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Poopin' in the crate…

Basenji Training
  • WrobelzooW

    Hi everyone!
    We have a new baby, "Juma", who is 11 weeks old. She is absolutely fantastic in every way…great with our kids, cats, older dog...etc. However, we are perplexed by the fact that she is pooping in her crate. We have tried the small crate and almost as soon as we shut the door, she poops. We feed her in the crate and have had her in the crate while we are in the room, but we can't quite figure out the poopin' thing. We are slowly but surely making baby steps as far as getting her to pee outside (yeah right, when it's cold outside), but can't understand her pooping schedule. She's only been in the crate a maximum of 2 1/2 hours when we are gone, and we exercise, feed and play pretty hard when she is out of the crate. OOPS...gotta go, she found a pencil.;)

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  • nomrbddgsN

    I have to admit, I was worried about mine (same age) peeing in the crate on the blanket. But I'm glad she's not pooping! Just remember, she is very young, and will have lots of accidents. Keep an eye on her as soon as you put her in-when she starts giving signs she going to go, whisk her out into a potty box (I use a cardboard box, lined with newspapers and shredded paper), and praise her when she goes in the proper spot. Be consistent whatever method you choose to use-whether you whisk her outside or to a nearby potty box. (I won't put mine outside yet, too many parasites, too wet, or maybe I'm just lazy!) You'll both have lots of accidents! Good luck!

    Arlene, the Basenji Brats with the Boxenji![](images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin")

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  • jessi76J

    You say she poops almost as soon as you close the door…. have you tried doing very short incriments? for example... start with her in the crate and don't shut the door at all. praise her. if she starts to squat to poo - whisk her outside.

    then start closing the door - first for 10 seconds, then 30 seconds, then a minute, and so on. Try this on the weekend when you're home and can devote some time to it. praise her lavishly when she doesn't poo in it.

    just out of curiousity, what type of crate do you have? as insignificant as it sounds, it may be an issue for your pup. I favor the all over wire crates, so I can see in, and the pup can see out. I do not cover the crate. and then again, some other dogs prefer the plastic vari-kennel kind.

    my dog never pooped in his crate, but at 11 wks old, did have a couple pee accidents in there. be sure to clean the crate really well, and keep the space available small, yet large enough for her to stand, turn around, and lay down comfortably. it should be like a cozy den, like a small nest. not enough room for her to poo and then lay down away from the poo.

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  • WrobelzooW

    Hi and thanks for the help!
    We have the all over wire crate, and we have tried the vari-kennel. Little miss is very social, so I think she prefers the all over wire crate. We have odor/scent remover and clean it as soon as poop happens. We have also made the crate smaller. I'm thinking it is some kind of anxiety that we're leaving, because this AM I put her in her crate to eat, shut the door and went to make toast. As soon as I was out of sight, she pooped IN HER FOOD….little stinker! So, good thing I'm a teacher and have next week off for spring break. Looks like we'll be doing some intensive poopy training. A funny note, however. As we were all getting ready this morning little Juma decided that a perfect spot to poop was on top of the "Basenji Training Manual". Ha ha ha very funny.:rolleyes:

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  • jessi76J

    LOL that is pretty funny! good luck!

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  • DukeD

    My sympathies about all these puppy training issues. Mine is 14 weeks and we've had her 5 weeks. She's still not trained. But soon, I do expect her to make the connection for outdoor duty. It's been cold most weeks we've had her. Now that the weather is beginning to get nicer . . . Good luck - attention to Juma's signals and plenty of patience and paper towel and it'll be done.

    btw - Juma is an unusual name. I like it. What does it mean?

    Jill

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  • WrobelzooW

    Juma means "born on Friday" in Swahili. We thought about finding an African name, and we loved Juma.

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  • youngandtiredY

    Sounds like a typical B to me with the pooping on the B training manual. You sure you don't have my B, she is quite smart also. Be patient your B will get the idea, and being home next week so you can work with her/him will help. They are very smart, my B learned pretty fast, and when she would go outside I always gave her a treat that she liked. You have to have the treat in your pocket and give it right away after he/she goes to potty, they only remember 30sec. after the fact. Good Luck!

