Trouble toilet training with the crate - he eats it??

Hi everyone,

Chase is a dream puppy, apart from the fact that when in his crate overnight, if he goes to the toilet he eats it....unless its a tad too soft? He only tends to do this in his crate, and he's usually good at walking to the back door if he wants to go out. He however, doesn't bark to tell us....what can we do, surely this isn't good for him?

He had a poorly belly when he came from the breeders, went to the vets and everything was fine on the second check up (she gave us medicine for him on the first visit) and he's got a much stronger stomach now, we feed him Burns Mini Bites and he really likes it....as I said, everything is perfect apart from this rather yucky habit that I've never come across before?

Any advice greatly appreciated...
Lorna.

Hi Lorna most puppies and dogs will soil well away from the sleeping/eating area if at all possible (it is an instinctive way of keeping flies and vermin from the area) . A dam will also clean up her puppies and the nest area by eating the excrement and a good breeder will ensure the bedding is kept clean, this helps the puppies to learn. Occasionally you get a bad mother or breeder who doesn't keep the puppies clean (I am not saying that is the case here) so the puppy has been used to a soiled nest.

Sorry but personally I not in favour of shutting a puppy in a crate overnight and leaving it. Small puppies have no control over their bodily functions and if then need to 'go' in the night and are shut in a crate they have no alternative but to soil in their beds (even more so if they have an upset tummy) . Having done so some puppies will then eat it,eating feces is natural and can become a habit.

I have puppies with me at night to begin with so I know when they need to go out and I get up and take them out, this way they soon learn to soil outside in a chose spot and the feces is cleaned up instantly giving no opportunity for the puppy to get into the habit of eating it.

This is how I house train a puppy

http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=8974

Lorna , how old is Chase now ?

...this is not actually house training, what have you done so far to house train Chase?

Crating works very well with most puppies, and leaving him loose would allow him to be more active making it harder to hold it. We have crated many puppies from when they were 7 weeks old,although at that age, they do need a trip outside in the middle of the night.

What I would do is walk him around good outside before crating him. It will stimulate him to have a bowel movement. If it doesn't work you may have try food additives. They are not the best solution in general, but your best hope for over night. They are the home remedies pineapple juice or canned pumpkin or the commercial products Forbid or Deter.

Why dogs do it is poorly understood. It may be diet related, but changing the dog's diet might cause worse problems. Whatever problems it causes for the owner, it doesn't seem to hurt the dog unless you are trying to clear up a worm infestation.

For more information see http://home.gci.net/~divs/behavior/coprophagia.html

It could also be the stress of being left alone. If the breeder holds puppies to 12 weeks or more, it is difficult for them to adjust to the new experience of being left alone. it may take longer to correct it if so.

Mine stayed in his crate over night but we did get up in the middle of the night to let him out for a toilet break and also got up early in the morning to let him out. Apart from when he had tummy trouble for a couple of weeks he never soiled in his crate, and only in the house once.

Sorry I think I phrased that wrong, I'm not worried about his house training, the only thing I'm concerned about him with is the eating his mess in his crate, he's fine in the house, he just sits by the back door to go out and waits until we let him out, he's 13 weeks now. He goes to the toilet on command even if he doesn't really need to go he will do a token gesture for you, in the area of the garden that we've trained him to go....its only overnight that we have this problem. Will try what you suggest and hopefully it will get better, I'm glad to hear that its not dangerous for him...

Hi Lorna sounds as though you are doing well. What times are you feeding Chase , (he should still be on three meals a day until 6 months).

Sorry to disagree with anyone but I would not add anything to his food , he is only a puppy and doing so may upset his tummy and give him diarrhoea making the problem worse. Better to concentrate on making sure he is empty before you go to bed.

The problem now is eating feces may have become a habit, it is important to make sure he is up to date on worming, worms can be associated with eating feces and there can be a problem with a puppy reinfecting itself.

faeces eating could also be a diet related problem, but at this age I suspect its just something he's seen his mother do, and IS a natural behaviour for dogs.

While some dog owners might not add anything to a puppy's food, the pineapple juice is straight out of the dog guide school puppy manual.

Mine wont touch anything with pineapple in