I'm starting to hate my dog. She's 6 months old, and consistently soils her crate, even after a few hours.

Small breed puppy = small bladder.

She obviously can't hold it for the "few hours" you have her in there, so don't leave her in there that long.

A breed that small should never be an "outside dog" so that's not a responsible option.

Edit: Crate training, when *properly* done, is fine.

She's still very young--she can't hold it all night yet! It's like having a baby...you're going to have to get up and check on her during the night and probably take her out.

How much time is the poor thing spending crated??

Not to mention, 6 months is NOT fully potty trained age for a small dog!

Start from the beginning. Put her on a twice a day feeding schedule, same time every day.

Pick up her water 2 hours before bedtime.

Make sure she goes out long enough to pee and poop first thing in the morning and last thing before bed at night. Also, if you've been out of the room or house, and you come back into her eyesight, take her straight outside; many dogs eliminate when they get excited, especially puppies.

During the day, let her out every 1-2 hours to potty. If she hasn't pottied in a while and she refuses to go, keep taking her out every 15 minutes until she does.

She shouldn't be spending all day locked in her crate. The crate is a tool, it's supposed to be used to teach her to hold it gradually, not to force her to hold it until she has to resort to soiling herself because she's being ignored.

Make sure she's getting plenty of exercise and interaction every day.

Have you taken her to the vet to rule out medical problems? How long is she left in her crate? Where did you get her? If you purchased her from a pet store or non-conformation breeder, she may have been from a puppy mill and was taught to poo/pee in her crate up until you got her.

How big is the crate? Too big, and she'll just do her business on one side and sleep on the other. Also, if you have absorbent things in the crate, she may be more likely to mess since it'll get wicked away somewhat. I'd saturate everything inside and clean with a good enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle, as she can still smell her own poo/pee inside of the crate and may associate that scent with acceptable places to wee.

Do not make this dog an outside dog -- not only it is inhumane and unsafe for such a small dog, but it deserves better. If you must get rid of her, find a rescue to turn her over to by searching petfinder.com.

Good luck!

If he's not comfortable then he'll fuss. He needs to be able to stand without crouching at all and to easily turn around. Do you have a crate cup attached to the door? I put ice cubes in instead of water. Make sure the bottom pad is of a cool material. He hasn't had any loose stool lately? If he feels an urge to go he'll be fussy. Can he have a treat in his crate that he only gets in there?

My puppy did this a lot the first few months we had her. It takes time, consistency, proper timing and the right size crate for them to be able to learn to hold it when you put her in.

A puppy of six months should really only be expected to be able to hold it in for six hours or less. Seven if you're lucky. So don't expect her to hold it all night or while you and your son are away at work/school.

Take her to a vet if she seems to be going a lot, to rule out infection or illness.

Are you feeding her too much? Feed the amount specified on the bag of food, and divide it into three feedings a day. Make sure they are at the same time each day, this helps regulate their bowels and you can learn to predict when they'll have to poop.

What food are you feeding her? Some lesser quality brands tell you to feed more due to the lack of proper nutrients (IE: the dog needs to eat more to get the proper nutrients.) This could contribute to more poop.

Don't feed her past seven at night, and no water past eight. That way they don't have any intake to contribute to the need to go potty. During the day, exercise her (short, controlled walks) before putting her in her crate. Maybe that will stimulate her bowels and bladder to work before you put her in.

All dogs need to potty after eating/drinking, sleeping, and playing. Take her out at these times (and whenever she starts to circle, sniff, or paw around.) Take her to a quiet spot in the yard where there are no distractions. Take her to the same spot each time. Walk her in small circle and encourage her to potty ("Go potty", "Do your business", etc) and give her a treat when she does. Do not play with her at all (either on the the way out, while you are out, or on the way in) or she'll become distracted and will think this is a play run and not a potty run.

Dogs usually don't soil where they sleep. Unless they physically can't hold it or the crate is big enough that she won't have to step in it. The crate should be big enough for her to sit, stand lay down, and turn around in. If it's any bigger then she'll potty on one side and sleep on the other. We had to adjust the size of our crate more than once (we got a larger crate with a divider so we could adjust it as needed.)

Dogs don't know "they did something wrong", they just know we get mad. Once they potty it's likely they'll forget about the act and move on. That's what they do. This is also why rubbing their nose in it doesn't usually help....

She's young yet and still learning, so don't get mad. These things take time (which is why people really need to research before committing to a dog - no offense to you of course! This is just a really good example...) and you need to keep yourself calm.

If you are getting frustrated then have your SON do some of the work. If he is attached as you say he is, he'll be willing to do some of the work (IE: cleaning up the crate, taking her out, etc.)

