how do I stop her pooing and sleeping in it?

[MangoPete]

Hi Folks we have a Malamut/husky cross bitch 16 weeks old. We have a 48inch by 36inch cage which she is very happy with as her den. She has a large plastic bed one end and there is paper incase she has to poo or wee.
She only does this after lights out and it is found in the morning by yours truly.
Otherwise she is completely house trained, obedient sits and waits for her food etcWhich she has on occaision. Over the past week however she has been poing then bringing it into her bed and sleeps on it.
How do we stop her doing this?
Many thanks
Peter

[divegirl]

Hi, at 16 weeks she is still pretty young to be expected to hold her bowels all night. I'd be getting her up and taking her out in the night, especially as she appears clean in the day.
It's like having a newborn baby....follow the four hour rule, if she goes to bed at 10 wake her 2 take her outside then when she's done her business put her straight back to bed...
Ahhhhh....the joy of a new puppy!

Lisa x

[lankeela]

I agree, a very late let out and a very early let out - if you miss it you are not early enough! Make it an hour earlier next day. Don't give her a last meal that is too heavy, give her a meaty meal around tea time and a milky/porridgy meal for supper.

A few days of early starts and you will find she learns to wait till you get up. At her age she has no way of knowing when you will let her out, and also will have difficulty in controlling herself, so you have to help her all you can.

[lankeela]

Another thought, has she got something to chew on/play with in the cage, so she is not looking for things to occupy her?

[MangoPete]

Thanks folks
a little more info.

Her last meal is at 6-7pm she goes out at about 1 am too. My concern is that her sleeping in poo is recent, this week and it needs to stop.

I understand and don't mind her fouling her cage. it is her taking it into her bed which concerns me.
When I had her she was eating it and think she still does occaisionally. I have been told Huskies are known not to mind sleeping in their own poo.

Apart from this she is the best dog I have had.
She didn't even complain when we bathed her today, infact seemed to enjoy the attention but then I have worked hard to give her calm and consistant pack leadership.

[jules77]

What are you feeding her on?

[MangoPete]

I am feeding her Wagg puppy food with additional sardines in the evening. Her poo is solid and she has been fine on this and she has a regular routine for toilet breaks outdoors I can usually extimate within half an hour when she is going to go.
The problem has been the past week when she has been taking the poo into her bed.

[woofgang]

could she have decided that the sardiney poo is a precious food source? I know if I give my boys oily fish the result smells distinctly fishy even to me

[jules77]

Is she fed solely on Wagg food and sardines?

[MangoPete]

Folks she has only started this behavior the past week NOT before.
The problem isn't the food.
It is the behavior and changing it.

[lankeela]

Ihavehad a look at the ingredients in Wagg and I am afraid I would not be feeding a large breed growing puppy on it.
Wagg Complete Puppy Food contains Wheat, Chicken Meat Meal, Meat Meal, Wheatfeed, Oils & Fats, Maize Gluten, Vitamins & Minerals, Linseed, Maize, Peas, Beet Pulp, Lucerne. Added Citrus, Yeast and Yucca. With Antioxidant and Preserved with: EC Additives.

Where is the good quality meat and protein she needs? It only contains meat meal or chicken meal, and these are not even the largest proportion. I would change her diet to a good quality extruded (pellet) dried dog food containing meat or chicken, or supplement with beef mince or tripe, lamb or chicken and she will then digest far more of the contents and what is left will be far less appetising to her.

[jules77]

I agree L. The behaviour may only have started in the last week, but she is growing, and it may only now be coming to light that she needs more protein in her diet.

[MangoPete]

Thanks folks.
Yesterday morning I took her out and isloated her for an hour. I then gave her a warm shower . She did not poo in her cage last night and was in there from 2am till 9am.
I showed her her clean bed and praised her.
I was advised by a vet practitioner to give her Wagg Puppy as it is organicand as balanced as any. IAMS and facsimilies have been proven to cause organ problems as owners overfeed their animals.
I also suppliment with either 100g of tinned salmon or sardines mixed into her kibble.
I was also giving her raw chicken quarters as recommended by the society but this tended to make her bowel loose.

[lankeela]

I dispute what you say about Iams (Eukanuba) as you actually feed a lot less than most other foods. I have fed it for over 20 years and I have a fourteen year old who is still winning at shows and will be at Crufts next week. I have two others who are 13 and 12, also at Crufts and all my puppies have been reared and fed on it. I am now looking at getting a GSD puppy later this year, and it will be fed on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy and then Junior, until it is old enough to go onto Adult food.

[MangoPete]

Iankeela, I am sorry you disagee with what I said about the daners of feeding with IAMS.
I had my sound advice from a couple of owners of last years best of breeds at Crufts. One of them was interviewed on the BBC last year after winning her best of breed, she is also a vet. Indeed I have been told by several vets that IAMS is causing problems with internal organs.

I am only repeating what those who are far more qualified than I have told me and I CAN'T dispute that.

Maybe if you fed yours on the same as those who won last year at Crufts yours might win also... just a thought !

[lankeela]

My bitch did win at Crufts last year - aged 13! She also won at Manchester this year - aged 14! What breeds do these people have - I would be interested in what they feed especially if they are vets?

[kita1]

"IAMS and facsimilies have been proven to cause organ problems as owners overfeed their animals. "


If owners overfeed their dogs that is hardly the fault of the food. If you overfeed any food it will cause problems.


You say "I showed her her clean bed and praised her. " - what do you think she learned from that? It would have meant absolutely nothing to her. She will not associate the 'praise' with the CLEAN bed. Same as if she had pood in the bed two hours before and you found it and told her off. Dogs only associate praise or 'telling off' with what they are in the process of doing at the time.

Much as I love dogs they do not have the reasoning to think back to what they did (or did not do) an hour earlier.

[MangoPete]

Kite1
As you know dogs in the wild will eat as much as they can get i.e "wolfing down food" dog "bolting its food"
It is the way they have evolved or where created.

If owners overfeed their dogs that is hardly the fault of the food. If you overfeed any food it will cause problems.

The IAMS scientists surely must know this and also that Mr Colman made his money from the mustard left on the nations plates.
Most humans " humanise " dogs and just look at they are doing to themselves.
It is very narrowminded of humans to make a food of "convenience " for the owners. But then again they make lots of money.

[MangoPete]

IanKeela.

I was not asking for your comment about IAMS. It is a fact it is damaging animals.

Vets have the proof .


It is a fact it is not up for discussion .


Why do you feel so vehermently that IAMS (who are in it for profit) need defending ?


As I know the fact and you are disputing it. I suggest you need to talk to the right people at the show this year.

But hey you believe what you like after all we live in a democracy don't we ?