Defacating at night - how do I change??

[koas house]

We've had our 10 week old lab for two weeks. Every night he has defacated at least once, usually between 1:30-2:30am. I've changed his meals to a big meal between 6-7am, another between 12-1pm and his last between 5-6pm. He goes to bed at 10pm and doesn't want to go anything but pee just before bed. If you try to get him to walk around late at night or just before his bedtime, he just wants to lie down and go to sleep (english lab). His afternoon and evening meals are very small because he's not a big eater. I add a little treat to his morning meal so he eats almost a cup at that meal which is huge for him. I don't even think he defecates more than once, if that, during the day. Is there something I should be different? Is this normal and he grows out of it? Any suggestions???

[Aurie]

Sorry I didn't read this before I posted the other. He will eat when he is hungry. Make the larger meal in the morning rather then at night. He will adjust to it even if it takes a couple of days.

[BOBS DAD]

I don't know the meal routine or even what is recommended here by our fellow PT'rs, but I have never fed my puppies 3 meals. I have always fed them 2. Once in the AM - when they/I get up and a second around 5:00 PM. I have rarely if ever had a pooping problem inside - it is usually the peeing that is the crux of housebreaking.

I think it is becuase he is eating twice (PM and Night) before he goes to sleep that he is waking up and "Hey... when you gotta go - ya gotta go"!!!

Try altering you schedule for sure and see if you can't get him going poop (first thing in the AM).

Also - are you crate training, because if you are it is highly unusual for a dog/pup to poop in their own space - crate/den. HE MUST "REALLY" HAVE TO GO!

[RedyreRotties]

3X a day is right for a lab puppy.

Your puppy is a BABY INFANT. Please be patient with him while he learns to control himself and live by your rules.

See my post on HOUSETRAINING - HOW TO

[MajesticCollies]

You can kind of go by this. In Collies Raw food takes about 5 hours to digest. Kibble takes 12 hrs to digest. So you can arrange your feeding schedule around that.

[catnapper]

How do you respond/react when he does go poopy? Has he ever gone poop in front of you? Do you respond to hs poop before, after, or during his poops?

[koas house]

We've never caught him going poop in his crate, just when he's crying to get out because "someone made a big stinky in here!". Then we don't scold him or even respond to it. We take him out to his potty area and then clean up the crate mess, put him back in and go back to sleep. Whenever he goes potty (either poop or pee) we tell him to "hurry up and what a good boy he is" while he's going and then tell him what a good boy he is afterwards just like the books have recommended. When we've caught him going pee inside the house, we've clapped our hands and said "NO!" then immediately taken him outside to his area and told him what a good boy he is as soon as he goes.

[Aurie]

I would start to feed him in his crate as well. Put the food right down on the floor of the crate. Remember they want their sleep and feeding places clean.

Also, if you have any kind of bedding in his crate, remove it.

I really do not think he 'doesn't care'. I think he is still just to young to hold it. It sounds like you are doing everything you can. It just takes time when they are so young.

1. Remove bedding.
2. Feed in crate
3. Biggest meal in the morning.
4. Set an alarm, if needed to get to him before he messes in the crate.

[RedyreRotties]

Here is how to train your puppy to eliminate outdoors.

Using these methods consistently, most puppies are urinating on command within 2 weeks time.

This piece copyright 2005/2006 Rebekah L. Pless, Redyre Rottweilers
Free for use by anyone as long as author info remains intact.

House Training

House training your dog is simple if you follow a few basic rules.

1) The puppy must have NO time unsupervised in your home. NONE.
If you are not directly watching the puppy, it should be in the
crate, or outside in a safe area. You MUST watch the puppy at ALL
times when loose in the house. Use baby gates, crates, or tie the
leash to your belt.

2) The puppy should sleep inside the crate by your bedside.
This way you can hear if the puppy should happen to need to go out
during the night.

3) You must go WITH the puppy outside for ALL trips for
elimination. You must have treats with you. When the puppy is
urinating, say "GO PEE PEE" in a nice praise tone of voice the entire
time. When she is finished, pop the treat into her mouth at once, and
praise praise praise. This should be something she gets at no other
time, like tiny pieces of string cheese or boiled chicken. Same for
defecation. Say "GO POOP" while she is going, and food reward and
praise afterwards. You must observe and reward ALL outdoor potty time.

4) Keep a schedule. Feed at the same time, and walk outside at
the same times. Your pup needs at least 4 trips outdoors each day,
and 5 is probably better. Pup needs to go out at wake up time, lunch
time, 4-5 PM, after dinner or any other meals, and before bed.

5) Use a key word each time you go out. I say "Let's go out!!"
in a happy tone of voice each time I'm opening the door to go out with the dog.

6) If you catch the puppy IN THE ACT of eliminating in your
house, CLAP YOUR HANDS, say AH AH, OUTSIDE!! And immediately rush her
outside. If she finishes there, do your usual food reward and praise.

The keys to getting your dog reliably housetrained are:

SUPERVISION: NO loose time in the house if you are not watching

REWARDS: ALL outdoor elimination MUST be observed
and rewarded. If you only do this ONE thing, your puppy will get housetrained.

PATIENCE: Anger and punishment have no place in dog
training. Elimination is a natural and pleasurable experience for
your dog. You can teach her to not soil your house, but punishment
will NOT help. It will only teach the dog to hide when she needs to eliminate.

If you have applied these techniques carefully for 4 weeks and you are still finding spots or piles after the fact, it's time for stronger measures. Roll up a newspaper and fasten both ends with a rubber band. Keep it handy. The very next time you find a spot of a pile that the dog has left behind, whip out that newspaper, and hit YOURSELF over the head firmly several times as you repeat "I FORGOT TO WATCH MY PUPPY".

Works every time.

[RedyreRotties]

Just one codicil, many puppies will need to go out more often than is recommended in the above piece, esp. if they are under 12 weeks of age.