Hello everyone,

First post, and I just had to look for some help from Husky owners, to make sure I'm getting some breed-specific advice.

Let's start things off with fact #1 about our new addition, Comrade. He *HATES* his crate. Fine, he's only 8-weeks old it will take some time to adjust. He actually sleeps outside his crate on a bed near the side of our bed during the night.

Why? Because he goes bonkers in his crate and I share the house (a duplex with upstairs apartment) with 2 other residents and I don't feel it's fair that they deal with him barking on-end throughout the night (even though I bought everyone ear plugs...just in case). He's done fairly well in this arrangement after the first few nights. A couple of piddles here and there, but none the last 2 nights since I started letting him have his last drink around 9pm (we go to bed at 11) and that he's getting used to his nightly routine of being let out. So I don't necessarily want to alter that, because it seems to be working for all concerned.

That said, he HATES his crate still. But...I have to work sometime so he needs to use it to protect himself and the house from damage. Now I can't say he barks/whines/howls constantly through the day, because he's usually quiet when I get home (and is quiet until I let him out), but her certainly puts up a racket if he's in it while any of us are home.

I make sure to feed him in his crate, and even if he's going bonkers I only let him out once there is a break in the racket at least. So I'm hoping he'll grow into it, if only a little bit (I realize huskies are vocal and knew that going in).

That, though, is all just a preface for the real problem.

In the last 2-3 days he has started to habitually pee in his crate and then lie in it. We have a wire-frame crate that our 2-yr old lab used to use, so it's for large breeds, but it has a screening section we've set up so that it constrains his space. I mean, I can read anywhere that it's recommended you leave just enough room to lie down and turn around. That's all he has. Perhaps a little less than I think he should, because turning around for him is a bit tight but when I brought up this problem to a local pet-shop trainer they recommended squeezing the space down a bit. He's also given toys and a Kong with frozen peanut butter in it, so he has some kind of entertainment.

But, it seems my dog doesn't mind peeing where he rests all day. I come home at lunch each day for an hour to let him and the lab out, and for the last 2-3 days he's peed in the crate. He's also peed in it again when I come home from work (even though he's only allowed the tiniest drink at lunch and has to go out potty twice before I leave). I'm actually getting concerned about the shampoo from his baths affecting his skin or coat by drying it out.

I just don't get it. I want my dog to have a balanced living arrangement, and the fact that he's piddling in his crate and lying in it habitually leads me to think something isn't right.

One thought I've had is that perhaps our yellow lab, who is allowed free range of the front 2 rooms of the house while we're out, is giving him attention when he's barking/whining (reinforcing the habit). So he doesn't sleep and therefore doesn't connect the crate with a sleeping space he shouldn't urinate in. Would it be recommended to move him into another room, away from her during the day?

Any other recommendations? I really don't know what else to do, I've been searching online, talked to the local pet-shop puppy trainer, and talked to the breeder I got the pup from. They all gave the same advice, and it doesn't seem to be working.

Ok u have a 8 week old pup that needs to pee a lot. How many hrs are you gone before coming home for lunch and then at night? Puppies can only hold it so long even when water has been restricted. I would also try putting his crat in another room away from the other dog just to see if any thing changes. As far as the can just rinse him off with water and not use soap. Sorr I'm not a puppy owner so don't have answers

He's a baby...he has virtually no control overe his peeing at this point..after 2 months he can maybe hold it 2 hours and then he will NEED to go. If you cant be home often enough or have someone take him out, i suggest daycare...only because you dont want him to think its okau to pee in the crate.

Have you tried confining him to one room while your gone? Some dogs really do just reject the crate. My parents were breeders, so ive had a lot of dogs in my life, and while most of them did great with a crate, some of them just could not do it. My moms dog, heidi was one of them, to tis day she can not be crated because she howls and sometimes will urinate om herself. I tink he issue is anxiety. So, the dog-proof a small room (typically the bathroom) and put her in there. She does much better.

Megan, dogs are not allowed at doggy daycare facilities til 16 weeks old so she would not be able to take her pup for another 8 weeks, so I do agree with finding a dog walker to let him go out or maybe a friend/neighbor. As everyone said, you're dealing with a very young puppy and his bladder can only hold up to about 2 hours. My puppy when I got her at 9 weeks I tried to take down every hour the first 2 weeks I had her (I say try because my ankle was broken so going down the stairs every hour was killer, lol) and she always, always, always got a treat and praise and belly rubs after the fact. Even now with her being 5 months, I try to take her down every 3 hours (though she could hold it for 5 or longer possibly) just so I make sure she always gets it done outside and treated- however I do currently stay home so I know this is way easier for me since I don't have to leave her for work for hours, but she had been potty trained since 12 weeks or so now. Also after she reached 3 months she didn't need to wake me up in the middle of the night to go pee and slept from 9:30PM-4:30AM so just to clarify I did not need to take her down every 2 hours during the night, lol, and thankfully after 12 weeks or so too she didn't really need her crate.

When my girlfriend is around we usually let him out about every 3 hours. She leaves for work at 8:45 and I come back at 11:45, stay until about 12:15 letting them out twice, and then get back at 3:30 or so.

