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Pooping in the crate

Basenji Training
  • Mark1491M

    Hi all…and happy new year everyone.

    Cali is doing much better and her rash is all gone.

    pooping in the crate

    Cali is 14 weeks old......I take her out every morning before and after she eats.... she does peeeee and poop outside.....but when I put her in her crate in the morning when I go to work and when I get home...she always pooping in her crate....

    any advice.......24 by 36 crate.

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  • lvossL

    How long is she in her crate? At 14 weeks she can only be expected to "hold it" for 3-4 hours.

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  • jys1011J

    Ditto IVOSS…I think at that age you have take them several times a day.

    Basenji Mom of C3PO & TOPAZ

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  • nala121498N

    Hi Mark – It's me again, Sharon & Nala...I think I'm reliving Nala's puppyhood through you and Cali! Nala would poop in her crate as a pup too. I know I tried making the crate smaller with a barrier, but she still pooped. I think I tried just about everything that was suggested but suffice to say, she doesn't poop in her crate (unless she's ill) now. If you haven't already, I would go out and buy a HUGE container of the doggie enzymatic cleaner that neutralized odors...If you are leaving her for more than 3 - 4 hours, I'd try and find someone to come in and take her out for me. I even think that you might take her to a reputable doggie daycare place if you can't find someone…it will help her with socialization too.
    Please let me know how it goes...hang in there...patience, my friend, patience...

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  • Mark1491M

    Hi all.

    lvoss–she is in her crate from 7 to 2:30.....but i do come home from time to time during the day, have good enough job to let me do that. LOL.

    jys1011--yes she does go a few times a day, but it's funny that she can hold it for the nite.

    nala--Hi Sharon lol on reliving Nala's puppyhood, ya i tried making the crate smaller too like you said she still poops, I understand she is only 14 weeks old and that she has to go.
    as for trying to find someone to come let her out thats a tough one.

    thank you everyone. :)

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  • DukeD

    @nala121498:

    Hi Mark – It's me again, Sharon & Nala...I think I'm reliving Nala's puppyhood through you and Cali! Nala would poop in her crate as a pup too. I know I tried making the crate smaller with a barrier, but she still pooped. I think I tried just about everything that was suggested but suffice to say, she doesn't poop in her crate (unless she's ill) now. If you haven't already, I would go out and buy a HUGE container of the doggie enzymatic cleaner that neutralized odors...hang in there...patience, my friend, patience...

    Hi Mark1491,
    A few more suggestions to might try . . . aside from realizing you have a little bitty Basenji, patience is due as her cleaner instincts will kick in during the house training phase. My suggestion is to put in a teething toy or two in her crate and a t-shirt you've worn with your scent for comfort and security. And you might try putting a bowl of kibble in too. It is against doggie instinct for them to eliminate where they sleep and eat. It might just do the trick, whether she eats the food or not. I don't think a full helping of kibble in the bowl is necessary, just enough to indicate food is present. I would use stainless steel bowl in case it becomes the object of chewing attention.

    I remember coming home to a poopy crate too last March & April when we got Duke. The $18 soft wonderful crate bed was thrown in the garbage. I got tired of washing it every night. I was advised by a trainer that puppies don't need that and to let him lay on the bare crate tray. It was much easier to clean too. I used Nature's Miracle to clean the smells from the crate. Very important to get rid of urine and poop odor. I think the crate was poop free soon after getting rid of the cushion.

    My sympathies during this young-puppy phase. It will be worth it - Good luck and enjoy your forever little one. ;)

    Jill

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  • Mark1491M

    I will trying those things and go from there…...I know Cali is only a pup.....I know Cali will get it in due time.....every little info will help....

    thank you

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  • youngandtiredY

    When my B, Sahara was that age, she pooped in her crate just once, on occassion she would however pee, and I would have to wash it out , and then use Nature's Miracle to get the smells out. Take her out just before you leave, and praise, praise. I also had small doggie biscuits in my pocket, as soon as she goes give her a treat. Say, "Good Girl Cali", Here's your treat, Good Girl!!!! Once they have gone in the house or crate they forget in 30seconds I was told. Just keep up the good work, use patience. I was told to just be patient, and she would get it all of a sudden, and guess what she did!!!! It took Sahara about 2 mos. and she was completely trained, I also got a doggie door and underground electric fencing.

