Faith

[APBT_MOMMA]

Okay so Faith was totally crate trained and all, and then for most of you that know about how evil my previous neighbors were when we first moved into our new home in April, always stalking us, yelling hateful things, kicking at the fence and throwing shit over, well of course they are gone now, thank god, BUT I ended up keeping the dogs in seperate rooms in the house but not in their crate. I had Faith in the laundry room at night and she NEVER EVER went pee or poop in there. Even if I did sleep in late and didn't let her out till I woke up.

Well now I decided to get the crates all lined up again and for the dogs to start staying in their crates at night. I started this 3 days ago and EVERY night Faith has crapped EVERYWHERE in there, all rubbed on the side the bottom and everything. It is nice solid poop but it looks like she just backed up against the bars and just rubbed her butt on everything. So last night I put them in their crate at midnight, then came and let them go potty at 3 am to make sure Faith didn't have an accident, well she had crap in their again after only 3 hours. I cleaned it up and then put her back in there, I came back out at 6 am and the same thing.

Do y'all think she is show anxiety or nervousness in the crate now? I don't want her to keep doing this because as she does it she gets it all over her body and everything and I feel so bad for her and don't want her to sleep in filth. I mean, I don't mind her being back in the laundry room, but I don't know, what do y'all think?

[Dansgrizz]

How many bowl movements does she have a day? Maybe you should let her out before she goes to bed to empty herself and then maybe in the middle of the night if need be. I'd figure out her movement schedule or put her on one.

[kumhomomma]

she may feel she earned freedom and now had it taken from her and doing it to make u pissed off...I didnt know the neighbors left

[APBTMOMMY]

She may be showing anxiety or it may just be her way of saying "oh, you wanna put me in the cage, well watch this " lol little weird that she keeps doing it within 3 hours. I dunno maybe someone else will be able to help ya out a little more.... ;)

[kumhomomma]

How many bowl movements does she have a day? Maybe you should let her out before she goes to bed to empty herself and then maybe in the middle of the night if need be. I'd figure out her movement schedule or put her on one.

Dan she said she had her in crate at midnight and got up at 3 am and 6 am so she did that...

[Dansgrizz]

please leave me alone kumho...

[APBT_MOMMA]

How many bowl movements does she have a day? Maybe you should let her out before she goes to bed to empty herself and then maybe in the middle of the night if need be. I'd figure out her movement schedule or put her on one.

They are all outside dogs pretty much so she is outside till she has to be put in the crate, I only let them in a couple hours during the day but just in the yard before the crate. She only poops like 2-3 and sometimes 4 times a day, and she has never ever done it at night because she was always either in the crate, (before incident) then in the laundry room and it was always for atleast 8 hours. But now when I just switched her back to her crate she started this. I didn't know if it was just cuz she was nervous. Before when she was in a crate, (the crates are outside on porch) the neighbors would come and run a stick along our fence and yell and kick at the fence so I am wondering if she has bad memories and gets scared. I mean I could bring the crate inside the house but I am worried that if she does poop in it, she will make a huge mess in house considering it all comes out the sides and is all over bottom pan. :(

[kumhomomma]

its not about u..It's about faith..thats what we are trying to help with.THANKS Stating that your idea was already tried is not picking at u.

[APBT_MOMMA]

she may feel she earned freedom and now had it taken from her and doing it to make u pissed off...I didnt know the neighbors left

Yah the neighbors were arrested and evicted considering the house was already being taken away from them and they were running a meth lab in the garage. They were really really evil ppl!!!! It just ticked me off though because they weren't arrested till I had them at gun point and called the sheriff and told them if they didn't get their arses there they will have some dead ppl to deal with.

[Cain714]

Maybe you can change the time you feed them, i know my boy goes like 10 mins after i feed him. I guess it all depends on the dog.

[kumhomomma]

I honestly feel if she was scared she make war and not be crated quietly.I think its more less if I crap in here momma will let me out.

[kumhomomma]

Yah the neighbors were arrested and evicted considering the house was already being taken away from them and they were running a meth lab in the garage. They were really really evil ppl!!!! It just ticked me off though because they weren't arrested till I had them at gun point and called the sheriff and told them if they didn't get their arses there they will have some dead ppl to deal with.

How i miss all that..

[Dansgrizz]

Laura- since she is trying to empty outside her crate I'm wondering if it's fear or nervousness. You'd think she would empty without control if it was nervousness or fear.

[APBTMOMMY]

Well one suggestion if you think that may be the case is to lay newspaper down and put the crate on top of all the news paper and give it a try and see what happens with that... that way if she does make a mess then it wont get all over the floor and it would be a fairly easy clean up. Just one way I can think of to test it out;)

[APBT_MOMMA]

I feed her around 4pm and don't put them in the crate till midnight, lol, that is the time I go to bed.

