the meantime, continue to take your dog on short walks after she eats, and give her small rewards when she goes outside.
Once your puppy is housetrained, you can then reintroduce the crate if that is where you prefer that she stay when you are not home. She may do better overnight if she’s left out of her crate and allowed to wake you up to go outside.
Q. I have an 8-month-old male Cocker Spaniel who still does not lift his leg when I take him outside to pee. He’s housetrained, so he doesn’t have accidents in the house at all. But outside he won’t lift his leg! Sometimes he pees on his front leg! Is this normal?
How can I get him to lift his leg? Should I wait for him to figure it out himself? I have no other male dogs that could “teach” him. Any suggestions? Also, now that he is older I am not sure how often to feed him? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Dr. Jon GellerA. I am afraid that leg-lifting is a habit that your young dog has to figure out for himself. It is not uncommon for some male dogs to squat down to urinate, but it is unusual for them to urinate on themselves. Maybe you could give him a little assistance with this maneuver.
This “leg lift” is actually a like yoga pose I did in my class yesterday. If an old dog like me can learn a new trick, certainly your youngster can also. However, if he never figures it out, I wouldn’t worry about it.
As far as dog food goes, most puppies are ready to switch to an adult diet at around 1 year of age. You can feed him in measured feedings twice a day.
There is no exact amount to feed, but start with what is recommended by the dog food manufacturer, then monitor your dog’s body condition and weight. If he seems constantly hungry and a little on the lean side then by all means, feed him more. If he seems to be packing on extra weight, despite normal activity, then reduce the amount you feed. It’s that simple, but as your dog grows older you may need to switch to a high-fiber food that allows your dog to eat more but with fewer calories.