Good Luck!

P.S. - if you don't like her.... why did you get her? And if you get to the point where you can't handle it, instead of making the dog suffer, don't keep her. Give her to a rescue group or post her on petfinder.org

1. the crate should be a small place just for sleeping -if she can step out of the bed to pee it's too big.

2. she needs to be in the crate only when she is unsupervised - not all the time

3. she needs to know where to go - either paper train her (using an area near her crate fenced in by panels) or teach her to go outside - take her out and praise her like a mad woman when she gets it right

4. she needs to have interaction with you and lots of training.

5. the crate is never a place for punishment

6. She needs to go out at least every two hours - reduce the time until you find a time space she can handle - then as she matures gradually increase the time - that time is indoor time - not crate time!! remember the crate is only for when you can't be there and at night.....

Sounds like her crate is to big. Just give her enough space to where she can lay and stand up. You can't hate your dog because you haven't properly crate trained her. If it is that bad, you can pay a trainer to come in and help you do this, but do not take it out on your dog. When you buy a dog, it becomes your responsibility to love, and train it. Dogs don't automatically know what to do and you say she knows this is wrong, well then, you may need to take her for a vet visit and see if there is an underlying problem with the dog that is causing this behavior.

I totally understand your frustration! We have been having the same exact issues with our pointer puppy. She was a rescue from a puppy mill where she was forced to live where she did her business. I don't think she ever had that natural aversion all the experts talk about. As long as we are diligent about not leaving her in to long she does her best to hold it while she is in her crate. Her only hurdle now is letting us know when she needs to go. If she is out in the house she will just go where she stands instead of telling us she needs to go outside. SO SO FRUSTRATING! Don't listen to the people on here telling you that you aren't a loving responsible pet owner. This is a hard thing to get through and I completely understand your frustration b/c I feel it too! Just hang in there and the dog should get it eventually. Small breeds always take longer to train and the older the dog gets the longer it will be able to hold it. Good Luck!

If she would know better then she wouldnt do it.

Are you cleaning the crate really good? If she can smell her own pee in there then yes, she will go in there. Make sure the crate is not to big for her. Take her out every 30 min and tell her potty. Wait until she goes and then praise her. Does she only go in there at night or also during the day? Does she go in any other part of your house? Dont yell at her when she messes in her crate. Or dont rub her nose in it, they dont understand that they have gone in the wrong place.

Good luck....

Its gotta be frustrating, but dont give up on her just yet.

Getting a Dog is are just like adopting a 2 year old child ..It is an adjustment..You have to discover who they are,what they like and dislike and it takes time.....

.You never said how old your son is...Any time a family takes in an animal..The sole responsibility for the protection and welfare of the dog is the parents NOT the children.....

Are you Daily hugging,praising and playing with the dog and enjoying it more than you are scolding it???

What are you feeding your dog???How many times do you feed your dog?? Do you take the dog out walking at least 4 times a day on a leash in rain, snow wind, sleet until it does it's potty business?????

What kind of toys does it like?? Does your dog like frizbees, squeeky toys, or stuffed animals that have the squeeker in them...

Our personal preference is to not use crates with our dogs....They are all inside dogs..That kind of confinement causes more problems than its worth..Doggie depression, anxiety, allergies especially when the dog spends more time in the cage confined than out...

When you potty train our dog do you take the dog for a walk every hour?? Is the dog running around the house during the day or constantly living in the cage??

Do you take the dog to a certain area in your yard on a leash and say go pee then reward the dog and say Good dog and praise the dog or do you have a fenced in yard you just leave the dog out hoping it will do what it needs to do on its own.. ???

Don't expect for a puppy to be trained in one or two days...It takes months of YOU being loving, encouraging consistent with taking the dog out to go potty...

Some people use Crates are for dogs to sleep they are never to be used to poop and pee in...Our preferences for Alll our rescues are the dogs are part of the family....Roam the house as they please...We would NEVER think of confining them to a crate....

Our three Rescue dogs pushed us off the bed 2 years ago and saved us from a house fire....They saved our lives because they sleep in our bedroom on their puppy beds.. and roamed the house and were not trapped in a cage somewhere in the house or back yard...

Small dogs have small bladders and need lots of daily walks, love and patience...Not one or 2 times...

If you have a small child and just do not have the time...PLEASE find an owner who has the time and love for your dog to become part of their new family..

The dog SENSES you do not like it already..PLEASE find a home for the where it knows it's loved and enjoyed..

Do not let your son be the REASON to keep an animal you do not like or have time to care for...