11 week old female Labradoodle.... HELP!!!

[Tammy VanKampen]

Our family got a LD a month ago and have been doing everything by the books and according to the advice of a 30 year dog trainer in our area.
My frustration currently (among the many) is the fact that she goes in her crate about 10:30-11 pm and can hold her pee and poo until 6am!! During the day she can't be in her crate for any longer than 2 hours!! I came home today from a doctors appt and she pee'd and pooped in her crate for the 100th time (after pooping twice this morning before I left and peeing 5 times outside! :( I am beyond frustrated and not sure what to do at this point.

Another issue we have is she will occasionally pee in her crate (even if she is in it for an hours time) and she will lick up her own urine! I know she does this because I have caught her in the act and her paws will be soaked and smell horrid!

I can provide more info if needed- I just NEED some other advice from others that have gone through this!

[BG and Gavin]

First of all I would have her checked by the vet to ensure she does not have a UTI or Giardia. These common puppy ailments cause incontinence.  

When she is in the crate, is she only allowed enough room to turn around and lie down?  They can hold it overnight much easier than during the day because they are sleeping.  When our guy was younger we would take him out every 45 minutes and after eating/drinking or playing until he got the idea.  We were outside ALOT!  We also exercised him really well before we left him in the crate for the day, so he would sleep. 

What is your puppy's name?  She sure is a looker!  Good thing they are cute at this stage ;)

[Tammy VanKampen]

Thank you! Her name is Macy and we had her tested twice now for UTI and for the other things. Everything came back perfect!

I have her in a crate that she only has the room to turn around in and she still pees and poops.

If they can only hold it for up to 45 minutes during the day... Ad we don't have neighbors or have anyone that can come help us... How am I supposed to do our necessary appts and classes that my 4 year old daughter has during the week? I've never had issues like this with our other two dogs we've raised!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Well.. first of all, they go MUCh more frequently during the day than they do at night---11 week old pups have to pee about every 45 minutes if they are awake--it is not really fair to expect more from her--second, she should be in a small area of her crate so that if she goes in there, she would be lying in it--I know that sounds awful, but it encourages them to hold it if they can't go off into a corner and relieve themselves--people block part of the crate with a box or some crates come with extra wall panels. 

But again, 2 hours is a long time for a young pup--sometimes, you need to have someone come over to be with the puppy if you are going out for longer than an hour or so. 

I have NO answer for the pee licking thing--hope someone can help there--ew!

You may also want to join the food group--she seems to be pooing a lot and sometimes that can be due to a poor quality food with a lot of filler--they might be able to help you switch her to something better. I feed grain free and it cuts down on the waste considerably.

[Tammy VanKampen]

Hi Ginny- thanks for responding. I posted a reply above.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tammy, how old was she when you got her? It's possible she was too young to leave her mother and litter, and that's why she is having more trouble than normal with housebreaking. Did you visit the breeder's premises, do you know if she and her litter were raised in the house, or a kennel, or if they had outside access? If in the house, do you know if the breeder used peepee pads or newspaper, or if the puppies ahd any crate training?

[Star and Goldie]

I just went through this exact same thing. As I read your post it sounded like I wrote it!!! If she has been cleared from any medical issues then the good news is that it is manageable.  Even though you didn't go through this with your other dogs it doesn't mean this is abnormal. I've had several dogs as well and going through this with my goldendoodle was the first time I had experienced it as well.

What worked for me:

I tried the divider to where she only had enough room to turn around but in my case she had no problem laying around in her pee and if she pooped in there... well... she'd just eat it. I made the decision to take the divider out all together. At that point I thought 'what do I have to lose'. I thought this way if no matter what I did she was going to pee and poop in there then at least she'd have enough space to not roll around in it so I didn't have to clean a filthy dog every day. It seemed that actually helped tremendously. It was as if the divider was making her feel even more caged/imprisoned which was causing separation anxiety and that was a huge part of the issue. I took steps to make her crate a cozy enjoyable place putting a nice comfy bed in there, a blanket and then putting a cover over the crate (if you don't have a crate cover you can a sheet or blanket... works wonders)

In addition to that I hired a mid day dog walker. I work full time and I was in the same boat as you- no friends, family or neighbors that could let her out. I took the advice of another DK member and went on the search for a dog walker. There are places like care.com and sitter city that do background checks and things like that. It's unnerving at first but bottom line is that these pups are like children and we need to do what is best for them.

