I’ve got a doggie problem! Help!
By Cody Gray on May. 08, 2008
So, I made a new addition to my apartment a couple of months ago. I got a dog! I had been wanting a puppy for a while and finally decided I was ready to take on the responsibility of owning a pet. So, I got a Westie! My mom has had a Westie for a couple years and I just fell in love with her. I’ve always been a “big dog” kind of guy, but these little terriers are awesome, so I got one! She’s now a little over 5 months old and almost everything about her has been great, except for one thing…here’s my problem.
I keep the puppy crated while I am at work. She is pretty much potty trained with your occasional accident as she doesn’t have it totally figured out yet. But, she isn’t nearly as good at being potty trained while she is in her crate. Having her relieve herself in her crate isn’t necessarily what the big problem is. The issue I’m having is if she goes in her crate, she tends to make a meal out of it, if you know what I’m getting at…I don’t want to get too graphic. So not only does she eat it, but she tends to try and make an abstract painting, with her white body being the canvas and her “nastiness” is the paint! I mean, what in the world???
Of course, the breath ends up smelling terrible, obviously she needs bathing quite often and it’s just plain nasty! By the time I discover what she has done and get her out of her crate, it’s pretty hard to punish or reprimand her because by that point, she has no idea what I’m yelling about. My vet said to put a little bit of meat tenderizer in her food and that would help. So, I’ve just started that and we’ll see how things go.
So, have you ever experienced this kind of problem with your puppy? People have told me “that’s just what puppies do”. Well, I had puppies growing up, and I don’t remember them doing that! Is there anything I can do to help her understand that she shouldn’t be doing this? Is it something she’ll just grow out of? I really need your help! Either leave your comment at the bottom of this blog, or send me an email at . Any suggestions or similar experiences would be great to hear!
By the way, check out The Planet, 101.5/97.9 every Wednesday-Friday as we give away free music, and you also want to check out our website to win free tickets to see The Eagles!!! That legendary group will be at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on May 21st, and The Planet has free tickets to giveaway! Just go to http://www.rocktheplanet.fm and click on the Eagles logo. Then just fill out the info and you are entered to win! It’s going to be a great show and The Planet wants you to be there, so go to the website and get registered! Hope to talk to you on the radio and I look forward to your help with my doggie problem! Be good, and I’ll see you on The Burg soon!
COMMENTS
Yeah, sounds pretty normal, unfortunately. And it should be something she grows out of, as she learns to hold it longer.
Maybe you could get a wire-floor cage for her, something where her waste will drop through and out of reach?
Hey Anj, thanks for the response! I def hope she grows out of this! The wire-floor idea actually isn’t a bad one, but I think with her being small, it’s going to be tough to find something that her feet wouldn’t slip through that would still be big enough for the waste to go through. But all options are on the table at the moment. Anyone else have any ideas or opinions on this?