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  • C

    I agree it takes time and patience to train them, what not to do. I would however like to say IMHO to be careful with underground fencing. I had 3 friends who got it, all 3 had the dogs run right through it chasing something, and then would not come back through it. One of them got hit, he survived, but they got rid of the dog, instead of the fence.
    Not too bright, was not his fault, but some do that I guess.
    Time, patience and love, will do the job every time!!! Carole

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  • tanzaT

    You might also try a small crate… if the crate is too large, then they can poop or pee in one part and still have a clean area in another...

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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    Piggy only has problems pooping when she gets panicky too. For example if we leave her home in a crate and someone comes in the house but doesn't come down to see her or let her out she will do it. We can't put anything in her crate or she shreds it, we tried everything. For a while I was even buying fleece baby blankets at the dollar store and tossing them if she pooped. We gave up on that after a while. The mess was terrible, so I can relate to hours of cleanup… by the time you get her cleaned up and the crate. We did some desensitizing and left for short periods like I described before, and that helped a lot. My friend that has a B went to the vet about her anxiety, hers would cry incessantly, and they actually gave her meds, prozac I think, for it. I think she tried it, but didn't think it worked enough to do it. Sounded crazy to me. It hasn't happened in a while so we have been lucky. She has come to terms with her crate now and will once in a while go hang out in it by choice, so I know she doesn't hate it. Have you tried one of those snuggle buddy things? I wonder if you could find some way to protect it if Darwin had an accident. Best of luck and lots of patience!
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    How exciting! Caesar never had training problems, but Beta was a wreck. She was an angel the first 6 months and then she began peeing in any room that i wasnt in. At the time i had a townhome where the bedrooms were all upstairs. I had the stairs gated and my basenjis had full roaming of the living room dining room and the kitchen which was visually blocked by the kitchen countertop from the living area. Once Beta hit 6 months she began changing or adjusting to the home and the other animals (Caesar and the 4 cats). She became snarfy, she became food aggressive, and she started to sneak out of my sight to pee on the kitchen floor or in Caesar's bed. The downstairs wasnt huge, so I didnt understand that the area was too big for her. In her case, she was asserting herself as alpha to the other pets in the house. Beta had a very difficult life before I adopted her and it took me 2 years to finally teach her that you pee only on grass. I am not saying that your pup is pooping for the same alpha reason, but here is what I had to do to get her to stop. I was so frustrated and knew that she was no where near ready for basic training. I knew she was adjusting. I understood that what she was doing was behavioral not physical. I brought in a trainer who becan to work with her because I was out of ideas. He suggested that the area she had to roam in was too large even though it seemed incredibly small to me. He told me to keep her harness and leash on inside the house. This made Beta aware that I was on top of her. If she went into the kitchen, I was there holding the leash. If she was in the living room sitting, I was there. Sometimes I just attached the leash to my pants to make it easier. She never peed in front of me and basically stopped the behavior because I was with her. The other major thing I found that helped Beta with settling down was exercise. She required a lot more exercise than Caesar. When I moved to a place with a fenced yard or took her to the dog park she could just burn that energy off. I found with Beta, that treat training would just not work for her. She would get extremely excited about treats, but her behavioral problems were mostly affected by my actions and attention. Food didnt matter. Caesar was really easy with training because I adopted him as a puppy. I could use the crate for time outs and he understood and would improve. Beta lived in a cage for over 1year and a half straight which was too small and in her own filth. I couldnt and wouldnt use the crate as time out for her. She liked going to the crate, and going to the bathroom in her crate was easier for her because it was her environment for so long. Her problem was adjusting to the world outside. So, restrict the area and keep a leash on her. She may be getting too much free roaming space too soon. Can't hurt to try it. She will soon forget what she was doing. And dont forget to get that Natural's Magic (I think that is the name) for pet smells in the carpet at your pet store. This should keep her from revisiting the same spot if she is doing that.