# wood everywhere!



## arko (Dec 4, 2006)

hi everybody. 

just trying to generate some ideas. as some of you might know, my dog does her "business" in the crate with wood chips in the tray underneath the crate to soak the pee pee. 

for four consecutive days, i've come home to find about a quarter of the tray has been pulled out and wood everywhere. it's extremely annoying. i've tried to take her paw and put it on the tray and mimick the motion of tugging it out (which i assume is what she is doing) and yelling "NO" repeatedly like 15 plus times thinking over and over again, she'll get the idea. but it seems to continue

i never had this problem with my first malt. my first malt however had a slight problem - he would occasionaly now and then not pee and poo poo in the crate. arko guarantees virtually 100% she will do everything in the crate...... but then she has this wood clawing habit. 

ideas appreciated. i really want to keep this crate toilet idea as i am not accustomed to anything else.....


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I don't know about wood chips....

Every dog I've ever known has loved to take wood chips out of the garden and play with or chew on them.

How about some sort of litter made for dogs?


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## NYC Neighborhood Dogs (Nov 12, 2006)

I don't have any ideas, but, I'm curious about how it works using a crate as the potty area. Does the puppy also eat and sleep in the same crate and spend time in there, or, is the crate the toilet area and she has another area that she plays in and sleeps in?


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## wagirl98665 (Jan 5, 2006)

That's pretty much what my dogs do if they get outside and get into any kind of wood bark, drag in the house hoping not to get caught before I catch them chewing on it. Maybe a different kind of litter would be better.







Oh, I'm curious also. Does your dog sleep, eat and potty in the same crate?


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## lorraine (Jun 24, 2006)

Both my dogs are outside trained but they do so love to kick their back legs after they have performed. I get gravel chippings all over the lawn or they come in with bits of grass all over their backs.







Maybe you are suffering from "kick-back" too


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## Cary (Jun 11, 2006)

Maybe you need to YELL louder.

















I know that mine, Leia especially has it in her DNA
to make a mess and tear EVERYTHING up, dig everything
etc. Maybe (just a maybe) some doggies are better suited to
other methods (pee pads or whatever) than we'd like them
to be. I don't know though. 
I know it's frustrating cleaning up the messes. Just today I had 
to spend a bit of time cleaning up these round stuffing pellets that a toy Leia
had in her crate (and tore up - live seam rippers) formerly
was stuffed with. They were everywhere.
When it has to do with potty stuff I have less patience.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Try spraying some Bitter Apple on the tray areas she can reach. Although she may not be chewing it, the smell of the solution may deter her.


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## KimKarr (Feb 4, 2006)

> Maybe you need to YELL louder.[/B]


Once again -- I'm snorting Diet Coke out of my nose!


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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

so the crate has an opening at the bottom for the pee and poo to go through?

dogs usually dont like that...even if it falls through..the bars still get a little dirty. 

i wouldnt think pooing or peeing on woodchips would be comfortable, i'd try that dog litter they sell at the petstores.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

No, yelling at her will not work - the only thing it might do is scare her. The ONLY time you can correct a dog is if you can do these three things:

1. The correction is immediate to the behavior (she has to do it on her own)
2. The correction is harsh enough that the dog takes notice
3. The correction is immediately followed by an opportunity to do the correct behavior and be rewarded for it. 

I'd fasten the grate better.


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## Puddles Mom (Jun 20, 2004)

If the crate is there bed, they will not poop in it. Or should not poop or peee in it, thats the point. 

Maybe this Malt is a outside pooper. Some will use a pad while others like to go out side. I think which ever one they choose is fine, as long as their trained.


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## NYC Neighborhood Dogs (Nov 12, 2006)

Are you still there? I really want to hear how long you've got the dog standing on wire in a crate. If she just goes in there for the potty run, that's one thing. If, however, you're using this as the confinement area, her den for long periods of time, you just know I'm going to do my best to urge you to stop that practice and start paper training or housebreaking her and get her off that wire. There are more preferable methods--preferable where the dog is concerned, and, that really is the primary concern.


