We just got a 3 month old male Bichon Frise this past Friday. We have
started him on crate training. Thus far it has gone pretty well with a
couple of exceptions. He has had two accidents while in the crate.

The rest of the time we have been successful in getting him to relieve
himself outside. My wife and I are very good about taking him outside
every hour or so to avoid accidents sometimes waiting for 10-15 minutes
for him to do something. During the nighttime hours we get up with him
every 2 hours or so just to make sure he is going outside. So we are
very focused on making sure he gets out a lot. His crate is smaller in
size (perfect for a puppy, but not too big) so we are certain it is not
a matter of him using one side of it for sleeping the other for a
bathroom, etc. One possible issue is it has been snowing and cold here
the past 24 hours so this may have affected his desire to use the
outdoors somewhat.

Anyway, our question is if there is anything specific we should be doing
AFTER one of these crate accidents? We wish to break him of this habit
of going in his crate before it becomes a problem. Everything we have
read deals with the crate being a "clean sanctuary" for the puppy and
somewhere he is not likely to make a mess. However, nothing has really
covered what to do when he DOES make a mess in the crate. Is there
anything we should or should not do? I imagine he may have started
forming this "habit" of going whenever/whereever in the three months
since his birth when he was with his litter.

So, is this normal behavior when crate training and if so, how is it
best to handle the situation? In both instances my wife washed his
blanket and used some Nature's Miracle on it to negate the smell which
will hopefully discourage him from doing it further. Anything else we
should do?

Thanks for any advice...

"trichard" wrote in message
...
We just got a 3 month old male Bichon Frise this past Friday. We have
started him on crate training. Thus far it has gone pretty well with a
couple of exceptions. He has had two accidents while in the crate.

The rest of the time we have been successful in getting him to relieve
himself outside. My wife and I are very good about taking him outside
every hour or so to avoid accidents sometimes waiting for 10-15 minutes
for him to do something. During the nighttime hours we get up with him
every 2 hours or so just to make sure he is going outside. So we are
very focused on making sure he gets out a lot. His crate is smaller in
size (perfect for a puppy, but not too big) so we are certain it is not
a matter of him using one side of it for sleeping the other for a
bathroom, etc. One possible issue is it has been snowing and cold here
the past 24 hours so this may have affected his desire to use the
outdoors somewhat.

Anyway, our question is if there is anything specific we should be doing
AFTER one of these crate accidents? We wish to break him of this habit
of going in his crate before it becomes a problem. Everything we have
read deals with the crate being a "clean sanctuary" for the puppy and
somewhere he is not likely to make a mess. However, nothing has really
covered what to do when he DOES make a mess in the crate. Is there
anything we should or should not do? I imagine he may have started
forming this "habit" of going whenever/whereever in the three months
since his birth when he was with his litter.

So, is this normal behavior when crate training and if so, how is it
best to handle the situation? In both instances my wife washed his
blanket and used some Nature's Miracle on it to negate the smell which
will hopefully discourage him from doing it further. Anything else we
should do?

Just clean it up and go on. You don't punish or scold them, they do figure
it out soon enough.



--
Emily Carroll
http://www.fluttervale.com/kennel - Fluttervale Labradors
http://www.fluttervale.com/biography - Canine Biography

trichard wrote:
So, is this normal behavior when crate training and if so, how is it
best to handle the situation? In both instances my wife washed his
blanket and used some Nature's Miracle on it to negate the smell which
will hopefully discourage him from doing it further. Anything else we
should do?

Yes, unfortunately it's normal for pups whose breeders didn't provide them with
a separate potty area from the get-go, and it's also normal for pet-store pups
who live in crates 24/7 and are expected to go in there. Negative training has
diminished their natural tendency to want to separate potty area from living
area.

And, of course, if he simply can't physically hold it any more, he'll go
wherever he has to. :} That's probably why he's only had 2 accidents in there,
because it sounds like you guys are pretty diligent in taking him out. A baby
bichon doesn't have a whole lot of bladder control, and if he's been active or
drinking a lot, sometimes it doesn't take very long for him to start singing,
"gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now." :}

So there are two things you can do. (1) Wash out the whole crate with Nature's
Miracle, and (2) wait for him to develop more bladder control.

---
Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
It's A Dog's Life
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Get Healthy, Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

trichard said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Anyway, our question is if there is anything specific we
should be doing AFTER one of these crate accidents?

First, congratulations on doing most everything right. I only
say "most" because there's something missing, though I'm not
sure what it is. I suspect that the missing factor is *time*
and that your little guy needs more growing before he gets
reliable bladder control. He may also be giving you a "I gotta
pee" signal" that you're missing. Every dog's is different.

How much time does he spend in the crate? When he pees outside,
do you make a party out of it? I know it's cold, but with lots
of praise and treats he'll learn that the sooner he does his
business, the sooner he'll be back inside. Further
congratulations on taking him outside - it's amazing how many
people complain about their dogs peeing inside but don't know if
the dog peed outside to begin with.

In the long run, if your pup continues to pee in his crate,
remove the blanket.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.