Faith isn't the type to make war, she cowers down to anything and will do as she is told no matter the consequence. Even if she KNOWS she is in trouble about something unlike Nevaeh, Faith will come to me to get her punishment, wether it be a stern no or to be locked up, lol, Nevaeh on the other hand RUNS, lmao.

But yah, it could definitely be because Faith got so comfortable and used to all those nice blankets to lay on and now she is in her kennel with no cozy room to be in so she is ticked off, lol. Maybe I should put bundles of blankets in her crate, lol.

[kumhomomma]

maybe try out the crate IN the laundry room..that way she in her comfy space yet she still in "jail"

[kumhomomma]

i wouldnt blanket her in crate that make a BIGGER mess..

[APBT_MOMMA]

Laura- since she is trying to empty outside her crate I'm wondering if it's fear or nervousness. You'd think she would empty without control if it was nervousness or fear.

Yah that is what I was thinking. She always seems to be sitting up kinda shaking to with this beaten look on her face when she is in now. I have never even used her kennel as a punishment for her. Oh and I fogot to leave out an important part. If we have to go somewhere during the day, I put her in her crate, one time having her in there for 6 hours, but she never poops in there during the day, ONLY at night time!!!

[APBT_MOMMA]

Well one suggestion if you think that may be the case is to lay newspaper down and put the crate on top of all the news paper and give it a try and see what happens with that... that way if she does make a mess then it wont get all over the floor and it would be a fairly easy clean up. Just one way I can think of to test it out;)

Good suggestion, I can definitely try that out. :)

[APBTMOMMY]

Is that when the neighbors would start messin with her? at night?

[APBT_MOMMA]

How i miss all that..

Haha, for some reason I thought I mentioned it on GP when I came back, oooohhh wait, duh, you probably didn't see it, lol. Sorry, but yea, it was getting so bad I was having my daughter stay at my mother in laws and then one night they threw a rock through my daughter's bedroom window and it was like 2 am and that was the last straw, I got the .454, loaded it and marched my butt out there!!! IF my daughter had been in that room and they done that, I would have got them good (don't want to mention what I would have done)!! But yah, I had had it with them. All this because they didn't like pitbulls and were calling me a child murderer for owning them. Grrrrr...and what do they think they were, saints????

[APBT_MOMMA]

Is that when the neighbors would start messin with her? at night?

Yes it was, they always came out at night!!!

[APBTMOMMY]

Then yes I would def bring her in and lay down news paper until she understands that it is ok and she doesnt have to be scared anymore..

[Xavier777]

How big is the crate? What type of diet is she on? Does she cry a lot when you put her in the crate? a little more specifics and the issue could be resolved.

[Dansgrizz]

Possible to put the crate close to u while you sleep? So you know exactly what she's doing that causes her to empty...

[APBTMOMMY]

I think that it is because of the fact that the neighbors messed with her and night and she is causing herself to go into an anxiety attack and she is just emptying out with the attack that she is having but at the same time knows that its nasty to poo in the cage and tries her best to not go inside of the cage.

[kumhomomma]

that horrid..i missed all that about the neighbors

[APBT_MOMMA]

How big is the crate? What type of diet is she on? Does she cry a lot when you put her in the crate? a little more specifics and the issue could be resolved.

Her crate is just size L, it is the black wire crate. She barely has enough room to turn around in it, like when she poops, there is no room to escape where she has pooped. She is on just Chicken soup for the puppy lover's soul 1 1/2 cups at 7a.m. and 1 cup at 4pm, she has been on that kind of food since 8 weeks of age!! She has never ever cried while in the crate and still does not cry in it. The door is always open to it during the day and that is her favorite spot to nap and hang out or even to chew on a toy. When I crate her during the day while we are gone she does wonderful, this only started up when I started crating her at night. She was always crated since 8 weeks old till 4 months old at night, then the problems with the neighbors came about and I didn't crate her at night for 2 months and just started a few days ago.

[Xavier777]

Have you tried feeding her in the crate? properly disinfecting the crate after it being soiled? Probably your best bet is to catch her in action. Put some camoflauge on...hide behind a garbage can and use the element of surprise.

ps. im kidding on the whole camoflauge thingamajigger ,but I would def. monitor her a bit more at night and try to catch her in the act. Chances are she wont know its wrong if you dont correct her before she does it. Its rare to see dogs actually being ok with sitting around in their own poop...so unless you correct it......she may just get used to it. This happens all the time with puppy mill dogs. They get so used to being cooped in their cages and soiling all over themselves that it becomes a habit after time.

[APBT_MOMMA]

Have you tried feeding her in the crate? properly disinfecting the crate after it being soiled? Probably your best bet is to catch her in action. Put some camoflauge on...hide behind a garbage can and use the element of surprise.

ps. im kidding on the whole camoflauge thingamajigger ,but I would def. monitor her a bit more at night and try to catch her in the act. Chances are she wont know its wrong if you dont correct her before she does it. Its rare to see dogs actually being ok with sitting around in their own poop...so unless you correct it......she may just get used to it. This happens all the time with puppy mill dogs. They get so used to being cooped in their cages and soiling all over themselves that it becomes a habit after time.