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## arko (Dec 4, 2006)

> I don't know about wood chips....
> 
> Every dog I've ever known has loved to take wood chips out of the garden and play with or chew on them.
> 
> How about some sort of litter made for dogs?[/B]


dear lady's mom. the woods chips cuz they are scented and hide the scent of the pee. i change the whole lot once every 3 days. so therefore, litter will not work. since the only point for the wood chips is that they smell fresh and cover up the scent of peepee. thanks for the response



> I don't have any ideas, but, I'm curious about how it works using a crate as the potty area. Does the puppy also eat and sleep in the same crate and spend time in there, or, is the crate the toilet area and she has another area that she plays in and sleeps in?[/B]


no. arko only pees and poo poo's in the crate. she never goes in the crate for anything else unless she is curious. and it is frowned upon for her to be in there in general unless she is doing her business, i learned this from my previous dog; it mitigates chance of playing with poop. perhaps when the cable guy comes over or something like that, then she will be in the cage. 

i have elevated platforms in my house. so she is not permitted onto platform 2 without supervision, or the ground floor either. she stays on platform 1 all the time. ultimately, when she gets older and bigger, as long as she can go up and down the platforms herself, she can have the run of the house. i'd assume she'd be sleeping on platform 2 with me eventually- as long as she can on her own make it to platform 1 and back to go potty, since the crate is on platform 1.



> Both my dogs are outside trained but they do so love to kick their back legs after they have performed. I get gravel chippings all over the lawn or they come in with bits of grass all over their backs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


dear lorraine, 

there are rails for her to walk upon above the wood. there is no kickback possible. she is pulling out the crate. i think she understands, but can't help it.... 

she chews on my fingers sometimes and occasionally it hurts, but i'm ok with that cuz i can understand her teeth itch, as i am putting myself in her position. and by the same psychology that is why i cannot accept wood everywhere, as i don't understand why she has to do it.....



> Maybe you need to YELL louder.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i understand what you mean. hope it'll get a bit better for you with some luck.











> Try spraying some Bitter Apple on the tray areas she can reach. Although she may not be chewing it, the smell of the solution may deter her.[/B]


how long does this scent last?



> No, yelling at her will not work - the only thing it might do is scare her. The ONLY time you can correct a dog is if you can do these three things:
> 
> 1. The correction is immediate to the behavior (she has to do it on her own)
> 2. The correction is harsh enough that the dog takes notice
> ...



this did cross my mind when i was pointing to the crate and saying no , as well as using her paw to mimick the motion and saying no. i was trying to gauge how much she was understanding. 

i semi caught her doing this again this morning and instead, i told her to come and stay, and sit (amazing isn't it how she has all these commands down so early) and i put my left hand on her shoulder and using my right i pointed and juggled the area she had pulled out. she didn't seem scared and her expression seemed like she could gauge a little bit better what i wanted. 

the grate cannot be fastened. i've put a snap on thingy that should stop her pulling it out unless she really pries hard.....



> If the crate is there bed, they will not poop in it. Or should not poop or peee in it, thats the point.
> 
> Maybe this Malt is a outside pooper. Some will use a pad while others like to go out side. I think which ever one they choose is fine, as long as their trained.[/B]


noted. thanks for the response


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## ladypup (Oct 22, 2006)

yup, Malts are diggers, especially the girls!

i would not put something like this next to any of my girls or it would be all over the floor too!

i was going to suggest you use wee wee pads, but it does not have the advantage of cleaning it only every 3 days.

maybe you should put something really heavy in front of it, something she cannot pull but not to high so that she can easily climb on it and go potty.


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## arko (Dec 4, 2006)

> yup, Malts are diggers, especially the girls!
> 
> i would not put something like this next to any of my girls or it would be all over the floor too!
> 
> ...


i did try pads years ago with my first dog.... but i found that i could smell the urine and the smell just stays. and there is NOthing worse than seeing him use his nose to roll the poop along the ground.....


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## arko (Dec 4, 2006)

ahhhhhhhhhh. i give up. i'm gonna try to put a pee pee pad in the crate. hope they sell them 16 inch by 23. 

horrible wood everywhere again....it takes forever to clean....like 25 minutes including the mopping.


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## Cary (Jun 11, 2006)

Maybe I missed it somewhere but why does the potty need to be done in the crate?
Are there other options?


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## arko (Dec 4, 2006)

> so the crate has an opening at the bottom for the pee and poo to go through?
> 
> dogs usually dont like that...even if it falls through..the bars still get a little dirty.
> 
> ...


doctor cathy, how does dog litter work?



