Puppy pooing in crate

[Betti]

my puppy is 12 weeks old and previously she was going through the night with no accidents. In the last week she has been pooing in her bed overnight. I take her out hourly throughout the day and evening and always just before bedtime. I have started feeding her her supper earlier but it's still happening. Last night she did a poo on her walk at 10:30pm and was taken outside just before i crated her at 11:30pm. I got her up at 6.30 this morning and she had pooed in her bed and was covered in it. I did wonder whether she has a bit of an upset tummy. Do you think this has become a habit as she was previously ok? I thought dogs didn't like pooing in their beds. Any advice gratefully received.

Bump

No, it won't be a habit and I wouldn't think she has enjoyed pooing in her bed very much.

Do you take her outside during the night? She is a very young, tiny puppy and has internal organs to match, so physically is very unlikely to be able to go all night without weeing or pooing. At that age, I'd recommend taking her out at least once during the night so she doesn't have to poo in her bed - maybe every three hours.

If you don't do that, you are giving quite conflicting messages to her - that it's outside for wees and poos during the day but at night a different set of rules apply. It's hard, and very tiring but out twice a night for the first three months, and then once a night for another month or so, tapering off as your puppy grows old enough to develop muscle control and larger internal organs. It will ultimately speed up house training.

You're worried about a tummy upset - what's the poo like? Is she OK in herself?

Have you changed her food since you got her back from the breeders? Or increased the quantity? Any of about a billion things could effect pooing in the night - even the warm weather we've been having or more training treats!

What type of dog is she?
What size is her crate?
How many meals a day is she having and when?

Thanks for your replies. She is a Boston Terrier and her crate is 24"x21"x19"....the size recommended by th breeder. She has scrambled egg around 7am, royal canin at 11, chicken around 3pm and royal canin around 6pm. I've brought all her mealtimes forward slightly so that I can give her her supper earlier. She has been on this diet since I got her and i haven't increased the amounts yet.

I have noticed the poo is quite mucusy (sp?). She is absolutely fine in herself and the poos outside are reasonably firm.

This all seems to have coincided with her going out an about. In the last week we have been taking her out on her lead but even if we are out all day, she rarely poos and seems to save it till we get home.

Perhaps i should try taking her out during the night. I haven't had to do this at all as she has not had any accidents since i got her. It's only happened in the last week or so.
Is there such thing as asking a puppy to poo on command? I'd like her to get into a habit of pooing on walks. I expect she's too young for this at the moment.

Thank you for your advice. I'm new to all this and obviously want to do what's best for her

I'd get her down to 3 meals a day - and the last one at about 5.00ish. I'd also get rid of the chicken and scrambled egg. It's a very, very rich diet for a puppy and is probably the cause of the slimey poo. All the nutrition your puppy needs will be in the dog food. I'd expect the quantity needs increasing by now too - do you know how much she weighs? They grow very, very fast at that age.

How long have you had her? I'm assuming she's had all her jabs and you've waited the amount of time the vet recommended before taking her out and about. She should be having quite limited amounts of exercise at the moment - many people allow 5 minutes per month of age for their puppies - I'm a bit concerned when you mention being out all day with her; you probably don't mean that she's walking about on her lead all day, do you?

Your puppy has had a lot to get used to this past week - walks outside and a collar and lead. Just that may have upset her routine and combined with a rich diet and four meals a day could be causing the night time poo.

Does she let you know she wants to go outside for a wee during the day yet? It will take quite some time for her to gain enough muscle control to hold onto wee and poo for any time; and to get the message about where to do it. It sounds as though she hasn't worked out she needs to let you know a toilet break is needed - and of course, that means she probably doesn't know what to do when she needs a poo at night!

Try switching her to dog food only and feeding three times a day with a little leg stretch where you know she will poo just after supper and just before she goes to bed.

Thanks for your advice, Daisydot. It's so confusing. The breeder gave me the diet sheet telling me what to feed her. I spoke to her regarding the egg and chicken and she said to start weaning her onto tripe. She said she doesn't agree with feeding dogs only dried food. She did say to cut down to 3 meals around 4 months so perhaps i should try that now.

I'd not heard the 5 minute rule. This week she has been out with us all day but not actually walking all the time. If she seems tired we have been carrying her or putting her in the pushchair and there have been lots of just sitting in the shade. Back to school this week so we will be mostly at home. Be interesting to see if this changes anything.

There are a billion and one opinions on dog food - but for what it's worth, I've always fed my girls a good quality dried complete food. It has been made to contain all the nutrients in the right quantities for dogs; and is easy and convenient to use. Honestly, there is no need to add anything to it, just make sure there's clean fresh water available at all times.

She's pooing in the crate because she has too - she just can't hold it in any longer. A crate is not a guarantee that a dog won't poo - it's just that they'd really rather not do it there.

If she has been out all day with you, walking or not, I'd say she is wildly over stimulated and desperately over tired. A 12 week old pup, IMO, needs sleep in the same was as a baby does. I think she is too young to cope with being out and about all day with no chance for decent sleep; puppies need managing to ensure they eat right, wee and poo right and rest enough. They also need careful managing to make sure they don't overexercise their very wobbly bodies and joints.

If she's been out and about all day for a week and has only just started taking in the big outside world, I'm not too surprised her poo has gone to pot. She's had too much to cope with; do the change of food thing and calm her life down. She's only been alive for 3 months - be gentle with her!

I really would drop the egg and chicken and feed dried food, three times a day. Get her into a little routine for a while; make sure she sleeps enough during the day and see what happens.

Daisydot...just an update. Have cut down to 3 meals a day, 2 dried and 1 egg. We've only left the house each day for a short walk and that's when she's at her most active and tearing around the house and it seems to have worked. No mess/accidents in her crate. She goes from 10:30pm to 6:30am. She seems much happier and so are we.

Thank you so much for your advice, it was invaluable.

Betti - brilliant news! I am so pleased she's coping well with life and not pooing in her crate; it is honestly vile when they do that.

It is hard to get the balance right with puppies; they have to be socialised well - to see everything at this age (cars, lorries, people, fire engines, loud noises, postmen, men in helmets - life really) while they know no fear and yet they need careful managing to ensure the rest/stimulation balance stays fairly level. I suppose much the same as children! Not easy.

I'm so glad the advice worked - you sounded so worried. Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Daisy.