[NurseLeslie]

O.K., so this question is about Lizzie the terrier, not Calvin the doodle, but you are the best resource I know!
Lizzie was a dog we aquired from the shelter Saturday. She is great EXCEPT that she poops and pees in her crate which is-I think_ a result of being in a similar situation at the shelter and not being able to go outside to do her business. The paperwork her previos owners filled out said she was crate trained. I think she is house broken, although she DID pee twice on the first 2 days, she has since gone to the door and went outside. SO, what do you all suggest I do about the crate thing?
Calvin sleeps in the garage and it is my goal that she do the same, but qwe are still in the new phase and I need to watch their play levels. Sometimes it gets intense and she is MUCH smaller than him and only 5 days post-spay. HELP! THANKS! Leslie

 

[Jac]

Leslie, I think that if she was in the shleter for very long, she learned to potty when she needed to...because they didn't let her out. I think that if you take her out regularly, possibly hourly at first, she will remember and want to do the right thing. (Remember the high praise...and no punishment for mistakes...she will do fine, but it will take time.)

 

[Maureen]

hey Leslie,
Bless you for adopting a needy dog!

I have heard of "tethering" - actually having your new Lizzie tied with a leash to YOU! It's a way for the two of you to bond, and also a way for her to figure out that the house is where you LIVE and not where you soil. Jac is right, too, about taking her out.

I have a dog who lived outside in a kennel her first 10mos. and she would pee on my laundry! I figured it was her way of bonding to me, and she DID outgrow it, eventually. You are a special person to adopt this girl.