We recently rescued a 3 month old Pit Bull Terrier mix. After the
first few days of the puppy being alone we had numerous issues in
which we decided (with guidance from the rescue center and other
professionals) to complete the house breaking in process via crating
method. With mild success, the puppy slowly began easing into the new
home with an occasional accident. This all changed for the worst in
the past couple of weeks. With the dog now almost 5 months old she
continually drops feces in front of us and while in her crate when we
are gone. We routinly take her out especially after eating and
playing. While in her crate she makes a mess of it (laying in it,
stepping in it, etc). She isn't simply doing business in the corner
and laying in the other. One specific occasion we took her out for
several walks after she ate and played. A little while after she took
care of business, we left for a short period of time (approximately 30
minutes to an hour) which upon returning she had urinated and excreted
feces all over the crate and herself. This hasn't been the only
occasion but one that stood out as we took her out prior to leaving
and were only gone for a small window of time.

The rescue center did not have any history on her previous owners. The
center picked her up from an animal shelter in which they fostered her
until we adopted her.

Can anyone provide proper techniques to eliminate such a problem?
Thanks.

You've had her to the vet and eliminated any medical issues? Some of the
more experienced posters may have different views, but a dog doesn't
"typically" soil itself by choice, though like anything else, there are
exceptions.

Kind regards,

(the)duckster

In article
,
predhme wrote:

With the dog now almost 5 months old she
continually drops feces in front of us and while in her crate when we
are gone.

What, when and how much are you feeding her?

One specific occasion we took her out for
several walks after she ate and played. A little while after she took
care of business, we left for a short period of time (approximately 30
minutes to an hour) which upon returning she had urinated and excreted
feces all over the crate and herself. This hasn't been the only
occasion but one that stood out as we took her out prior to leaving
and were only gone for a small window of time.

Had she defecated prior to your leaving? If so, I'd suspect a food
issue or a stress issue or both.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Appreciate the feed back. To answer your question, yes, she is
completely up-to-date on all vaccinations and they did a fecal test in
which no abnormalities were discovered. Other than soiling on herself
we have no issues.

In article k83sj.9739$x%3.2357@trnddc06,
\(the\)duckster wrote:
You've had her to the vet and eliminated any medical issues? Some of the
more experienced posters may have different views, but a dog doesn't
"typically" soil itself by choice, though like anything else, there are
exceptions.

I think a dog that was messing involuntarily would avoid
contact with it. I agree with Janet that the most likely
problem is stress/anxiety, and I'd start working on turning
the crate into a den (feed in there, treats in there, etc.),
experiment with a different type of crate (if this one is
wire, get a closed plastic one and vice-versa), and start
thinking about doing some anti-separation anxiety
conditioning.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

What, when and how much are you feeding her?
We feed her twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
We feed her a puppy mix made by Purina. Usually 1/2 the can with some
puppy mix inbetween.

Had she defecated prior to your leaving? If so, I'd suspect a food
issue or a stress issue or both.
She has even if we are leaving or just staying in the house.

In article
,
predhme wrote:


We feed her twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
We feed her a puppy mix made by Purina. Usually 1/2 the can with some
puppy mix inbetween.

I'd put her on a better [and adult] food. I'm not sure what "puppy mix"
is. Are you mixing DRY puppy food with canned puppy food? Your amounts
aren't all that informational. Cans come in different sizes, and "some"
is not an amount I can understand (nor is puppy mix apparently - I'm not
sure what you are feeding!).

Specific name of food should be right on the bag.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

On Feb 11, 4:55*pm, Janet Boss
wrote:
In article
,

*predhme wrote:

We feed her twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
We feed her a puppy mix made by Purina. Usually 1/2 the can with some
puppy mix inbetween.

I'd put her on a better [and adult] food. *I'm not sure what "puppy mix"
is. *Are you mixing DRY puppy food with canned puppy food? *Your amounts
aren't all that informational. *Cans come in different sizes, and "some"
is not an amount I can understand (nor is puppy mix apparently - I'm not
sure what you are feeding!).

Specific name of food should be right on the bag.

--
Janet Bosswww.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

The "puppy mix" is made by purina. Simply food formulated for puppies
(or so "they" say). It is a "dry" food. The can (wet) food is the same
brand and flavor. We combine them as directed on the product bag.

In article
,
predhme wrote:


The "puppy mix" is made by purina. Simply food formulated for puppies
(or so "they" say). It is a "dry" food. The can (wet) food is the same
brand and flavor. We combine them as directed on the product bag.

There's more to it than that. Is it Purina PUPPY CHOW? Purina O.N.E.
puppy formula? It has a specific name. And it's all pretty crappy food
that can produce a LOT of stool. Do you not know how much you are
feeding (I doubt you have to go to the bag every time, to figure that
out). You also said "in between" in regards to the puppy mix (the word
mix is confusing here as well, but I believe you just mean formula).

Specific questions:

What is the exact name of the food you are feeding.

What is the exact measurement of each type of food (canned and dry) that
you are providing at each of the two feedings?

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

In article ,
Janet Boss wrote:
What is the exact measurement of each type of food (canned and dry) that
you are providing at each of the two feedings?

The other thing is that it might be a good idea to feed 3x
daily and adjust the amounts appropriately. I still tend to
think it's an anxiety problem (because the dog doesn't avoid
contact with the poop) but feeding too much is a pretty good
way to bring on the skitters (and the obesity, but that's
a different question).
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community