All my dogs are crated at feeding time just so there is no fuss. Afterwards I let them sit in their crate for another 30 minutes then they all go back out in their yards. Yes I properly disinfect it after being soiled. I have 9 crates and only 3 crated dogs, so if it happens to be too late I just switch out a crate for her till morning. I have also caught her in the act, that is how I knew she was rubbing her butt up against the side of it and it just dropping everywhere. I disciplined her and then switched out crates considering it was really early morning then I put her back in it. I just don't understand why this didn't happen till just 3 days ago.

8 weeks - 4 months of age---Always crated at night, not 1 accident EVER, even at 8 weeks!!

4 months - 6 months of age---Always in open laundry room, Never an accident!

3 days ago--Started again with the crating at night and she has been doing this BUT does not do it when crated during day when we go somewhere, even if it is for a long period of time.

I just seriously don't understand unless she is mad cuz she went back to the crate at night or is it because she is nervous in it at night now? Hmmm... :(

[APBTMOMMY]

Well bring her in with the news papaer and all that see what happens and go from there... If she doesnt do it then it may be fear .. if she does do it then it may just be that she is simply pissed because she is back in the cage and wants out. Give it a test run though and see what happens and be sure to let us know Cause I myself would love to know;)

[APBT_MOMMA]

Awesome, will do and I will let you know what happens.

[buzhunter]

Are you crating them in the same room?

[APBT_MOMMA]

They have always been crated in the same area at night. I have them in there crates next to each other with covers over every crate.

[belindabone]

she may feel she earned freedom and now had it taken from her and doing it to make u pissed off...I didnt know the neighbors left

my boxer will do the same thing if she is mad at me..maybe its her way of telling you f you mom!i dont want to be here..if i shit enough shell let me stay out.!
i wouldnt be discouraged..even though i know its not fun waking up to having to clean up a dog,piles of crap,and clean the cage...if you stick your ground with her,i think shell see that you arent giving in.thats just my opinion..lol

[american_pitbull13]

With her being crate raised from soo young I think its retaliation rather than an actual needing to go poo. A crate is nothin at all new to her from starting her crating at 5 weeks old, so even with this amount of time away from the crate I doubt its anxiety. I would keep crateing her and I would tell her NO when she does poo in there. If you stop crating her she gets her way and you don't want her to figure that out lol. It may be no fun to deal with the poo but I would stick it out and see if she gets over it.

I also say this because I know the attitude of her ancestors lmao. I wouldn't put it past her to be temperamental and trying to piss you off lol.

[CASH]

I had a simillar situation were it turned out beeing nerves more then anything else. Going to a confined space makes some dogs nervous. I stared using a kong with treats or natural peanut butter, kept him busy and he would fall asleep with it. Hope it helps.

[Leon]

Dos are problem solvers, I don't think her intention is to annoy you, even though that is the result. But her problem seems to be that she does not like the crate(maybe because she is scared, she does not like small spaces or she would rather be in the big room), So this is her solution. If you ignore it, and don't make such a big deal out of it, she might stop when she finds out her solution does not work, but she is a pitbull, and they are stubborn, so it might take a while. But if you must have her in the crate, do not give in, she will stop eventually.

[APBT_MOMMA]

Okay y'all, sooooooooo this is what I did. My hubby wouldn't let me bring the crate inside the house, he is just stubborn like that, sooooooooo I just took her blanket she always slept on in the laundry room for the past 2 months and put it in her crate with her and WA-LA, she didn't poop in her crate at all. When I went to go let them out this morning she was all snuggled up with the blanket with her head all under the covers. So I will try this again and see if it keeps working. IF by some chance she DOES poop on the covers, no biggie, the blankets are free from my hubbies work, he is a paramedic and can grab them whenever he wants so that one can be trashed if it does happen.

I just think she got used to snuggling and needed her comfort.

[Leon]

Thats good news, i hope this works, since she loves her blankey, i doubt she will poop on it.

[Phedra]

Glad to hear the problem was solved.

[APBT_MOMMA]

Haha, yah I know, now she's acting like my daughter, can't get a good night's sleep without her darn blankey, lmao, and pitbulls are supposed to be vicious right? Hahaha!!

[kumhomomma]

i didnt know she was crated outside..i miss that step. None the less glad she happy

[APBT_MOMMA]

Yah all the dogs are outside dogs. My hubby is not a fan of dogs being in the house. They are all out on the front porch with their crates lined up. I don't like to let them roam when I am sleeping. The only dog that gets to roam is my pit/lab cross because she WILL NOT let anyone in the yard so she is pretty much our guard dog and alot of ppl are scared of her, soooooo yah. My hubby is not much of an animal lover as I am, so he atleast puts up with me having them all and I respect his wishes. :)

[APBTMOMMY]

Any updates yet?