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    Good Morning Debra, I do not feel as if have to defend why my HUGE dogs from the Dog Pound hated their crates. I still have an assortment of dog and cat crates from huge to small. Whenever my Basenji went to the Vet (which was often as she was a Cancer survivor and also had a seizure disorder which meant she had to take Phenobarbital 3x per day) of course she went in her crate. She didn't like it and complained until she fell asleep but she was in her crate. Big dogs from the Pound hate crates as it makes them feel extremely nervous as the crate is often like their cage in the Pound. Furthermore, it is not really safe to take a big dog that you don't know that well and put him in a crate; a great way to get bitten. I have had Malamutes, Rottweilers, Rough and Smooth Coated Collies, a Bull Mastiff and 2 Akitas. I know dogs. People call me when there is a Wolf or a nice dog that has been dumped by its owner and I usually end up rescuing it and finding a new home for him. I rarely get females for some reason. Regarding Amanda, she is the least famous person I know, I was not trying to impress anyone, I just included her as we rescue horses together and I got one of my Wolves from her. My Horse charity is a Charity. It is by Law and I am able to accept donations as I do what I say I do which is Rescue, Rehab, Re-Train and Re-Home horses. The rehab can take years and I have one 'Lifer' because she is so messed up health wise she will never have a saddle on her back because she weighs 950lbs and she should weigh 1100lbs. She has Gastric Ulcers from being drugged at the track. She is the 'Secretariat' great granddaughter. The Rescue is a 501©(3) Public Corporation and we pay taxes to the State and the Feds. That is why we are allowed to accept donations. I pay $1450.00 PER MONTH to BOARD the horses in the rescue. Donations have been down, clearly due to the economy but the horses get all they need including their joint supplements. Crate training is not something I find important for inside the house. In the car, yes! My big dogs have always ridden in their huge crates in the back of the car and fell asleep. We used to walk to the Vet. Antigone really hated being confined and let me know only the way a Basenji can, she shrieked just to let me know she was still the Alpha. I know how to use crates and I use them in the car but not in the house. My dogs and cats were all very long lived except for Howly so I think I can say I KNOW HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFE, HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND WELL. :) Antigone
  • B

    Our new Basenji doesn't mind soiling her crate?

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    MplsGirlM
    I had a similar problem when my last dog was a puppy. She was a rescue, and barely 5 weeks old when I got her, so her ability to hold her urine or bowels was not a very long length of time. As puppies get older they can go longer periods of time between eliminating, but it's important to research (google puppy housetraining) lengths of time for your puppy's age, and work out a schedule for her accordingly. My puppy needed to be brought to the puppy pad and fed every few hours around the clock, and she was initially more work than a newborn baby. As far as the crating goes… puppies are more likely to soil a crate that is too large for them. That doesn't mean you need to run out and get a new one, but rather you can make the used area in her crate smaller. When my puppy was little, I had a soft bag carrier that was small that I placed inside the crate and closed both so she got used to the big crate, but was also just in the smaller carrier bag. You could also use boxes to reduce the size but I would worry about the puppy getting wedged in between the box and the crate, so if you use a box or wood or whatever, make sure it is secure and your puppy can NOT wiggle between it and the crate. Also, accidents will happen with puppies once in a while. They are like human toddlers who have very little control and are learning and gaining strength every day to become more and more house trained, so patience is key. Hope these tips help!
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  • pennypenP

    Peeing in the crate

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    @Janneke: Sorry.. but she hates her crate… and she has to be in it for 8 hours a day... And you don't walk her in the morning...? I would start with making sure your dog is tired in the morning before you put her in her crate. And maybe you can try to leave her loose in the house so she can move around? This is not only to you, but I read it so often on this forum that dogs spend entire days in their crates... I just don't understand that people can put their dogs in crates 8+ hours a day (I'm not including nights..) I agree with Janneke here - if she hates her crate, she may pee in it because she gets extremely unhappy there. Not all dogs need to be crated - I've never had a dog who was crated, and the two I have now are loose when we're gone because Shaye, who was 10 weeks when we got her, always hated it, never changed, and started breaking baby teeth on it. When we leave we leave them with a treat to get their immediate attention, and they usually sleep or keep themselves busy, with no damage or upset. Of course, we aren't usually gone more than 6 hours when we leave them.
  • Katrina02K

    Crate

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    RedVelvetLynxR
    I have the same story as nobarkus - we moved our first puppy's crate around a few times. Even from a full backyard view to a shared front bay window view (had to make room for B #2), she's always been pretty good. I think as long as the pup understands crate = happy place, you'll be fine with wherever. I used & still use treats. And to my much appreciated surprise, my little crate hater boy has become the model crated B of the 2 - he was soooooo vocal during his first month, but now he just lounges - and now my female is the whiner. :p
  • Mark1491M

    Pooping in the crate

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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...