> Maybe I missed it somewhere but why does the potty need to be done in the crate?
> Are there other options?[/B]


my friend asked me the same thing last night. ummm. on top of the crate is a longated wooden table (no legs, the crate is whats holding it up). on top of that is a 4 storey shelf which holds arko's stuff....scissors, blankets, shampoo, eye liquid, ear liquid- you get the idea. 

it just seems best to use the crate as the toilet no matter how you look at it. even if i use a pee pee pad at some other location on platform 1, the crate will still be there cuz it is the legs for the table. why not just let her do her business in there and use the crate as an emergency isolation place just in case and give her the run of platform 1.... if i put a pee pee pad somewhere else on platform 1.....what will be the purpose for the interior of the crate? only as an emergency cell? seems kind of a waste... 

a question for all in the know: since i've never used a pee pee pad b4........... do you think having the pee pee pad on top of the rails of the interior of the crate will increase the chance of her biting the whole thing up and destroying the whole pad as opposed to having it on solid ground? or are the chances about the same?


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

[/QUOTE]

it just seems best to use the crate as the toilet no matter how you look at it. even if i use a pee pee pad at some other location on platform 1, the crate will still be there cuz it is the legs for the table. why not just let her do her business in there and use the crate as an emergency isolation place just in case and give her the run of platform 1.... if i put a pee pee pad somewhere else on platform 1.....what will be the purpose for the interior of the crate? only as an emergency cell? seems kind of a waste... 

a question for all in the know: since i've never used a pee pee pad b4........... do you think having the pee pee pad on top of the rails of the interior of the crate will increase the chance of her biting the whole thing up and destroying the whole pad as opposed to having it on solid ground? or are the chances about the same?
[/QUOTE]

You can do whatever works for you but as far as I know the rest of the dog-owning world that uses a crate uses it for housing purposes ONLY and not as a duo potty. My question is--why are you doing it differently? It takes some hard work and training to get a dog housetrained--are you not able to do that? I think you need to make a decision--use the crate for housing only and train her to go on a pad outside her crate or outside on the grass. Dogs have very sensitive smell and there is no way you can clean the crate enough for it to have an odor of urine/feces that the dog can still detect if she is using it regularly for a potty and then you are expecting her to go in it during an "emergency"--would you want to hang out in a place where you could smell urine/feces? It's not good for the dog, and it's confusing as she will never learn where she needs to go. Give that crate a good scrubbing inside and out, rinse it well, put something soft in it to make her comfortalbe and use it to put her when you need to keep her contained and then train her to potty in a proper place like everybody else. That's my 2 cents. Good luck!!


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## arko (Dec 4, 2006)

camfan: u must have missed something. the crate is not a duo anything. SHE is not to go in the crate unless she needs to use the toilet. there is no other time she should be in there. 

when i say the off time, i am talking about she will not be locked within the crate for a total of 24 hours in an entire YEAR.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

> camfan: u must have missed something. the crate is not a duo anything. SHE is not to go in the crate unless she needs to use the toilet. there is no other time she should be in there.
> 
> when i say the off time, i am talking about she will not be locked within the crate for a total of 24 hours in an entire YEAR.[/B]


No, I understood you just fine, actually. You asked for advice and I gave it to you: train your dog to go on a pad or on the grass like everybody else. That's all I have to say about it. Best of luck.


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## ladypup (Oct 22, 2006)

i kind of get it, you use the crate as one of those kitty closed litter boxes (my cats have one of those) it is actually not a bad idea seeing that my doggies a lot of the times 'start' on the pad and then 'continue' walking away from it.

the only thing though, i would get another crate, even a very small one for her short 'time off' 
she should not stay where she poops... if she is in 'time off' for very short periods, it can be a small crate, just comfortable enough to take a short nap in, with a nice little comfy pillow









i never tried the pads in such a setting, i say try both!


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm sorry but you are using the crate as an occassional time off spot...even if it is less than 24 hours per year. I totally agree with Camfan and Ladypup that you should find another place to designate as your pup's time off spot. I don't really understand why you would want to have the dog pee and poop onto the bottom rails of a crate, either. Why not invest in a good litter box w/lid and use large sized pee pads inside? I also have to say I am a bit concerned that you have so much stuff piled on top of the crate. I don't know what kind you have, but most of the metal ones I've seen would not be strong enough to support the weight of the shelves plus contents. It sounds like it might be a bit unstable and likely to fall.


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