Why is My Puppy Peeing in His Crate? Reasons & Solutions (2023)

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Many owners use a crate to help train their new puppy.

This works wonders for many dogs and is the technique that I use. But what about your puppy peeing in his crate? That’s not supposed to happen.

This is a small price for most dog owners to pay for the unconditional love that dogs bring into their lives. However, if your dog keeps pooping/peeing in his crate, it’s time to intervene; there may be other reasons.

The reasons why your dog keeps peeing in his crate include:

• Trained incorrectly
• Long time in the crate
• Anxiety
• Active bladder
• Urinary tract infection

Here’s why your dog keeps peeing in the crate and how to stop it from doing so and start teaching your puppy to urinate where you want it to!

Why Does a Puppy Peeing in His Crate?

Let’s start by speculating on why your pup is urinating/defecating in his crate. There can be several reasons why a puppy has an accident while in the crate:

Improper Crate Size

Puppies shouldn’t want to go to the bathroom in their cage. A puppy must want his den area to remain clean.

If a cage is too big, some puppies will go to the bathroom in one part and sleep and play in another section.

The crate should be large enough for a puppy to lie down, stand up, and rollover.

They sell wire boxes with dividers that can be moved to expand as the puppy grows.

Therefore, you would buy a cage adapted to the size of your dog as an adult. But you can keep expanding the area you have access to as it grows by moving the divider.

Small Bladder

Puppies are a lot like human babies in that they are not yet in complete control of their bladders. When you think about how small and young puppies are, it makes sense that they may not be able to hold their bladder very long at first!

Depending on the age of your puppy, you will probably have to take him out of his crate to go to the bathroom quite often at night. The general rule is that a puppy can hold his bladder for several hours equal to his age in months, plus 1. So, for example, an 8-week old puppy can have his bladder for 3 hours.

So if your pup is urinating in his crate and you’re trying to leave him there overnight with no potty breaks, you may need to adjust your schedule.

Anxiety

If you have an overly anxious dog, he may urinate in his crate or other places in the house. He may get nervous when you leave him there and urinate due to the stress or anxiety of being indoors.

Medical Issue

Most of the time, a puppy urinating in his crate is just a sign that he has the wrong crate or that his potty training needs a little more work.

Sometimes, however, it can signify a medical problem such as a urinary tract infection.

Your dog urinating in his crate is probably the sign of a medical problem if it occurs suddenly. If you’ve been fine until recently, you may want to call your vet to have your dog checked.

How to Stop Puppy From Peeing in Crate?

Now that you know why your puppy is peeing in his crate, here are some ways you can help him learn to stop.

Limit space in the crate

Your puppy’s crate should be large enough for him to turn over and lie down. Many boxes now come with a divider to keep the space small until your pup starts to grow, and then you can remove it.

Dogs are naturally clean and don’t like to mess where they sleep, so you don’t want the crate to be so large that the puppy chooses one side as a bathroom area. Use a separate pen to contain your puppy for more extended periods.

Have a Regular Schedule

Having a schedule or routine will help you and your puppy know when to go to rest in his crate and when it is time to leave the house.

It will also help you keep track of your puppy’s potty schedules and learn about how his little body works.

Having a schedule is part of practical cashier training. So what is a suitable cage training program for a puppy? Every dog ​​and owner is different, but this article is a good starting point.

Speaking of schedule, that’s also one of the critical elements for a calm dog. Be sure to download my free guide to a quiet dog for the three things you need to know for a relaxed and level-headed dog.

Temporarily Remove the Crate Bedding

In general, dogs don’t like to relieve themselves in the same places they sleep because, eww.

This is part of the reason why cage training is so practical.

But some dogs (especially those in an overly large cage) learn that they can jingle and then cover the mess with the bedding from the cage.

From your dog’s point of view, this is a perfect solution – he can urinate without having to sleep in a puddle afterward.

So if you notice that your dog is peeing in his crate and you pull the bedding over the urine, you may want to stop including the blanket or crate pad until he stops peeing in his crate.

No, this won’t be that comfortable for her, but it won’t be uncomfortable either. Dogs tend to lie on hard surfaces (many like to sleep on the kitchen floor), so it’s not the end of the world for your dog.

Also, once he has successfully overcome the problem of urinating in the boxes, he can likely start using the bedding again.

The Puppy May Not Be Able To “Hold It” For Too Long

A general rule of thumb for how long your puppy can “hold” it before having to go outside is the number of months of age it is, plus one equals the number of hours possible. So if your pup is three months old, she should be able to go about four hours before she has to go outside. Make sure you take the puppy out and see him do her things each time before putting him in the crate. If he is still urinating in the cage, he may need more frequent bathroom breaks with you or with a dog walker.

Crate Train Him Properly to Reduce Stress

It is very rare for a puppy to be afraid, much less urinate because of it. If your puppy is fearful, he should immediately socialize and expose your puppy appropriately so that your puppy can overcome what makes him scared; check out our complete guide on puppy socialization.

With fearful puppies, every day has to be deliberately slow and positive. Just hanging out in the same room your pup is locked in while rewarding your dog can make a big difference.

Clean the Crate Thoroughly

Dogs have powerful noses. They also tend to urinate in the same places. If your dog smells the pee in his crate, he will think, “There’s already pee in here, so it’s okay if I go to the bathroom here now.”

It is essential to clean as best you can if your puppy has had an accident in his crate! This will help prevent him from having others.

Conclusion

Crates can be a great tool when used correctly to train your puppy. They also keep the puppy safe when you can’t supervise it.

Getting your puppy to stop urinating inside the crate finally doesn’t have to be complicated; as long as you are understanding and consistent, your puppy will stop peeing inside the crate while learning the proper location to relieve himself!