When will he stop peeing in the crate!

[Pilar, Sophie & Rico]

Hi all, My little Rico is going on 13 weeks and I'm starting to believe that he just isn't getting it!I'm at home most of the day ( lucky puppy) and am constantly taking him out- he's been home for a full month. I'm always proactive because he just doesn't seem to show any interest in going to the door. He'll just pee right in front of us. He loves water and I know what your thinking- too much water? No, I give him limited water throughout the day but can't leave the dish out. When I crate him- ill come back to find him sitting in his puddle- he doesn't seem to mind. Not a bark or whine. He barks only if he needs to poop. Thank goodness for that. Luckily I live in Florida and the weather is great. We practically sit in our patio area waiting for signs that he needs to go. The vet said its normal and he's a boy. What is your experience? My female doodle got it within a week and rings her poochie bells when she needs to go. He thinks the bells are a toy for him to play tug of war. Please advise and let me know if anyone has experienced this and how long before he'll get it.

[Laura Bogar]

I think some doodles are just bad at potty training compared to others. My doodle was the worst and I thought I did everything right. She was finally potty trained for the most part at 16 weeks...yeah way too late. Are you giving him treats and praising when he does go out? Maybe it could be an anxiety thing? If he gets really nervous and anxious when you leave him in the crate he could be peeing from that. Sometimes I have had my doodle pee in my car (yeah horrible) if I leave her in there for a few minutes to run into starbucks or something.

[Stella]

Don't wait for him to tell you be needs to go. Take him out regularly, every time he has eaten or drunk, every time he wakes up, every time he has been playing, just before he goes to bed or you want to put him in his crate, every time he comes out of the crate etc. he needs to go out every couple of hours at least. Take him out on a leash, no playing at potty time. When he does go to the bathroom use a special word that you want to associate with going potty. This will later mean that you will have a dog that will go on command. When he does go outside, have a party - praise and reward like crazy. Once he is reliably going outside, with your help, and knows his potty word, then you can introduce the poochie bells. My second doodle was hard to house train, he used to poo in his crate and sleep in it!! He just didn't care! But, we got there in the end.

[Wendy and Myla]

I agree with everything Stella said.  The only other thing is a UTI - I can't tell from your post when you last had him at the vet.  Myla was peeing outside and as soon as she came in the house she would go to her bed and pee again - didn't make any sense.  I didn't take her to the vet right away because she was sleeping through the night without waking us up or peeing so I figured if she had a UTI that wouldn't be possible - WRONG!  Finally I brought her to the vet with a urine sample (which was hard to get LOL) and sure enough she had a UTI and with antibiotics it cleared up and she never peed in the house again!!!   

[Tammie Ciesielka]

I agree with Stella too.  Also, take Rico to the same spot outside when you use your "go pee" command.  Not sure how big your crate is, but it should only be big enough for Rico to turn around.  Our crate is huge so my husband built a wall in the back of it and we would keep moving the wall back as Roxy grew.  I believe they sell something that allows you to do this as well.  Good luck.  He'll get it eventually :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Actually I think quite the opposite of what you do. I think pups should have unlimited water. It is not good to limit water although some people do take up water before bedtime. Puppies can easily get dehydrated which is a dangerous thing. Unless they have a rare medical condition they won't drink too much.

[Stella]

We never withheld water. The bowl was, and still is, down on the kitchen floor all the time. I don't think restricting their fluid intake is a good idea, and I don't think it will make any difference to house training.

[Lynn D.]

He isn't potty trained. It's like asking a kid to do division when you haven't showed him how to subtract. He needs to go out at minimum of every 3 hours, after eating/drinking, after playing, after napping. Train him right now and you are making a sound investment for his lifetime. It's hard. If he is not being watched with both eyes, he should be in a crate. The number of accidents you cut down on the more concrete the idea of him potting outside will be.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Firstly would never restrict water during the day for such a young puppy and I don't know of any vets here that would advise that this be done. I did lift water at night though until mine were potty trained.  Rico's crate may be too big. It should only have enough space for him to stand up and turn around. Puppies do not want to pee where they sleep and will walk away from the bed.  I don't think some 13 week pups can hold it for three hours. I would go back to basics and take him out every half hour. Click and treat the minute he goes in the yard and create a big fuss. Limit the possibilities for accidents and your hard work will pay off. If you manage to catch him in the act just say a firm 'no' or whatever you wish, lift him straight outside and hopefully he will finish there, then you can praise like mad. Rico just doesn't understand what you want him to do right now. Make it clear and I bet in a couple of weeks this potty training will be a thing of the past.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Good advice from the others-I would add that you should use an enzyme cleaner to get the smell of urine out of the crate, not ammonia based, but something like Natures' Miracle.   Good luck!  

[Pilar, Sophie & Rico]

Thank you all for the great advise. These are all great and I'll admit that I'm doing it all except- I had started cleaning the crate with Lysol wipes! I felt a need to disinfect- I'm a clean freak. I Used natures miracle last night and he didn't soil last night! I'm such an idiot! We have a vet appt so will check for UTI. I do have to be more patient and not compare him to my other pups.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I never used crates (except for traveling in the car) with my puppies, but first thing in the morning I would pick them up out of their playpen and carry them to the elimination place, put them down, and tell them to "go peepee".  They would immediately.  I didn't let them walk outside when they were little, always carried them.  Then they could play outside but I never let them roam in the house until they were potty trained.  Worked for me with three pups.  Yes, get him checked for UTI.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I always lifted too,unlikely they will pee while in your arms lol But, the minute you put them down....