erica h: Why does my pit bull dog poop every night in her kennel?
What's Happening: Every night our dog who is kenneled poops and pees in her cage. ALWAYS. She then lays in it and I have even caught her laying with her face in IT. When I leave for longer periods I will put her in her kennel and she still poops even if I am gone 15 minutes.
Dog: Pit bull terrier. Age: Almost a year.
Photo Credit: crossfirecw/Flickr CC
Her Routine:
Good diet same as our other dog who has NO issues.
She is outside ALL day on a run so she has LOTS of exercises.
She is fed first thing in the morning. This was changed in the hopes that it was an easy solution.
She does have water all day but we can't really take it away from her or she will get dehydrated!
Her Surroundings:
She is in a LARGE metal kennel with a plastic tray liner.
She did have a blanket but we had to remove it because of the constant mess.
She is RIGHT next to our other dog who I mentioned does not share the same issues. We did this again in the hopes that she was lonely and needed a friend. Their cages are very open so they can see each other.
Answers and Views:
Answer by ~ Rescued Dogs Rule ~
Separation Anxiety, My dog would dance around in his all night. We leave a pillowcase or shirt in there that smells like us and he does fine, only has an accident once in a while now.
Answer by Kim
We had this issue with our new puppy about a year ago.
This is what I did.
I feed 2 times a day. morning and 4 pm at the latest.
Take the water away after 7 pm.
I had to sleep outside the kennel and take him out every 1/2 hour for the first week to break this habit. I was very tired, but it worked.
My dog also had a problem with his food. He was going about 5 times a day and still at night. We found out that he is allergic to chicken.
After diet change life has been easier. Good luck
Answer by Angel
The saying goes that dogs will not want to eliminate in their own bed. My theory is she does not View this kennel as her bed/home. One thing that may help is getting her a smaller crate, one that is just big enough for her to turn around in and lay down in but not so large that it defeats its purpose.
Also if possible when you are home with her during the day, take her off of her run and put her in her crate for a few minutes with a treat then take her out. Repeat that a few times during the day each time giving her a treat and leaving her in her crate a little longer. This will help her associate her crate with happy things. This is something that will not happen in your case ''overnight'' but if you try this over a period of a few days, she will begin to see her crate as a safe happy place and not punishment.
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I hope this helps, good luck! P.S. If she is not driven by treats, try a favorite toy!
- How do I stop a dog from pooping in its crate?
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Answer by kouneli
First of all, what time of the night do you put her in the crate? Would you possibly be able to let her out to go potty right before you get to bed? About what time does she go in the kennel? See if you can have a night where you get up, check on her every hour or so, and find out when she needs to do her business. If she can't work around your schedule, try working around hers. Take her out at about the same time she needs to go. Slowly try taking her out earlier and earlier, give her a SMALL treat when she goes. Reward her for going earlier. Eventually she should be going potty right before you go to bed, therefore not going in her crate.
Answer by Korrupter
Maybe get rid if the kennels. Whats the point of having them? Why not let them free in the house at night?
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
bankchick says
Because you need to get up in the night and let her out?
Steve says
That's odd. Your assumption may be right. I have kenneled many dogs and they usually only defecate in it when they are really sick. It's not like shes not being walked before she's put to bed. I noticed pits can be real stupid animals when it comes to training them. I've been around a lot of them. My pit Cujo is a prime example, he was dumb as a sack of potatoes. If I didn't go through the whole sit routine with him he forget in a few days. Even though she's outside, walk her anyway. She may forget to cop a squat before she goes in and go in the cage. Any smarter dog will usually catch on and correct this. Being den animals they keep their dens clean (in this case her cage). Just walk her for a few days maybe she'll associate the walk with going to the bathroom. Feed her earlier too and make sure she's not over fed. If that doesn't work not even the dog whisperer can help!
JudosHuman says
Wow, I raise pits all my life. Fathers father had pitbulls and they are people pleasers. Super intelligent and most easy to train. Ours have supreme memories.
Fie says
The kennel might be too big for her. She may be going potty in one end and then going to sleep in the other. Then, while she's asleep she may just roll into it.
Try getting a divider for the kennel to make it so small the she only has room to turn around and lay down.
Also, put a radio with an AM station near the kennel. It may help her calm down.
Mutt for the Truth says
Does she poop right before bed time? Pee? Doesn't matter if she's "outside all day" – she may not be eliminating as much as she should be and may be skipping out on doing so before you bring her in because she doesn't think to that moment.
I would bring her for a 20 minute walk right before bedtime to get her to pee and poop. No water or food of any kind after seven (ice cubes if she's thirsty and it's warm/hot/muggy out.)
Note: And by "walk" i mean leashed, around the block, NOT in the backyard – the backyard is old news to her, and believe it or not dogs do NOT drain a lot of energy and don't get a lot of mental stimulation if they're just chained/kept in the backyard all day. They DO need variety.
And a dog does not have to be alone to be anxious. If she can't see you, she may not feel comfortable. Does she make ANY kind of noise at night? Is there any way to get yourself up every two hours to see WHEN exactly she messes over the course of a few days? THAT may give you some insight.