Puppy Peeing in Crate During Day

If you have a puppy peeing in crate during day but not at night, then consider this. 

When a dog is asleep they don’t move around much so they pee less. When they’re awake during the day they move around more (even when in a crate) they need to pee more.  Less activity less pee. More activity more pee.

Crate training

If you’re crate training your dog then I’m sure you realize the idea behind this strategy. A dog won’t go to the bathroom where they have to sit or lay. This is a pretty common premise, and crate training can be effective. However, if you are potty training a young puppy you must realize their small bladder can only hold a short time. Usually, around 1 hour for however many months old they are. So you do the math if your puppy is 2 months old expect about 2 hours on the average that your dog will be able to hold it. After that no matter how much they would like to hold it, they just can’t.

The conditions that your dog was subjected to before you took over can play a big part in how your new puppy behaves. If he or she was in a cage with other puppies and not given room enough to eliminate themselves in one area and lay or sit in another then they may think this is just the way life is. This is something that hopefully as they grow up a little will change for the better.

Things you can do

There are some things you can do. But first, you need to decide if your dog is having trouble that is beyond normal bladder holding. If your dog is peeing way more than should be then they could have a medical issue. If the urine has blood in it or is darker than it should be, then a trip to the vet is warranted. This is probably is a good idea regardless just to have him or her checked over. Your vet can give you advice on any issues you are having and help you and your dog in general.

More regular potty breaks

The rule of thumb of 1 hour for every month of age can vary. If you have a tiny dog, then the time will be shorter. And if you’re going to be gone all day, then don’t expect your dog to be able to hold it until you get home. If you need to have someone come over and let them out then get some help. Or if you can go home during the day and let them out then do that. You just can’t expect them to hold it any longer than their bladder can hold. If letting them out every three hours is not enough, then try every two hours. You need to accommodate your puppy.

Crate size

The size of your cage can be critical to success with crate training. You want just enough room to be able to turn around, stretch or lay down. If they have enough room to pee in one area and then lay down in another, then this defeats the purpose.

The big problem with keeping the size of your crate not too big or too small is of course if your dog is a puppy it will be growing quickly. So here’s a solution for that. Get a dog cage that has an adjustable divider. If you click the link below to Amazon you can check this one out.

Keep your dogs’ crate clean

If your puppy has peed in their crate be sure to clean it thoroughly. A dog will like to pee where they smell pee having been before. Also if there are blankets or a towel in the crate then remove these items. Dogs like to go to the bathroom on something soft. I know you want your puppy to have something soft to lay on, but in this case, the bare plastic floor will work the best.

As a last resort, if you can not get your dog to quit peeing in their crate. Then, in this case, you need to give them enough room to relieve themselves in one area an sit and lie in another area. You can still use the cage. Just leave the door open so they can go in and out on their own. Put the crate in a closed off area and use pee pads for a potty area. I’m not suggesting this as a first option. This is only if they won’t quit peeing in the crate. You don’t want them laying in their own pee. Of course, if you can spend the time to train them properly you can avoid this option.

What to expect

You need to realize that your puppy will be a puppy for a while. They’re not going to learn these things overnight. Training a puppy will take some time. You can expect six months (give or take) for your puppy to grow out of the puppy stage. You may need to get up in the middle of the night to let your puppy out to potty. Or you may need to have a friend come over and help out or hire a dog sitter to come by on a regular basis at least to let him out to potty. Raising a puppy can be a big job. It can be very time consuming. What do they say “it takes a village” Well I don’t know if it takes a village, but you may need some help with this along the way.

Well here’s the good news, it won’t take forever. If you take the time to properly raise your puppy you will have a great dog. In the end, it will all be worth all the work.

Hopefully this will help you with your puppy. Just keep at it and follow these guidelines and your puppy will learn to stop peeing in their crate.

Check out this video below It will show you some ways that you can help with puppy peeing in crate during day.