I'm not 100% sure letting him out more would solve the problem though. Just yesterday I forgot I'd left his collar on, which I'm trying to get him accustomed too but take it off while he's in the crate so he doesn't snag it and hurt himself or become stuck. So I came home not 10 minutes later and he'd already urinated.

I'll talk with our landlord to see if he can help let him out, and once my girlfriend is back from business she might be able to come home during the day too to give them more breaks.

Day care is a possibility...but I still want him to get used to his crate. Do they crate puppies at all while at day care?

I don't know much about a puppy that young. But I'm wondering at what age does a mother dog stops massaging the pups belly to help with urination? Perhaps he is unable to completely empty his bladder on his own? If this is happening, could it have caused a UTI?



I told you I wouldn't be much of a help...



Welcome to the forum!

If he is peeing and not even realizing that he is doing it, I think it might be more of a medical issue. Have you brought him to the vet and done a urinalysis? I would give your vet a call to rule out any medical issues first. Even at 8 weeks, peeing and lying in it (and seeming to be unaware of it) doesn't sound right.

Is he doing this all the time? How often does he go out when you are home? Is he piddling at any other time? Dogs sometimes do this when they are excited too and especially at a puppy stage, it could just be that he doesn't quite fully have bladder control.

Koda wrote:

If he is peeing and not even realizing that he is doing it, I think it might be more of a medical issue. Have you brought him to the vet and done a urinalysis? I would give your vet a call to rule out any medical issues first. Even at 8 weeks, peeing and lying in it (and seeming to be unaware of it) doesn't sound right.

I have not spoken to my vet yet. I need to take in a stool sample ASAP anyway, so I'll ask when I go in.

Quote :

Is he doing this all the time? How often does he go out when you are home? Is he piddling at any other time? Dogs sometimes do this when they are excited too and especially at a puppy stage, it could just be that he doesn't quite fully have bladder control.

He is doing it all the time for the last 3 days or so. When we're home he goes out about once an hour, though I'm trying to push that longer now that I can read his "I need to go signs" better and only take him out when he seems to need it.

Regarding him doing this while excited, that's what I thought might be causing it since he goes crazy-nuts-berserk in his crate. My thought that all that excitement/agitation might be causing it. My only trepidation with that hypothesis is that he didn't pee/lie down in it for the first couple of days we had him even though he was on a looser water regimen and he was still going crazy in the crate then. So I'm not sure what sparked it happening just in the last couple of days.

I put him in a separate room from our lab today, so I'll see if maybe not seeing her nearby might calm him and allow him to rest. He holds his potties in much better when he sleeps it seems.

Darguth wrote:

Regarding him doing this while excited, that's what I thought might be causing it since he goes crazy-nuts-berserk in his crate. My thought that all that excitement/agitation might be causing it. My only trepidation with that hypothesis is that he didn't pee/lie down in it for the first couple of days we had him even though he was on a looser water regimen and he was still going crazy in the crate then. So I'm not sure what sparked it happening just in the last couple of days.

I put him in a separate room from our lab today, so I'll see if maybe not seeing her nearby might calm him and allow him to rest. He holds his potties in much better when he sleeps it seems.

That's what makes me think that it MIGHT be medical (and if it is, nothing serious).

It is common though for puppies to not be able to hold it completely when stimulated and not even realize that they are peeing. I have friends who have had two dogs like that, both males. They are young and simply don't have the bladder control to hold all the pee in when they are excited.

I would still check with the vet to rule anything out and go from there.

It depends on the daycare but they usually do not have "crates." They usually use their spare boarding rooms if they have an intermission time during the day (like some take a break from 12 to 3 or 10 to 1 to let the dogs relax, eat 2nd meal, etc) and these rooms for sure allow too much room for a dog to go pee- smallest is usually a 4x6 or 5x3. Some daycares go all day with no break time. And if they DO put the dogs in actual wired crates, not going to be the best place to take your dogs.. But as I said, this wouldn't be an option available to you for 8 more weeks.

Rogue for the longest time (and sometimes still does) goes pee multiple times before she is done and ready to come inside, though with her case I think she saves some pee for a few seconds later so she can get treated again, lol. But I know some dogs do go pee 2 or 3 times instead of one long one and maybe he's doing that.


But I don't know what to say about lying in or anything and Rogue never once went in her crate, we only had accidents outside it when I didn't get off the couch in time to take her when I saw her going into the common place she went.

So, I think little Comrade is slowly breaking his habit. Unfortunately one of his greatest pacifiers seems to be a peanut butter filled Kong toy. This is great! Except...rather than coming home and having him covered in pee I come home and he's covered a goopy peanut-butter-slobber substance. Don't get me wrong, I prefer that and it means he's not as anxious; but I also don't want to have to bathe him daily.

Could anyone else recommend some good long-lasting pacifier toys, chews, treats, or better Kong fillers? Thanks!

There's a thread that was started recently called: "Stuffing a Kong" or something like that with some great ideas. I never use straight peanut butter. That's alot of peanut butter!

I'm so glad he's doing better in his crate. Unfortunately I have a dog that doesn't seem to pacify himself well by chewing. Any toy he has he only enjoys if he can rip it to shreads or at least convince himself that it will soon be ripped to shreads! He does enjoy a split elk antler from time to time, so I leave one in the crate with him and his frozen, stuffed Kong. I do not leave bully sticks or rawhide or knuckle bones because of potential choking.