MY 3 MONTH OLD ROTTWEILER WILL NOT STOP URINATING IN HER KENNEL

by TREBOR BOWMAN
(MILLBROOK, AL, USA)

I HAVE A 3 MONTH OLD ROTTWEILER I HAVE HAD HER SINCE SHE WAS 6 WEEKS AND SHE CONTINUES TO URINATE IN HER KENNEL EVERY DAY.

WHEN I LET HER OUT OF THE KENNEL SHE NEVER URINATES IN THE HOUSE AND I TAKE HER OUTSIDE OFTEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Hi Trebor
It could be that perhaps your Rottie is suffering from some separation anxiety when she’s crated, and that the urination isn’t a housebreaking problem but being caused by her anxiety.

Some pups 9and dogs) get so anxious and stressed when they’re crated – or separated from their people by being left at home, outdoors etc. – that they whine, howl, pant, urinate and even defecate due to panic.

If your pup shows any of these symptoms, then once you manage to reduce her anxiety levels hopefully she will stop urinating this way. You can find out more about separation anxiety and how to handle it here.. Separation Anxiety In Your Dog.

If you don’t think this is the issue and your Rottie seems quite happy in her crate, but continues to urinate there it could simply be that it’s become a habit. If you’re not using an enzymatic type cleaner to remove all traces of the scent of her previous ‘accidents’ that could be contributing to the problem.

Also, a crate that is too big (see my Puppy Crate Training page for more on this) can encourage a pup to eliminate in it. So, check that out and if her crate is bigger than recommended, buy her a new smaller one for now.

Getting her a new crate, and perhaps a different style (ie if she has a plastic one now, switch to a wire one and vice versa) may help as this bad habit will be associated with the present crate and a new one might just break the cycle.

If none of these suggestions seem to help then perhaps not crating her for a while would be worth trying. If she doesn’t eliminate indoors and you can puppy-proof a small(ish) room and let her hang out in there instead that may also be enough to break this habit and association. Then you could go back to crating her again later on with a ‘clean slate’.

This type of issue is difficult to deal with, but if you’re creative and try to figure out why she’s doing it and work to find a way to help her ‘forget’ the habit it should eventually fade away. Also, as she matures her control will get much better and she’ll naturally hold it for longer.

I hope this helps in some way, best of luck with your Rottweiler.

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