I made the changes to her crate and hired the dog walker 2 weeks ago and Goldie has not had a single accident since then. It's been a remarkable turn around. Goldie is 13 weeks old.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

you must really like that dog walker you have.  a few weeks ago and you couldn't imagine hiring one.  lol  :)

[Star and Goldie]

Haha. soooooo true! I just couldn't see myself doing that and I really didn't think I would but I thought long and hard about all of that advice and went for it! I don't know what I would do without my dog walker. She is so wonderful and she loves Goldie to pieces.

[Ginny Nightingale]

It is tough to go anywhere until they are about 4 months old--I feel your pain, since I raise litters about 4 times a year and often have pups that stay a few extra weeks and need to be housebroken (or started in it, anyway)--but usually the crate solves the issue--I think Karen might be on to something that this pup may not have been kept in a clean environment and is used to the wastes being in her bed--that will be a tougher nut to crack.

I do know some people that had your situation and had no choice but to leave the pup in an enclosed area---they had a puppy pen--with newspaper until the pup was a bit older and could hold it longer--this is not ideal since you really do not want to confuse them by letting them go on newspaper in the house--but people do it and the puppy still gets housebroken but it may take a bit longer...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

You really have to work at this. It is up to YOU, not the pup. 

And if you think about it all, don't  you go 5-6 times a day and are not up at night going 5 and 6 times.  Activity and sleep are playing a role here.  Physically, your pup can't hold it that long. Not now. Not yet.  She is a BABY.

Your pup needs some training, patience,and love.  Physically, they really can't be perfect right now.  Around 5 months, yes, you should expect more, but not at 11 weeks. 

Keep working with the puppy.  Sounds like she needs to be out of the crate and in the potty area more too

[Kyoko]

I remember when Charlie was a baby like that, I literary had to wake up in the middle of the night to take her outside to pee. It was in the middle of snowy winter, too... Brrrr. It was just like having a new born baby.....And when she was awake, we used to tether her, so that she was always in our sight. May be Macy can now smell her pee and poop in her crate, so she goes there? You may have to clean the crate with special enzyme solution to get rid of the smell. Even when we may no longer smell it, they still can....

My new dog is 5 1/2 months old ( He has been with us for about a month ), but I still take him out every hour and half or so when he is awake. Especially after the hard play, nap and the meal.... He wont tell me when he have to go, so I have to time him and watch his behavior. He still does not have full run of the house and limited to roam in the room where I am so that I can watch him.... It takes a ots of patience... Good luck!

[Tammy VanKampen]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the ones that have compassionate and don't treat me and write to me like I am an idiot.
I am simply asking for advice, for help. It's hard enough to ask for help, and then people wonder why more don't ask for help when they are talked down to?

Anyway. Here are some facts about our situation:
A) we are feeding our dogs a good reputable gluten free, soy and byproduct free food which Macy responds well to.
B) I have a crate in the bedroom and in the main living area (for when we are away) with a blanket over it with no toys or blankets
C) she gets her last feeding and drink of water by 6pm
D) we only use Natures Miracle to clean areas she has soiled
E) when she isn't in her crate or has free time, she is on a leash, umbilical training. She has not had an accident with us, in the house (outside from her crate) for almost 2 weeks, except for the few times she gets excited! :)
F) Macy was only 6 weeks when we got her. And before anyone puts us down for this, we thought it was fine. We didn't know any difference of the benefits of the breeder keeping her for any longer amount of time. And we did not see the home she was born at, but I know she was indoors, in their home. I do know that the breeder only has the one female LD that she breeds with and it's only a couple of times a year. So she didn't come from a puppy farm of any kind. She was clean when we got her and the fact that the breeder wanted to establish a communication so she can get updates on how their puppy's are doing, tells me she was not just trying to get our money and drop us! Not sure if they had puppy pads or newspaper down.
G) I take her out to her potty area anywhere from 13-15 times a day. Her last pee of the day is usually around 11pm.
She goes in her crate fine (her whining is becoming much less).
H) she doesn't get raw hides or other special treats of any kind. We do give her 1 morsel of her regular food every time she does go pee or poo outside, even if she went in her crate already or in the house.

Again. Thank you for the advice! I hope this is a site that I can feel safe to ask questions and express feelings of frustration or share celebrations without feeling intimidated or bullied! I