# peeing in crate, licking pee, eating poop



## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

i have a 7 week old gsd, mae.... 
i have a few issues that are frustrating me;
she keeps peeing in her crate, on her bedding.
over the past week i've tried a few things. i take her out right before putting her in her crate, a lot of times she won't use the bathroom, but even if she does, she'll pee in her crate. i tried putting her food and water bowl in the crate after reading that they will not pee or poop where they eat. didn't work. and she licks her pee. and eats her poop. she hasn't pooped in her crate, but eats her poop when she poops outside or has a poop in the house. i try to let her out every couple hours to potty, but her bedding is already soaked by then and she usually doesn't have to go. she eats really good quality all natural food ("blue" brand) i really could use some suggestions..


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## jizzam93 (Mar 13, 2011)

How big is your crate? If it is big enough for her to roam around in, I would suggest in getting a divider to make the space smaller. Just enough for her to sit, stand, lay, and turn around in. I had the same problem and after I went through the posts here, I found this solution, and it worked. Has not peed in his crate since. Good Luck


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

At that age they need to go out and potty every 20 min or so, if you are home with her and can take her out. That is what I did with my boy when he was a puppy, and when she does potty outside clap your hands and tell her good girl and make her feel like she just won the lottery. As the above poster said if she has too much room in her crate she will use it for a potty so if that is the case making it less roomy will help.

As for the poop eating, lots of puppies do that if you don't get rid of it before they have the chance to eat it. Hopefully she will grow out of that bad habit, and it doesn't matter what kind of food it is if they want to eat it they will. I have not had a pup lick up it's pee so I can't comment on that.

Good luck, and enjoy your puppy. After the potty breaking is over you will get to enjoy her more.


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## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

thanks! her crate has a divider and i do take her outside as much as i possibly can when i'm home, almost obsessively... and i make a huge fuss over it when she does potty for me (she doesn't seem to care ) i love her like crazy and know that these issues won't last forever, and probably not even long..
the little land shark has my heart but i can't stand the thought of her being ok with laying in her own piss (along with the stench)


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

There should be no bedding in her crate. How often are you taking her out at night? Is that when all this is happening?


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Out of sheer curiosity is she from a pet store or did you buy her over the internet?


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## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

maybe i wasn't clear enough, by "bedding", i meant her blanket/towel/ sheet, etc. that i put in her crate for her to curl up on... 
and no, she did not come from a pet store or the internet. a guy i knew bred his female with his fathers' male... it was the female's first litter, 3 out of 10 lived. Mae is one of the 3.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

There should be nothing in the crate other than the dog. No nothing. Putting bedding in there is just asking for your pup to potty on it. 

You also got your pup very early. Most people don't get their pups until 8 weeks and it sounds like you got yours at 6.

You still haven't said if night time is the problem time.


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## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

yes, all the time seems to be the problem time, even after i just let her out.
but alot of this could be because i have been putting something in there for her to lay on, and she just doesn't know any better... i have removed the "bed" ... and i'll see how this works.. yes, got her at 6 weeks.. everything i read said 6-8 weeks was common... but the more i read, the more conflicting info that there is out there... but it seems if maybe i'm overthinking some stuff.. for example; why did i think it was necessary to have her sleeping on some type of bed when she sleeps and/or lays on the hardwood floors when out of the crate or on the concrete while out playing?...


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

stealthisthought said:


> and no, she did not come from a pet store or the internet. a guy i knew bred his female with his fathers' male... it was the female's first litter, 3 out of 10 lived. Mae is one of the 3.


Ok, the reason I asked is that this is a common problem with puppies that have been raised mostly in crates or cages. They naturally do not want to soil their "den" but if they've been raised in such a way that they can't avoid it, they become used to lying in their own filth.


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## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

yeah, i get that. it seems that if she drinks her pee, she wouldn't mind laying on a towel or sheet or blanket soaked in it... but thanks to you and others on this board, i will try some new approaches.. starting now.
my 8 year old daughter, myself, and mae will be attending our first puppy training class this saturday.., and her next round of boosters the following saturday...so i'll have plenty to ask and learn in the coming weeks..


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

First problem is the puppy is only 7 weeks old. Second is put nothing in the crate. Make a schedule and take the puppy out potty the moment it wakes, eats, drinks.... take the puppy out every time you thin of taking the puppy out. This puppy is to young to expect crate breaking fast.


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## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

you're absolutely right. thank you.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

I just read the part where most of the litter died? Any idea what killed them? keep an eye on the poop eating just in case she has issues with enzymes. Was antibiotics given to her? That can kill the good bacteria in her digestive needs. Most stool eating is getting rid of it some are on bad food but then some just are not getting the nutrients out of the food and are attempting another way to get them. You may need tylan powder and a vet to check on this.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

I would put off puppy class, she really is very young. Why are you doing shots this age as well? Was the mother not sufficient in her coverage? Giving antibiotics and or shots at to young an age is very harsh to a puppy yet you do not want them exposed to anything. If her immune is in fact low even with vaccinations if she is exposed to something nasty she might can still catch it IMO. Was the mom up to date on her vaccinations? This is parvo season warm weather time and you have to be super careful.


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## stealthisthought (May 25, 2011)

she got her first two shots the day before i got her...
i took her to the vet last week after seeing round worms in her crate...i de-wormed her and they said she'd be due for her boosters in 2 weeks, at which point i made the appointment.. i can already tell how smart she is.., she's adapted very well to our home over the past week and a half.. as far as the puppy training goes, she'll be right at 8 weeks at his point and will have been a part of our family for nearly 2 weeks.. too young for the classes?


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

If you have something like a puppy kindergarten in your area I would do that. It is a good way to socialize your puppy and a good support group to discuss issues and behaviors with a trainer so you can work at correcting them before the become a habit. I would just work at home on basic commands such as sit, lay down, stay, etc. Then at about 4-5 months look into beginning a puppy/basic training class. By this time your puppy will have a nice strong bond with you and will know some basic commands.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

stealthisthought said:


> maybe i wasn't clear enough, by "bedding", i meant her blanket/towel/ sheet, etc. that i put in her crate for her to curl up on...
> and no, she did not come from a pet store or the internet. a guy i knew bred his female with his fathers' male... it was the female's first litter, 3 out of 10 lived. Mae is one of the 3.


Wow, only 3 out of 10 puppies lived. That's not very good odds. Could she have some kind of urinary disease....or malnourishment disorder that causes her to do this. I would discuss this with the vet and have some blood work done just to make sure. With those odds, there is likey to have been a reason why the other puppies did not make it. I personally would not have taken/bought one of these puppies knowing that.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

I think puppy class at 8 weeks is fine--if the pup is healthy. I know some people advocate waiting for all the shots but I think early socialization is worth the risk. The fact that only three pups survived is concerning me from both a health and social view point. I agree with SuzzyQ and would discuss these concerns with the vet.


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