Hi, I have an American Bulldog who is a little over 1 year old. She has recently began pooping at night. At first, it was on the living room floor. We got a kennel and that helped temporarily. The pooping at night, in the kennel, has become a regular thing. We have tried removing the padding because she could cover the mess up and continue with out worries. We have fed her earlier in the day. Still no results. I am a stay at home mom, so she gets plenty of attention during the day. We make sure to let her outside for an adequate amount of time before bed as well. I let her out first thing in the morning...by 5:30am; and still we are having this issue. I think I am going to get rid of her X-Large kennel and get a new, somewhat smaller one. Maybe that will help; perhaps she thinks this one is just a crappy cage! :-) I'd welcome any suggestions before I get a new kennel so we can avoid any pooping in that one at all. I think once they begin going in the kennel, it becomes "a place to go."
By the way, she is afraid of the dark, which may hinder her from going at night..outside anyway.

Thanks for your suggestions!

well i think you need to put your dog in other place at night

I have experienced something similar with a 10 yr rescued greyhound. It turned out to be a nervous thing which i solved.

Your dog is only young and provided she is given a good walk late at night she shouldn't need to go during the night. Give it a regular house training type schedule - every 2/3 hours off for a walk and see if there is an improvement.

A cage is useful to restrict the dogs movement and that is what i use for my dog now - they don't want to do in their beds. Cgae should be big enough for the dog to lie down on their side and no more. A good 3/4 hour walk before bed to be sure that they don't suffer any distress.

A crate should be just big enough to stand up, turn around and lie down in comfortably. In theory, if a dog is in an appropriate sized crate, it will not soil it's crate. (unless there's some underlying physical or emotional issues)

It sounds to me like your dog might have anxiety issues. Anxiety can certainly make the intestines more active. (This happens in people too. I know I tend to get crampy when I'm nervous about something)

Where do you put the crate at night? If your dog is used to being with you all day and then you isolate it in a crate in another room at night, that would be enough to cause some major anxiety.

If that's the case, a quick short term solution might be to put the crate in your bedroom at night.

Long term, you will need to address the separation anxiety. You will need to slowly get your dog used to being away from you during the day (even if you're home all day, your dog shouldn't have unlimited access to you).

I can give you more tips on how to do this. I'm home all day with my dog and I had similar problems (not with soiling but with anxiety).

Are the poops normal or runny? What kind of food are you feeding, when are you're feeding and how much does he eat? Does your dog poop during the day as well or just at night.

Her crate should be just large enough for her to lay down comfortably. If it's large enough that she can eliminate in one area, and lay down in another, it's too large.

Also, I'd suggest you stop letting her out at night. TAKE her out, and watch to be sure she's doing what needs to be done.

Other things to consider. Is she spayed? If not, some of this could be hormonal.

Have you had her to the vet to check for things like intestinal parasites or anal sac problems? Sometimes there are medical reasons for a dog breaking their house training.

I have had only one accident in the crate with my dogs since they were pups but I concur with others that the size of the crate is everything...most dogs will not eliminate where they lie the exception to this being pet shop dogs which stay in kennels until they are purchased.

You didn't say exactly how long this has been going on but I would assume it has become routine at this point. I will also assume that your dog has no other health issues that could be causing this. If you're not sure, please be sure to check with your vet.

This can be a tough habit to break but you're on the right track with the early feeding, late night walks, and making sure she eliminates before bedtime. If you are up for it...you could try taking her out every few hours during the night (start this as a weekend project) until she goes and then praise her to pieces and keep her in for the night. Do this just like you would with a new puppy gradually increasing the number of hours until she is able to hold it all night like she used to. The whole idea is to create a new routine where she figures out that going when you want her to is the only way to do things.

Another suggestion I would add here is making sure that the area and the crate is completely cleaned each time with a product like "Nature's Miracle". It comes in a great orange or regular scent and completely eliminates the odor making it much less likely that she will go in the same spot again. Never use just soap and water and a mop or a product like Windex to clean up accidents. It just spreads the smell around without removing it meaning...your dog will still smell it and will be more likely to go in that spot again.

Another suggestion would be to move the crate to a different area. Sometimes changing things; even the slightest thing that has become routine will be enough to change behaviour. We also cover our dogs crates with a blanket which quiets them down quickly just like when you cover a bird in it's cage.

These are all just suggestions of course but I would encourage you to try one thing at a time until you figure what works.

Good luck! )

Tammy
Kosmic Canine
Kosmic Canine -- Home
Canine Corner

If she's afraid of the dark, then accompanying her outside, as vegroomer suggested would indeed be a good idea. Install an outside light on the back porch, or take a flashlight as well. Also, is the room where you bed her at night kept dark, or is there a nightlight? If it is dark, and she is afraid, I wonder if her eliminating in her crate could be due to fear? How about giving her a nightlight?

Thank you all for some great suggestions. We have down-sized the cage as of yesterday and there was no poop last night!! She does have a night light at night. I do accompany her outside at night to ensure that she goes down in the yard to go to the bathroom. I will try walking her for a good 15-20 minutes late in the evening...it will be good for her and I. Again, thank-you all for your suggestions.

Just something to add. How many times a day do you feed. I have found making sure they are fed early in the morning and then relatively late in the evening can work wonders. Or if you feed once a day make it just late evening, that way you SHOULD improve the "messy situation".