marking crate at bedtime

pirasha · Jan 15, 2016

Hello everyone!
So I got my little bug a week before Christmas. She is a retired breeder and so great! she's house trained, crate trained, LOVES people, it's been a dream! We're still working through acclimation, I'm teaching her to play and simple commands and such but I've really lucked out!

One issue I'm having that I'm not sure how to deal with is she marks her crate before sleeping in it. From what I understand a couple months before she was re-homed to me she was living with someone else and just neglected; shoved in a crate, covered in urine, thin, bald in places. Overall not good. I had to slowly introduce her to my apartment because she didn't know what to do with all the space (3 rooms, very tiny), but she's accustom now.

Now she doesn't hold any negativity for the crate, she's not scared of it. She understands it's her place and will go in willingly when she want's a quiet spot to chew or it's bedtime.

However

I've noticed she's marking in her crate...it's like a routine, she'll pile her towel into a ball, mark it, then spread it out again and curl up to sleep. I know it's marking because I take her out right before bed and she always pees and when she marks it's a very quick squat. She doesn't mark anywhere else in my house, just her bed, just right before sleep.

I've tried washing her towels everyday to get the scent out, washing her towel in ezyme cleaner in case she doesn't like the scent of my detergent, I've got a plug in dog calm diffuser plug in right by her crate in case it was an anxiety thing, and I've tried just letting her go hoping that if she smells her mark she'll do it less or not at all but nothing seems to be working.

I don't want to yell no when I see her doing it so she doesn't associate her crate with something bad but I'm not sure how to get her to stop, I don't like her sleeping in urine because it smells gross and I feel like she's going to get an infection if she keeps doing it.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I can try?

Alice Kable · Jan 15, 2016

I'm thinking Poppy marking her bed is a habit and I would start by telling her NO PEE when she starts to mark. Frenchies are smart and want to please. If that isn't successful I'd remove the towel. She can sleep okay on the crate liner and hopefully she won't feel the need to mark it. Good luck!

Tgirl · Jan 18, 2016

I agree with Alice. Poor girl, it sounds like she has been through a lot. I would also have her tested for a urinary tract infection just in case.

Squishy Walnuts · Jan 18, 2016

Aww, the poor girl! I agree with the others. Try to put her to bed with no towel and see if she marks.

hannah · Jan 18, 2016

She sounds so lovely! I would just go back to the basics with potty training! Since its a new home, new family, it will take time to adjust. I would just go back to the basics and she will come along

pirasha · Jan 19, 2016

Okay guys it's been four nights and no marking *crosses fingers* so had her in her crate a few nights without a towel but she still marked the pad I had in there. So I took that out and had her sleep on just the bare bottom ( I felt soo bad but I had to see if she would sleep in a puddle or if that would prevent her from marking) Luckily she didn't mark! (woo!) After that I gave her just a towel and as soon as she marked and would say no and take it out so she knew if she marked she would again be sleeping on the bare bottom of the crate ( oh man the looks I got when I did that!)

Just in case it was the smell, texture, or ability to move the towel around that was causing her to mark I got a pillow that was on sale; one of those memory foam things that are square, and I put a waterproof/allergy proof pillow case on it so if she does mark it's a really easy clean up. It fits in the crate perfectly so she can't move it unless she pulls up an entire corner of the thing.

So I think a combination of allergy/ no smell cover (I soaked it in enzyme cleaner just to get as much store smell off as I can), the fact she can't ball it up, and the knowledge that if she does mark it's going to make for a very uncomfortable night are all really helping! Hopefully it keeps up because she smells soooo much better!

hannah · Jan 19, 2016

pirasha said:
Okay guys it's been four nights and no marking *crosses fingers* so had her in her crate a few nights without a towel but she still marked the pad I had in there. So I took that out and had her sleep on just the bare bottom ( I felt soo bad but I had to see if she would sleep in a puddle or if that would prevent her from marking) Luckily she didn't mark! (woo!) After that I gave her just a towel and as soon as she marked and would say no and take it out so she knew if she marked she would again be sleeping on the bare bottom of the crate ( oh man the looks I got when I did that!)

Just in case it was the smell, texture, or ability to move the towel around that was causing her to mark I got a pillow that was on sale; one of those memory foam things that are square, and I put a waterproof/allergy proof pillow case on it so if she does mark it's a really easy clean up. It fits in the crate perfectly so she can't move it unless she pulls up an entire corner of the thing.

So I think a combination of allergy/ no smell cover (I soaked it in enzyme cleaner just to get as much store smell off as I can), the fact she can't ball it up, and the knowledge that if she does mark it's going to make for a very uncomfortable night are all really helping! Hopefully it keeps up because she smells soooo much better!

That's awesome! Glad to hear it's going better for you

Squishy Walnuts · Jan 19, 2016

Great news!! These Frenchies are stubborn but they will learn. I can just imagine the look she gave you.

Tgirl · Jan 19, 2016

I'm so glad she is doing better. If she was left in a crate for long periods before you got her and had no choice but to wet in there on her blanket, she may have developed the habit that way.